In an effort to better understand the local food system, we ask you to take a minute to respond to a survey we've designed to explore the current trend in our area toward locally grown. Please take a few minutes and let us know your thoughts about local food. A survey for consumers as well as producers of local foods is available on line.
Questions? Contact Mike Roegge, Unit Educator, Crop Systems at
roeggem@uiuc.edu
Featured Websites
Local Programs
Ag Awareness
The Ag Awareness Program helps people of all ages better understand the importance of agriculture and natural resources to our area. The program reaches youth by providing hands-on, fun, learning activities in and outside the classroom.
Locally Grown
Locally Grown is an effort to assist producers in west central Illinois and the surrounding area to market locally grown products by providing information to consumers on the availability, nutritional aspects, economic and environmental impacts of buying local.
Locally Grown targets all levels of the local food system network by creating learning opportunities and increasing availability of locally grown products for consumers. The project creates awareness and understanding between producers and consumers resulting in a more sustainable local food system.
Pests
The U of I has found a population of marestail in the area that is resistant to glyphosate (roundup).
Ammoniation of Dry Forages Research has clearly demonstrated that ammonia treatment of low quality roughages (wheat straw) will substantially improve digestibility, voluntary intake and cattle performance.
Corn Rootworm A variant of western corn rootworm lays eggs in soybean and next year, when the larvae hatch, if the field is in corn, damage can result. A coordinated effort to track where the variant has spread occurred in west central Illinois (Adams, Brown, Pike, Hancock) during the past couple years. Based upon our observations, our recommendation for 2008
is for producers on the eastern and northern portion of the region to consider using a rootworm control treatment on some of their acres. The variant is still below threshold, but there will likely be some fields, or parts of fields, in which the variant could cause economic injury. However, we have no way of identifying those fields.
The use of yellow sticky traps in soybean fields beginning in mid/late July and continuing for 4 weeks into August is recommended. This is the only established method to determine the need for rootworm control treatment the following year.
Also, consider strip trials comparing rootworm control products versus no protection in corn fields for 2008. You MUST DIG corn roots to compare injury, and not rely upon yield alone.
European Corn Borer We all know European Corn Borer (ECB) pressure was high in 2005. However, will these high levels influence the ECB population in 2006? No, because many factors affect the survival of ECB, and overwintering population has not been a very good predictor of future ECB problems.
Over the past 3 years, planting date has had a larger factor in determining ECB damage. Research at the Orr Research Center shows the results of comparing 2 ECB Bt hybrids to their 2 non Bt isoline hybrids on 3 different planting dates.
Managing Aquatic Weeds This bulletin will help you properly identify common aquatic weeds as well as provide control recommendations.
Western Bean Cutworm Western Bean Cutworm was found for the first time in our area during 2005. This pest is slowly spreading east from Iowa. Although not at numbers which will cause great yield reduction, this pest will no doubt increase in numbers. To this extent, we will continue to monitor and provide recommendations for control if necessary.
