Delta Farm Press

June 1 deadline for Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program, ACRE sign-up

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:05:00 +0000

The USDA

Producers are reminded that enrollment for the 2012 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP) and the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE) ends on June 1, 2012.

Kansas rancher named America’s Farmers Mom of the Year

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Debbie Lyons-Blythe, White City, Kan., is Monsanto’s America’s Farmers Mom of the Year 2012.

Lyons-Blythe was nominated by her children (Meghan, Allie, Trenton, Tyler and Eric), and also by her aunt, Mary Ferguson, who she describes as “more of a friend than an aunt.” Both nominations summarized in 300 words what makes Lyons-Blythe so special to her family, farm, community and the agricultural industry.

Delta Agriculture making major contribution to Mississippi economy

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:39:00 +0000

Governor Bryant of Mississippi says state should continue to invest in agricultural research, flood control.

Specialty crop group petitions EPA on herbicide-resistant crops

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:58:00 +0000

A coalition within the U.S. specialty crop industry has petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to conduct an environmental impact statement (EIS) for dicamba- and 2,4-D-tolerant crops, saying more study of the technologies is needed.

Suspicious-looking caterpillar no threat to most crops

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:53:00 +0000

Gus Lorenz, Arkansas Extension Entomologist

The white lined sphinx moth caterpillar, or Hyles lineata poses no threat to crops, other than tomatoes and grapes.

EPA approves fungicide for Louisiana rice

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:27:00 +0000

Will help address resistant strain of sheath blight

Bruce Schultz, LSU AgCenter

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted the Section 18 label for the new BASF product called Sercadis on a maximum of 40,000 acres of rice in Louisiana. The approval had been requested by the LSU AgCenter and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to address a strain of sheath blight disease resistant to the fungicides that had been used.

Managing corn in a dry spring

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:47:00 +0000

Angela McClure, Tennessee Extension Corn & Soybean Specialist

Some fields that missed showers for the ‘nth’ time this spring are dry without a doubt.

Foreigners must report U.S. ag land holdings

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:44:00 +0000

Cassie Bable, USDA-FSA

USDA Texas Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting Executive Director James B. Douglass reminds foreign persons with an interest in agricultural lands in the United States that they are required to report their holdings and any transactions to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Texas gets needed rain

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:41:00 +0000

Texas received some much-needed rainfall in early May, according to observers in south Texas and the High Plains.

U.S./Colombia trade agreement officially implemented

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:57:00 +0000

On Tuesday, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the United States and Colombia was officially implemented.

Pigweed Field Day

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:19:00 +0000

For more information, contact Dr. Tom Eubank at teubank@drec.msstate.edu or (662) 686-3232, or Dr. Jason Bond at jbond@drec.msstate.edu or (662) 686-3282.

Location

Delta Research and Extension Center Stoneville, MS

United States

33° 25' 26.4216" N, 90° 54' 54.3636" W

See map: Google Maps

Record cotton stocks overwhelm market

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:24:00 +0000

Cotton futures prices are starting to reflect a projected record worldwide surplus in supply. December 2012 futures prices had dropped from 97 cents per pound in February to around 77 cents in early May.

Kansas rancher America’s Farmers Mom of the Year 2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Debbie Lyons-Blythe receives the most votes on AmericasFarmers.com to win national title on Mother’s Day.

USDA celebrates 150 years

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:40:00 +0000

From USDA

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Disease control No. 4 Key to Peanut Profitability

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:31:00 +0000

As the countdown continues to the No. 1 Key to Peanut Profitability, disease control comes in at No. 4, including the control of soil-borne and foliar diseases and nematodes.

Tracks boost productivity of New Holland’s T9 Series tractors

Tue, 15 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

New Holland's T9 Series 4WD tractors meet the power and productivity needs of row crop and broad acres producers with a standard or wide frame, industry-leading hydraulics, the largest cab in the industry and the industry's first cab suspension system.

