ORIGINALLY WRITTEN STEVE TONN
The Harvey County Experiment Field will host is annual spring field
day on June 1 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Experiment Field headquarters
1/4 mile West of Hesston on Hickory Street. The field day will
feature tour stops on wheat varieties, Adage and Gaucho seed
treatments for corn and grain sorghum, cheat control in wheat using
Maverick and Olympus and spray nozzle technology. K-State specialists
will also discuss currents topics and answer questions. The public is
invited to attend.
Time for Spring Cleaning
of Wheat Bins
As the wheat crop matures in the field, farmers and others start
thinking about harvest and all the things they must do to be ready.
One important pre-harvest job is preparing storage bins for the 2000
harvested wheat.
Cleaning storage facilities and making them less susceptible to pest
infestation is the first step. Since newly harvested wheat should
never be stored on top of old grain, remove any old grain or trash
from the bin. Remove all empty feed sacks, seed litter, dust and
grain-baited rodenticides from the bin. A vacuum cleaner is a big
help in removing grain residue out of cracks and crevices.
Grain handling equipment can also harbor pests so don?t forget to
clean aeration ducts, sub flooring, augers, and the dump site? and
don?t forget the combine and truck. Spilled grain, weeds and debris
close to the bins also promote pest infestations. Mowing and/or
applying a herbicide to weeds outside the storage bin reduces the
area?s insect population.
Carefully inspect the facility and fill any holes, cracks or crevices
where insects and rodents can enter the bin. The best solution is to
fill them with permanent caulking materials. Check the roof for leaks
and holes to further reduce moisture and insect infiltration.
After cleaning and repairing, sanitize the bin. Apply Malathion,
methoxychlor, pyrethrins plus piperonyl butoxide, Reldan or Tempo to
bins and grain handling equipment prior to grain being stored. Follow
recommended label rates for application and allow for ample time to
accommodate proper waiting periods between application and filling the
bin. Spray walls, floors, ceilings, behind and beneath equipment and
on support beams. Pay extra attention to joints, seams, cracks,
ledges, and corners. Apply to the point of run-off.
For more information, ask the Extension Office for a copy of
?Management of Stored Grain Insect, Part III?, a fact sheet about
grain storage on the farm.
Harvesting High Quality Brome Hay
Smooth brome hay can be an extremely high quality forage if harvested
at the bloom stage. As a grass plant matures, forage quality drops
rapidly. Research has shown that crude protein will drop rapidly
between boot and mature seed stages. Brome hay should be cut between
early heading and full bloom to maximize quantity and quality. Crude
protein levels in well fertilized hay harvested at early heading range
from 10-18 percent , but protein levels drop rapidly after heading.
If seed production is the goal rather than forage production, seed
should be harvested when the stem just below the head has matured.
Freshly harvested seed has a small amount of moisture that can cause
the seed to heat when piled and reduce seed germination. It is
advisable to harvest brome seed in days when the relative humidity is
below 50 percent and harvested seed should be turned or stirred daily
to ensure heating does not occur. After the seed is harvested, the
stubble an
OPINION: By extension
