Delaware agronomy - Delaware

Masters in Their Field - Lancaster Farming

27.03.09

Six farmers were inducted Monday into the 76th class of the Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer Awards Program. This year's recipients are William R. Camerer III of Jersey Shore, Pa.; David and Carole Doody of Union Bridge, Md.; Richard R. Ebert of Blairsville, Pa.; John K. Lott of Aspers, Pa.; and W. David Thompson of Street, Md.

The new Master Farmers were honored by Mid-Atlantic ag leaders and past award recipients during the 2009 Master Farmer Awards Luncheon festivities at the Sheraton Harrisburg/Hershey Hotel in Harrisburg, Pa. The award is co-sponsored by American Agriculturist magazine and the Cooperative Extension programs of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

More than 100 candidates are nominated each year for the award. Based on submitted applications, award recipients are selected based on their demonstrated success as progressive business managers, responsible resource use and exemplary civic leadership.

Established in 1927, the Master Farmer program is one of America's oldest and longest running honors programs. It's the "Academy Awards of Agriculture," according to John Vogel, editor-in-chief of American Agriculturist.

Source: Lancaster Farming, PA

Slugs in No-Till Corn

As our cool spring continues, it is good to be aware of the risk for slug damage in no-till corn. The following is an article on the subject.

Slugs, and particularly the gray garden slug, are most active when it is cool and moist, thriving in fields with surface residue and high organic matter. Most slugs have a single generation per year with juveniles hatching over an extended period in spring (March-May) from eggs that overwintered. During mild winters, however, young slugs and adults can survive the cold season. Adult slugs tend to feed on decaying matter in leaf litter and soil, so it is the juvenile slugs that cause the most damage to crop seedlings. Individual slugs can live nine to twelve months.

Dr. Galen Dively, long-time extension entomologist at the University of Maryland, has suggested the following options for farmers to deal with slugs:

Try to outrun slug damage. Plant later in the spring when soil temperatures are higher. These warmer soils should allow crops to germinate and grow more quickly and perhaps “outrun” slugs which are most damaging on younger plants. Further, farmers can try a starter fertilizer to give seedling a “jump start.” Use row cleaners (a.k.a. residue managers, trash whippers, trash wheels) when planting. These devices push residue to the side leaving a band of relatively clean soil for planting. This clean soil will warm up faster and provide habitat that is less suitable for slugs. Metaldehyde in various formulations is one of the only chemical options available. It is often used as a bait, which poisons slugs if ingested at high concentrations and can also kill on contact by forcing slugs to produce more mucus, drying them out. A cost effective option is 10 lbs/acre of a product called Deadline M-Ps, banded over the row. For heavy infestations, urea-based nitrogen can be used as rescue treatments. Studies have demonstrated that 30% urea-based nitrogen applied in the evening (when slugs are active)...

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