Every growing season is unique, but so far this one really takes the cake! The planting season tested many people's patience, but crops are progressing well at this point where good stands were established. Let's cross our fingers for a late fall so maturity is reached before a frost.

The Extension office is keeping busy throughout the summer in the agriculture programming area. I am participating in the statewide pest monitoring network again this year, and trapping for both Western Bean Cutworm and Japanese beetle. Japanese beetle had not been reported to us in Fulton County until this summer though it had been approaching from the east and the southwest. I'm catching 1 or 2 beetles per day in my trap at Lewistown in contrast to the approximately 3000 beetles per day in my Mason County trap close to where I live near Mason City. The trap numbers in Lewistown certainly do not constitute a threat to crops, but does indicate the beetles presence in the county and suggests that in a couple more years it will be a pest we will have to manage.

I am also conducting a sulfur fertilization experiment in corn in coordination with U of I Professor Fabian Fernandez. I selected a sandier, low organic matter soil for this test and have been seeing positive visual and plant height responses to the sulfur applications. It will be interesting to see if these effects translate into a yield response this fall.

In June, we received great evaluations on our strip mine land management seminar we held in partnership with Fulton County NRCS and Farm Bureau. It was well attended and will lead to further educational programs on this topic. More than 50,000 acres in Fulton County have been impacted by strip mining which makes up almost 10% of our soils. We are excited about improving the utilization of this land resource through our educational efforts with NRCS.

If you want to know more about computerized farm recordkeeping especially with respect to the software program Quicken, come to our seminar on this topic on August 24th. Details can be found on page 5.

Finally, read through this newsletter and take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to increase your knowledge and improve your skills. If there are particular subjects that are not addressed and in which you have an educational interest, please suggest them to me, and I will work to include them in future programming.

Earl Allen

Fulton County Extension Director

· 2008 Fulton County Plat Book for sale at the Fulton County Extension office.

· New Illinois Agronomy Handbook is now available. Many sections and chapters from the previous version were replaced. The handbook costs $35. You can order it online with a credit card at pubsplus.illinois.edu, or you can call 1-800-345-6087. This version will not be available online.

· Learn about the ACRE provision of the 2008 Farm Bill. Visit ACRE web casts at this link - http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/presentations/index.asp

· To subscribe to the free electronic versions of the Illinois Crop Condition and Weather reports from USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, go to the following web page: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Illinois/Subscribe_to_IL_Reports/index.asp

In response to recent questions about the effect of foliar fungicides on stalk quality of corn, U of I Extension Plant Pathologist Carl Bradley provided the following information:

In 2008, stalk quality was evaluated in some of my corn fungicide research trials. When the black layer was evident in corn, stalks in each plot of these trials were split open with a knife and evaluated for stalk rot severity using a 0 to 5 scale (0 = no stalk rot evident and 5 = complete destruction of the pith with lodging below the ear; this scale was developed by Ron Hines, formerly with the University of Illinois). See attached picture #2.

Belleville and Dixon Springs trial. One of the research trials in which stalk rot was evaluated was planted at both Dixon Springs and Belleville. The Dixon Springs site was planted in early May, while the Belleville site was not planted until June because of heavy rainfall throughout May. At Dixon Springs, foliar disease pressure was low, and no statistical differences in foliar disease severity were observed between the untreated control plots and the fungicide-treated plots (Headline at 9 fluid ounces per acre, in this case). At Belleville, common rust severity was extremely high and caused considerable foliar disease severity in the untreated control (72% severity on the ear leaf). Headline fungicide was able to provide adequate protection, and treated plots had low foliar disease severity (less than 10% severity on the ear leaves of treated plants). Stalk rot severity followed a similar trend; it was relatively low at Dixon Springs, with fungicide having no effect. In contrast, at Belleville, stalk rot was statistically less severe in Headline-treated plants vs. non-treated plants. See attached picture #3.

Urbana trial. A fungicide research trial conducted at Urbana included one hybrid considered to be susceptible to gray leaf spot (GLS) and another considered to be moderately resistant to it. In addition, this trial was mist-irrigated throughout the season to help ensure a favorable environment for GLS. Foliar disease severity was greatest on the susceptible hybrid, and the foliar fungicide (Headline at 6 fluid ounces per acre) reduced disease severity compared to the untreated control on this hybrid. On the moderately resistant hybrid, no statistical difference in foliar disease severity occurred between non-treated and Headline-treated plots. Similar to the foliar disease ratings, stalk rot severity was greatest on the GLS-susceptible hybrid, and Headline fungicide reduced stalk rot compared to the untreated control in this hybrid. On the hybrid that was moderately resistant to GLS, no differences between non-treated and Headline-treated plants occurred for stalk rot severity. See attached picture #1.

