After taking the last several weeks off from blogging since everyone got busy with harvesting, i’ts time to pound on the keyboard as we go into the fall. September’s cool weather begins the signal of finishing the summer season and bringing focus to the fall. Fall harvest has been good to corn growers for the… Read More Corn Harvest Near Completion; Growers Preparing for Peanuts and Cotton that’s Around the Corner

Our earliest planted corn has already reached black layer.  This is the abscission layer in which shuts out all nutrient and water movement into the kernel.  This is an important time to recognize, since it is a visual indication that the kernel has reached it final weight.  Much of the rest of the crop in… Read More Black Layer Rapidly Forming in Southern Areas

Rains over the last week have been most helpful in slowing and conserving irrigation; and much of it came in time to improve some of the dryland production, particularly in N. Georgia.  While some areas have experienced very dry conditions in the previous weeks, setting back some of their production, most row crop producers show… Read More Corn Progress Good but Still in Danger; Other Row Crops Good but Pay Attention

From time to time, I like giving updates from Dr. Bob Kemerait, UGA Plant Pathologist and all other Extension corn team members. The following is a timely update from Dr. Bob: “Here is our current crop “sit rep”: 1.  Weather- warm, humid, coming off rains, is generally favorable for spread of fungal diseases. 2. We… Read More A Georgia row crop disease update.

Producers who have crop insurance coverage may qualify for a premium benefit in a new USDA pandemic assistance program if they planted cover crops for the 2021 crop year. The Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday some cover crop acreage could be eligible for the Pandemic Cover Crop Program offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency. The program is designed to help… Read More USDA Update: A Pandemic Premium for Cover Crops

I published a portion of this topic last year and thought it appropriate to republish some of it due to current conditions. Growing degree units are accumulating at daily maximum and the heat (93 degrees+) is pushing the crop and it will be difficult to keep up with the daily water demand in corn.  If… Read More Irrigating Corn To Reduce Stress and Make a Profit

Some rain began to fall in dry areas this week which was much needed, but unfortunately, it brought hail, lodging and some flooding in areas of north and east Georgia. This is certainly the time of year we can expect reasonable rainfall to occur throughout Georgia but the last couple of events have been more… Read More Needed Rain Brings High Winds, Hail and some Flooding

This time of the year on the farm is always busy with planting, managing crops, getting supplies, moving tractors from field to field, troubleshooting problems, fixing equipment…..the list goes on and on.  So, you certainly get the picture.  There is much to do but little time to do it, right?  IF you planted over a… Read More It May be a Good Time to Stop and Assess our Corn Crop

IF you are watching the weather forecast for the state, it will get much colder over the next few days.  Just how cold remains to be seen.  When it comes to our corn crop, should I be concerned?  First, I will point you to Dr. Eric Prostko’s blog post, https://ugaweedscience.blogspot.com/ , regarding the potential spraying… Read More Cold Days Ahead for Corn

What is climate-smart agriculture?  Well…..there are a lot of definitions of this term and they don’t always mean the same thing, but it is about to become policy in many areas of our government.  Taking a tag line from the movie Apollo 13, “Houston, we have a problem”.  USDA published in the Federal Register a… Read More Climate Smart Agriculture?