Jefferson County Extension & Outreach Newsletter October 2015

Dear Extension Newsletter Readers;

We hope you have been enjoying the

monthly newsletter.

At this time, we print/mail 180 newslet-

ters.

In an effort to save costs, and taxpay-

er’s money, we would like to convert as

many of these to electronic delivery as

possible.

Please email kistler@iastate.edu or

call the office at 641-472-4166 to let us

know if you would like to receive the

newsletter electronically, by mail, or dis-

continued altogether.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Extension Staff

Healthy & Homemade 2016 Nutrit ion and Fitness Calendar

Only $3.00 each

Available in the Extension office

Page 2

2016 Garden Calendar

For sale

Only

$7.00 each

Available in

Extension Office

Page 3

Some of the September

dishes included Zucchini

Lasagna, Apple Pie

Eggrolls, Butternut Squash

Fajitas, Cucumber Juice,

Kale Salad, Creamy Garlic

Spaghetti Squash and

more! Come see what Barb

is cooking in the kitchen!

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Upcoming Events

Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Harvest Cookery; Noon—1:00 PM

Oct. 6th; Smart Investing @ Public Library; 6-8 pm

Oct. 21st; Roadside Forest Aquatic CIC; 9:00 AM

Oct. 25th; Trunk or Treat; 3:00—5:00 PM

Oct. 22nd; Native Plant Workshop; 6:00 PM

Oct. 29th; Mosquito/Public Health CIC; 9:00 AM

Nov. 11th; Ornamental Turf CIC; 9:00 AM

Nov. 11th; Greenhouse CIC; 1:30 PM

Nov. 17th; Fumigation CIC; 9:00 AM

Nov. 18th; Commercial Ag, Weed, Insect CIC; 9:00 AM

Nov. 18th; Aerial Applicators CIC; 1:30 PM

Office Closed November 26th & 27th

Dec. 2nd; Pest Control CIC; 9:00 AM

Dec. 17th; Private Pesticide Applicator Training; 7:00 PM

Jan. 5th; 2016; Commercial Manure Applicator; 9:00 AM

Feb. 9th; Commercial Ag Weed Insect CIC; 9:00 AM

Feb. 11th; Confinement Manure Applicator; 9:00 AM

Feb. 24th; Seed Treatment; 9:00 AM

Feb. 25th; Estate Planning; 9:00 Am

Mar. 2nd; Ornamental Turf CIC; 9:00 Am

March 5th; Second Annual Farm Show @ FA&CC

Mar. 10th; Certified Handlers CIC; 9:00 AM

Reshow Schedule

Commercial Manure Applicator: 2nd Friday/month @ 9:00 AM

Confinement Manure Applicator: 2nd Friday/month @ 1:00 PM

($10 fee if reshow is held on different day other than specified above)

Commercial Ag Weed, Insect: 3rd Friday/month @ 9:00 AM

Ornamental Turf: 3rd Friday/month @ 1:00 PM

All other reshows will be held on the 4th Friday/month. Call for times.

All reshows will be charged the Late Registration amount.

There are NO reshows in June or December.

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Yard and Garden: Dealing with Pests, Sunscald in Raspberries Dealing with Pests, Sunscald in Raspberries ARTICLE | THU, 09/10/2015 - 15:20 | BY RICHARD JAURON, GREG WALLACE

AMES, Iowa – Raspberries are a delicious part of any garden, but they are vul-nerable to intrusion from pests and other maladies. What is the best way to keep them healthy and edible? Here are some tips from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticul-turists on how to obtain a bountiful raspberry harvest. There are small, black beetles feeding on my raspberries. What can I do? The small, black beetles are likely sap beetles. They also are known as picnic beetles or picnic bugs. Sap beetles commonly feed on over-ripe or damaged fruits and vegetables in the garden.

Sanitation is the best management strategy for sap beetles in home gar-dens. Keep the raspberry planting as clean as possible through prompt harvest-ing of ripe fruit and the removal of damaged, diseased and over-ripe fruit from the site.

Insecticides are not very effective and difficult to use because of pre-harvest waiting periods. If you decide to spray, use an insecticide with a short preharvest waiting period and read and carefully follow label directions.

How do I stop yellowjackets from feeding on my raspberries? Yellowjackets are social wasps that build paper nests in the ground, a log, building wall, attic or other sites.

The workers from the colony travel up to a few hundred yards from the nest while looking for food. In early summer, the wasps forage for caterpillars and other “meat” items and are beneficial predators. However, in late summer they prefer sweets such as soda pop, candy and the juices of fruits and vegetables.

Discourage yellowjackets from feeding on raspberries by harvesting the fruit as soon as they ripen. Remove any over-ripe or damaged fruit from the garden area. Do not leave beverages, candy or other food items in the vicinity of the raspberries, as they may attract yellowjackets to the area.

Applications of insecticides to raspberries are of limited benefit and difficult to use because of preharvest waiting intervals. Yellowjacket nests in the ground, logs or walls can be destroyed by placing an insecticide dust in and around the nest entrance during the night.

There are small, white worms in my raspberries. What are they and how can they be controlled? The small, white worms are likely the larvae of the spotted wing drosophila. Spotted wing drosophila adults

are small, yellowish brown flies. Males have distinctive dark spots on their wings, hence the name spotted wing dro-sophila. Female adults have serrated, saw-like ovipositors and lay eggs in soft, ripening fruit. Spotted wing drosophila larvae are white, 1/8 inch long maggots.

