Trace amount of herbicide left in the sprayer after treating crop may cause injury in sequential application. Some herbicides have greater potential than others Tank residues are unlikely to amount to more than 1% of theoriginal rate applied to the target crop. For instance, 1% residues of herbicides applied in pints, quarts or pounds per acre of the original rate would have minimal effect on crops. The herbicides that does need to bescrupulously removed from the sprayer are those capable of causing damage at low concentrations. These are the all ALS herbicide mode of action products (SUs, Imi, and TPS) and hormone-type herbicides such as 2,4-D, MCPA, dicamba, and Tordon. Even 1% of the recommended rate of these herbicides will definitely cause damage to many broadleaf crops.

The following procedure illustrating a thorough sprayer cleanup procedure is effective for most herbicides:

Step 1. Drain tank and thoroughly rinse interior surfaces of tank with clean water. Spray rinse water through the spray boom. Sufficient rinse water should be used for 5 minutes or more of spraying through the boom.

Step 2. Fill the sprayer tank with clean water and add a cleaning solution (many labels provide recommended cleaning solutions). Fill the boom, hoses, and nozzles and allow the agitator to operate for 15 minutes.

Step 3. Allow the sprayer to sit for 8 hours while full of cleaning solution so the herbicide can be fully desorbed from the residues inside the sprayer.

Step 4. Spray the cleaning solution through the booms.

Step 5. Clean nozzles, screens, and filters. Rinse the sprayer to remove cleaning solution and spray rinsate through the booms.

Common types of cleaning solutions are chlorine bleach, ammonia, and commercially formulated tank cleaners. Chlorine lowers the pH of the solution which speeds the degradation of some herbicides. Ammonia increases the pH of the solution which increases the solubility of SUs and weak acid herbicides. Commercially formulated tank cleaners generally raise pH and act as detergents to remove herbicides. Read herbicide label for recommended tank cleaning solutions and procedures.

WARNING: Never mix chlorine bleach and ammonia as a dangerous and irritating gas will be released

The Bulletin provides timely information about pests and crops throughout Illinois. Our objective is to keep you informed about pest problems and crop development issues and to keep you current regarding the most effective, economic, and environmentally sound pest management strategies. The Bulletin is issued weekly throughout the crop-growing season (20 issues from early April to mid-August) and five additional times in the off-season.

Visit the site at: http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/index.php

• Corn planted into grass = armyworm risk
• Wheat in areas of dense growth = armyworm risk
• Corn where weedy growth existed = cutworm risk
• Soybeans first emerging is at risk for bean leaf beetle.

In 2006 the total, noncapital, living expenses of 1,196 farm families enrolled in the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association (FBFM) averaged $54,994--or $4,583 a month for each family (Table 1). This average was 4.3 percent higher than in 2005 and 4.6 percent higher than in 2004. Another $4,692 was used to buy capital items such as the personal share of the family automobile, furniture, and household equipment. Thus, the grand total for living expenses averaged $59,686 for 2006 compared with $58,285 for 2005, or a $1,401 increase per family. The average amount spent per family for capital items was $850 less, while noncapital expenses increased $2,251 per family. The sample farms, which were mainly grain farms, were located primarily in central and northern Illinois.

Many times hay is stored under trees at the edge of the field or in waterways, these practices encourage hay spoilage and dry matter losses. Storing hay in these dark, damp environments prevents the sun from drying the hay after a rain and encourages the bottom of the bale to remain wet. The only suitable dark location for hay storage is a barn but for those producers without sufficient barn storage space remembering a few hay storage keys will help minimize storage losses.

If your baler is capable of variable bale sizes consider making the bales as large as equipment, baler and loader permit. As bale size increases the percentage lost due to spoilage decreases.

The flat ends of the bales should be placed tightly together. The bale "rows" should be oriented north and south on a well drained location. If possible place bales on gravel or wooden pallets to minimize ground contact.

The Illinois Small Farms Website provides information for both the commercial small farmer as well as the small acreage landowner. The purpose of this website is to provide easy access to information for small-scale farmers and those who work with them.

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm/

Insect growth is affected by two major factors, time and temperature. Insects are unable to maintain a constant body temperature. Because they are cold-blooded, their body temperature varies with the temperature of their surrounding environment. Insects require a certain amount of heat to develop from one stage in their life cycle to another (eggs to larvae to pupae to adults). Insect growth only occurs within a certain range of temperatures, the upper and lower developmental thresholds.

Development of agricultural pests can be tracked and projected by maintaining an account of the "heat" accumulated during each growing season. This process involves a comparison of daily maximum and minimum temperatures to a base temperature, specific for a particular pest, above which development will occur.

The following pages result from a collaborative scientific effort that combines daily weather data collected by the Illinois State Water Survey and pest information furnished by the Department of Crop Sciences to provide daily, up-to-date information about pest development in Illinois.

Visit the Degree Day Calculator at:

http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/warm/pestdata/sqlchoose1.asp?plc=

A. Determine whether pasture is short or abundant. If growth is abundant, consider harvesting a portion of the pasture as conserved forage or stockpiling for late-autumn use. Stockpiling refers to the addition of 50 lbs. of N per acre by mid-August after the pasture has been grazed and defer grazing this grass until mid– to late autumn. If pasture growth is short, project how much hay or silage will need to be fed during the growing season to meet livestock needs.

B. Cull less productive livestock or females that do not conceive.

C. Early wean beef calves so as to reduce pasture consumption and quality needs of their dams.

Various types of nozzle bodies and caps, including color coded versions, and multiple nozzle bodies are available with threads as well as quick-attaching adapters. Nozzle tips are interchangeable in the cap and are available in a wide variety of materials, including hardened stainless steel, stainless steel, brass, ceramic, and various type of plastic. Hardened stainless steel and ceramic are the most wear-resistant materials but are also the most expensive. Stainless steel tips, with corrosive or abrasive materials, have excellent wear resistance. Plastic tips are resistant to corrosion and abrasion and are proving to be very economical for applying pesticides. Brass tips have been common but wear rapidly when used to apply abrasive materials such as wettable powders and are corroded by some liquid fertilizers. Brass tips are economical for limited use, but other types should be considered for more extensive use.