With the availability of the new SmartTrax tracks option, producers also have benefit of a larger footprint and less soil compaction provided by tracks.

Another tool for producers tracking early Mid-South pests

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:48:00 +0000

With pests popping up early in Mid-South farmland following a warm winter and spring, producers may want to check out www.syngentapestpatrol.com.

Gov. Bryant: agriculture’s economic role often underrated

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:08:00 +0000

Agriculture continues to be the mainstay of the economy in Mississippi and other Mid-South states, and, as such, it should be promoted and protected — not neglected, said Gov. Phil Bryant at this year's Delta Council annual meeting.

Gallery: Delta Council's 2012 annual meeting

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:51:00 +0000

The Delta Council held its 77th annual meeting May 11, 2012, on the campus of Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss.

MANA launches ABBA Ultra 0.3 miticide/insecticide

Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

MANA Crop Protection introduces new ABBA Ultra 0.3 miticide/insecticide which is an advanced low volatile organic compound (VOC) formulation providing consistent insect and mite control at half the standard use volume of current products along with improved efficacy while reducing impact on air quality.

Thrips pressure heavy in Mississippi cotton

Sat, 12 May 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Angus Catchot, Mississippi Extension Entomologist

Last year Mississippi cotton growers treated around 70 percent of the cotton acres for thrips due to extremely high pressure. It appears that this year is shaping up the same way.

'Water Sustainability in Agriculture' to highlight national conference in Arkansas

Fri, 11 May 2012 21:08:00 +0000

"Water Sustainability in Agriculture" is the theme of the twenty-fourth annual meeting of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council, which will be held in Arkansas on June 11-13 at the Fayetteville Town Center.

Early-planted cotton ahead of schedule

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:47:00 +0000

Bonnie Coblentz, MSU Ag Communications

Warm spring weather sent Mississippi cotton farmers to the fields as early as the first week of April, and cotton stands are ahead of normal and looking good.

China’s agricultural future: Adopt U.S. developed technologies

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:43:00 +0000

Darrell Ray and Harwood D. Schaffer

As the most populous nation on Earth, China has intermittently been seen as the solution to the problem created by the ability of U.S. farmers to produce more than they can sell at a profitable price.

USDA grants to increase farmers market SNAP participation

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:28:00 +0000

The USDA

The USDA has announced awards to help states expand availability of wireless technology in farmers markets not currently participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

AFBF intervenes in Mississippi River Basin case

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:20:00 +0000

The AFBF

The American Farm Bureau Federation, along with 14 state Farm Bureau organizations and 16 other national and regional agricultural organizations, has filed a motion seeking to intervene in Gulf Restoration Network, et al. v. Jackson, et al., a lawsuit seeking to force the Environmental Protection Agency to establish federal numeric nutrient water quality standards for all states in the Mississippi River Basin.

Arkansas wheat harvest begins -- in May

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:07:00 +0000

Mary Hightower, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Arkansas wheat growers are embarking on a historically early harvest. “We had wheat cut yesterday,” Gus Wilson, Chicot County Extension staff chair, said Thursday (May 10). “I had two guys call me this morning and said they were going to cut today.

Arkansas drought is back

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

A year ago, eastern Arkansas farmers who looked out and saw water where their farmland was wondered if they’d get a crop planted. A year later, nearly 11 percent of the state is listed as “abnormally dry,” the least intense of the five dryness intensities mapped by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Anniversary of 2011 floods

Fri, 11 May 2012 16:33:00 +0000

Was it only a year ago when abundant rains caused a chain-reaction of misery in the Mid-South? Back then, a sense of disbelief set in as waterways swelled past their banks, flooding farmland and threatening towns.

Farm Press Blog

Watch flooded rice fields for emerging grasses

Fri, 11 May 2012 16:05:00 +0000

Most of the Arkansas rice is flooded by now and the remainder will be shortly. The crop always looks great when the water and nitrogen first hit it. It can also look deceptively clean.