Relationship between foliar disease and stalk rot. Based on the results I've presented above, I think it is fair to state that there is a relationship between foliar disease severity and stalk rot severity. This relationship has been observed before by others and has been studied in the scientific literature. When foliar disease pressure is severe, the "blighted" leaves cannot produce enough photosynthates (sugars) to adequately fill the ear. When this happens, the plant may "rob" the stalk for additional sugars, which can damage the integrity of the stalk and allow additional colonization by stalk rotting pathogens. So foliar fungicides can impact stalk rot, but they likely do not directly control stalk rot pathogens; rather, they control foliar pathogens, which allows the plant to get more photosynthates from leaf photosynthesis because of reduced foliar disease severity. Knowing this, it's likely that we will only see improved stalk quality with fungicides when foliar disease pressure is high.

Funding for some of these research trials was provided by the Illinois Department of Agriculture Fertilizer Research and Education Council (FREC) and the USDA-CSREES North Central Regional Integrated Pest Management Program.

By Carl A.Bradley, U of I Plant Pathologist

Call the Fulton County Extension office for more details on any of the following programs (309-547-3711).

· July 31— "Illinois Forage Expo" - Meier Farms, Ridott, IL.

· August 6—9:00 am-3:30 pm— "Illinois Conference on Agricultural Land Use Planning" - Program designed to assist local officials, farmers, landowners, and agency staff in looking at planning issues that impact farmland, agriculture and neighboring communities—Seneca's Oak Ridge Golf Club near LaSalle, IL.

· August 13-23— "Illinois State Fair" - Springfield.

· August 18—6:00 pm— "Tazewell County Farm Pond Twilight Meeting" - Educational program to discuss where to get assistance for a pond on your property or help with maintenance, weed control, or fish management for an existing pond—Morris Wildermuth farm, rural Pekin, IL.

· August 24—6:30-8:30 pm— "Computerized Farm Recordkeeping" - U of I Farm Management Specialist Kevin Brooks will provide a seminar reviewing software options for computerized farm recordkeeping with primary emphasis on the accounting program "Quicken" - Farm Bureau Building, Lewistown, IL.

· August 26—12:00-1:15 pm— "Utilizing Cover Crops in Conventional Cropping Systems-Part I: Cover Crop Concepts" - This first in a three-part series of telenets features speakers from Iowa and Michigan discussing benefits and challenges of using cover crops in conventional cropping systems—Farm Bureau Building, Lewistown, IL

· September 1-3— "2009 Farm Progress Show" - Decatur, IL.

· September 9—12:00-1:15 pm— "Utilizing Cover Crops in Conventional Cropping Systems-Part II: Cover Crop Species and Their Management" - This second in a three-part series of telenets features speakers from U of I and Western Illinois University discussing benefits and challenges of using cover crops in conventional cropping systems—Farm Bureau Building, Lewistown, IL.

· September 30—12:00-1:15 pm— "Utilizing Cover Crops in Conventional Cropping Systems-Part III: Cover Crop Economics" - This third in a three-part series of telenets features speakers from Ohio and Illinois discussing benefits and challenges of using cover crops in conventional cropping systems—Farm Bureau Building, Lewistown, IL.

· October 5—6:00-8:00 pm— "Prairie Restoration Techniques Program" - Telenet to discuss prairie restoration techniques, prairie plants, and management of prairies—Farm Bureau Building, Lewistown, IL.

· October 20-22— "2009 Governor's Conference on the Management of the IL River System" - Conference is designed to bring together concerned citizens, agricultural, conservation and environmental organizations, industry and government representatives, educators and resource management professionals—Hotel Pere Marquette, Peoria, IL.

· November 12—6:30-8:00 pm— "Windbreak Designing Program" - Telenet to discuss the design and use of windbreaks—Farm Bureau Building, Lewistown, IL.

In response to requests for information on computerized farm recordkeeping, University of Illinois Extension and Fulton County Farm Bureau have partnered to offer a local program to review computer software options for farmers. If you are considering switching to computerized recordkeeping or are not satisfied with your current recordkeeping software, this seminar will be useful to you in your decision making.

The seminar will be held on Monday, August 24th from 6:30-8:30 pm. Kevin Brooks, a University of Illinois Extension Specialist at the Champaign Extension Center, will present the seminar. Kevin will primarily focus on using the accounting software program 'Quicken', but will also provide a limited review of other commercial software options available for farm recordkeeping. The seminar will be held at the Farm Bureau Building, 15411 N IL 100 Hwy in Lewistown.

Call Fulton County Extension (309-547-3711) for more information and to register. You can also register online at fulton.extension.uiuc.edu. The cost of the seminar is $10 if you register by August 20th. Cost at the door is $15. Farm Bureau and HEA members receive a $5 discount. The fee includes handouts and refreshments.

• Havana National Bank-Lewistown
• 1st Farm Credit Services
• Two Rivers FS Inc.
• Stelter-Hofreiter Inc.-Havana
• Fulton County Farm Bureau
• Riverland FS
• Tarter Feed and Fertilizer
• Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Fulton FS
• Walters' Ag Service
• J.R. Briney and Sons
• Stevens Implement
• Fulton County Natural Resource Conservation Service