Spotted wing drosophila feed on soft, thin-skinned fruit. Their preferred food choices are raspberries (especially fall cultivars), blackberries, and blueberries. However, they also feed on grapes, strawberries, cherries and aronia.

Control of spotted wing drosophila is difficult. In the home garden; sanitation is the most practical control measure. Promptly harvest ripe fruit. Remove and dispose of over-ripe, damaged or rotting fruit. Dispose of berries in a manner that prevents flies from emerging and re-infesting sound fruit.

Insecticides are a possible control option. However, most commonly available garden insecticides have pre-harvest waiting periods of several days, making their application to ripening fruit impractical. If you decide to use an insecticide, select one with a short preharvest waiting period (such as one day) and carefully read and follow label directions.

Parts of the berries on my red raspberries are white in color. Why? A raspberry fruit (berry) is composed of more than 50 drupelets. The white colored drupelets are likely due to

sunscald. Sunscald is a physiological disorder caused by sun exposure (solar injury) and excessive temperatures. Berries with full exposure to direct afternoon sun are most susceptible to sunscald. However, high temperatures also appear to be involved as berries shaded by the leaf canopy may also develop white drupelets.

The incidence of sunscald should decline when temperatures moderate. Watering the raspberry planting on a weekly basis (in hot, dry weather) also may help.

Raspberries with white drupelets aren’t very attractive, but are edible.

To have additional questions answered, contact the ISU Hortline at 515-294-3108 or hortline@iastate.edu.

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Confined Spaces Are Hazardous for Farmers Farm Safety and Health Week is Sept. 20-26

AMES, Iowa – Farmers are exposed to various types of confined-space hazards during normal working con-ditions. However, it is possible to avoid being injured if proper steps are taken. During National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 20-26, agriculture engineering experts at Iowa State University Extension and Out-reach suggest farmers plan ahead for hazardous situations that may occur in confined spaces.

Agricultural confined spaces can include manure pits, milk tanks, silage bunkers and grain bins. The definition of a confined space is one or more of three fundamental characteristics: it is not designed for regular occupancy by people, it has a limited entryway and/or exit, or it contains a hazardous material or atmosphere.

During harvest time, farm safety concerns focus on confined spaces such as grain bins, transport vehicles and other grain storage structures. Grain bins are not designed for human occupancy and they typically have limited entry and exit points. However, the real danger in a grain bin is the physical hazard for humans of being entrapped in grain.

Grain entrapments can happen quickly. To ensure an even flow of grain from the silo or wagon through a small opening at the unloading gate, workers will walk on top of the flowing grain and become trapped within seconds. “Grain is like quicksand,” said Charles Schwab, professor and extension specialist in agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State. “And the more you struggle, the deeper you are pulled downward.”

Even when the grain has stopped flowing, Schwab said it is difficult to rescue a submerged victim. “For instance, if someone is buried up to their chest in corn, even victims with great upper-body strength would still be unable to pull themselves out. Grain has a tremendous force of friction that most people don’t understand unless they’ve experienced it,” said Schwab.

According to Schwab, a common misconception is that people can climb up and out once they are sucked down into the grain. However, the strength required to lift a 165-pound person out of shoulder-deep grain is more than most people can handle – about 625 pounds of force is needed to pull someone out of the grain. As a person sinks deeper, the grain exerts friction and pressure, requiring easily up to 2,000 pounds of force to raise an adult.

The key is to avoid the hazard by following standard procedures while handling, transporting and storing grain:

Always lock all access doors to grain storage structures.

Never allow anyone to play or ride on grain wagons or be in the grain work area.

Lock out power to all types of grain-handling equipment

when entering storage bins.

Notify a second person of where you are at all times

when loading or unloading grain. “With the variable weather this summer and leftover

quality issues from last year’s harvest, expect inconsistent grain quality this fall,” said Gretchen Mosher, Iowa State as-sistant professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering. “Historically, quality issues in grain lead to higher incidents of grain entrapments, both on the farm and at the grain ele-vator. While good-quality grain can engulf a person just as quickly as poor-quality grain, when we manage grain quality adequately, there is less reason to enter a confined space grain bin,” she said.

“The goal is to make farms a safer place to live and work,” Schwab said. “Now is the time to share the concern and understand the danger of grain entrapment hazards dur-ing the 72nd observance of National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 20-26.” More information about agricultural confined spaces is avail-able at nasdonline.org.

2016 Greater Jefferson County Fair June 22~27

4H Awards Ceremony: Sunday, November 15; 2:00 PM

Announcing a new Project Club: First Tech

Challenge Robotics with Bonnie Hilger as the

Leader! This is a high-school club and we’re all

excited to be learning about the challenges in

STEM projects (Science, Technology,

Engineering & Math)

To re-enroll in 4H: Go to https://iowa.4honline.com

Trunk or Treat Sunday, October 25th from 3-5 PM

Awards Ceremony is Sunday, November 15th 2-4 PM

Every NEW 4H mem-

ber family receives

one of these metal

Member Signs to dis-

play at their home. If

you are a returning

member and have not

yet received your

sign, contact your 4H

leader!