Sunflower
All Sunflower Content
Farm Size in South Dakota: Where Are We Heading?
Agriculture is going through some difficult times not only in the United States, but globally as well. Aside from some short-lived price hikes for different products, the overall trend has been to higher costs of production and lower output prices.
Field Studies: Replicated Comparisons vs. Side-by-Side Comparisons
How should a basic study be set up or laid out in the field? One very common approach is to divide a field in half and compare the halves or possibly compare two fields in close proximity and see which variety or practice yields highest. This approach can end with very misleading results because of the variability that exists across a field or fields due to many factors.
Field Studies: What do You Mean 5 Bushels Per Acre is Not Significant?
Utilizing sound research results to help make decisions on the farm is a wise business practice. It can be confusing, however, when you see two numbers that are clearly not the same labeled as “not significantly different.”
Field Studies: Setting up a Trial
Increasingly, farmers are generating on-farm research data that encompasses a wide-range of practical topics. However, setting up those experiments so that the data is statistically valid is not necessarily common knowledge.
Cancellation of Several Neonicotinoids
On May 20, 2019, the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced the cancellation of registrations for 12 products that contain neonicotinoid insecticides. The cancellation of the product registrations was voluntarily requested by the companies that had registered the products.
Crop Diversity Reduced in South Dakota
The recently released 2017 Census of Agriculture data shows that South Dakota has experienced a considerable increase in acreage harvested of two major crops, corn and soybeans over the past decade.
Late Plant Crop Insurance Dates
Crop insurance late plant dates are fast approaching for planting small grains in South Dakota. Late plant dates for corn, soybean, and sunflower are nearing as well. Producers will want to work with their crop insurance agent to explore planting options and reporting of prevent plant areas.
Monitor Soybean and Sunflower for Alfalfa Webworm Caterpillars
In the last couple of weeks, we have received numerous reports of small green caterpillars in soybean and sunflower. The caterpillars have been described as producing webbing and moving extremely quickly when disturbed.
Snails Observed in South Dakota Sunflower
Last week we received reports of snail populations causing issues in South Dakota sunflower fields. Snails are normally not an issue in South Dakota crops but like their slug relatives, they can pose a threat to crops when field conditions are just right.
Checkerspot Caterpillars in Sunflower
While scouting sunflower near Sturgis this week, we came across outbreak levels of checkerspot caterpillars that were defoliating the plants. Similar sightings have been reported throughout Western and Central South Dakota in recent weeks.