- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Thomas Getts
It's that time of year again to watch for those evil alfalfa weevils! Weevils are key pests of alfalfa, causing yield and quality losses mainly to the first alfalfa hay cutting. The alfalfa weevil complex includes the Western, Egyptian, and Eastern strains that are all likely the same species (Hypera postica). Each year, growers throughout the country deal with this devastating pest. Telltale signs of weevil damage are small holes in the leaves of the new growth during the winter and spring, depending on field location. Damage is most severe in the first cutting, with large uncontrolled infestations potentially causing damage to the alfalfa regrowth under windrows within the second cutting.
In...
- Author: Thomas Getts
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
This fall there were serious armyworm outbreaks in California's Intermountain Region. Many pastures, and hay fields were overtaken by this pest, especially in Siskiyou, Shasta, Modoc, and Lassen counties.
While armyworms are only occasionally a problem in the Intermountain Area, when the numbers are high the amount of damage can be devastating. Certain fields were wiped out this fall with many growers losing their third cutting or fall grazing ground to armyworms. Injury can be dramatic, where entire fields can be eaten down to the ground seemingly overnight.
Armyworm damage (above), and True Armyworm Larvae (Mythimna unipuncta), found in an intermountain...
- Author: Cheryl Reynolds
November has arrived, and before you know it we'll be ringing in 2018! For those who hold a license or certificate from the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), and have a last name starting with the letter M through Z, this is your year to renew.
DPR is urging license and certificate holders to mail in applications now to avoid late fees and to allow enough time for processing so that you can receive your new license or certificate by the beginning of the new year. Renewing early gives DPR time to notify you if you are short any continuing education (CE) hours and allows you time to complete any additional CE courses without having to retest.
If you need more hours to complete your renewal application and don't...
- Author: Nicholas Clark
- Contributor: Shannon C. Mueller
- Contributor: Daniel H Putnam
- Contributor: Matt Quinton
As the alfalfa hay harvest season wraps up and we get in gear to attend the November 2017 Western Alfalfa and Forage Symposium in Reno, NV, we're making the presentations and handouts from the 2017 Kearney Alfalfa and Forage Field Day available.
Click here to select presentations and handouts to download.
The Alfalfa and Forage Field Day was held this year on September 20, 2017, at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (KAREC) in Parlier, CA. Activities during the half-day event included a tram tour of ongoing forage research projects followed by a few hours of classroom style presentations by UC Farm...
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
- Author: William Matthews
- Author: Daniel A Sumner
The western hay industry is in the midst of another dramatic increase in hay exports in 2017, following similar increases in 2016 and 2015. Hay volumes have grown 56% and value increased 47% in the past 3 years (Figure 1).
The dramatic rise of hay exports is one of the most interesting trends for western alfalfa and grass hay production over the past two decades. Japan has been importing hay products for more than 20 years (Figure 2), but recent expansion of the demand has come from China, UAE, Korea, and, just recently, Saudi Arabia (Figure 2, Table 1). {See related article about emerging Saudi demand from March, 2017 "Growth in Saudi Demand...