In the past few years, Tar spot in corn has risen to the top of the list for disease management in corn. Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire counties have all recently experienced the disease at some level. Now is the time to get prepared and make sure you have the tools in place to deal with this problem, when or if it arises. Tar spot is here to stay, and we need to be prepared and ready to fight the disease. The first line of defense is to know if you have had tar spot before. This will tell you if there is resident inoculum sources present that can initiate epidemics. If you have seen tar spot on your farm before, then assume the pathogen is present and near corn. We have been dry over the past month so how do we know if the weather is conducive for tar spot? Tarspotter and Field Prophet are both Smartphone applications that can help you determine if the weather has been conducive to put your corn crop at high risk of tar spot development. The app DOES NOT tell you if the pathogen is present. Scouting corn fields is the only way to know if the pathogen is present. It does overwinter in Wisconsin corn residue so, if your fields had it before, the risk of seeing it again is higher.

Dairy producers often struggle to quantify the impact of heat stress on their operations. The ability to use dairy management records to identify seasonal trends is critical to assess potential heat stress related losses. Diving into a dairy’s herd management software can help a producer quantify where the losses are occurring and, with some easy calculations, determine the profitability of investing in cow cooling measures. You don’t need to be an expert to do this.

How can you find the telltale signs of heat stress in your records? A few of the key areas include reduced milk production; butterfat depression; declines in reproductive performance; more clinical and subclinical mastitis; and elevated morbidity in transition cows.

Upcoming Events

Regional Casual Agronomy Field Day

The UW-Madison Extension Offices of Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire will host a Casual Agronomy Field Day on July 19 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Chippewa County Farm Plots.

Browse research plots while chatting with local crops and soil specialists Kevan Klingberg, Agronomist, and Lisa Richardson, Conservationist, Chippewa County Department of Land Conservation and Forest Management Department; Michael Geissinger, UW Nutrient Pest Management Program; and Jerry Clark, Chippewa County Agriculture Educator. Research plots being showcased include Effect of winter cereal rye, triticale, and wheat on corn, inter-seeding alfalfa into corn for silage, malting barley variety and fertility trials, industrial hemp grain and fiber variety, nitrogen, and planting date studies, and a Kernza planting date study. A demonstration on growing dryland rice is also part of the program.

There is no cost to attend. 2 Certified Crop Advisor Credits are available. Plots are located on the south side of the Riverview Preserve parking lot at 15985 Beach Drive, Chippewa Falls. Parking is available on the farm and refreshments are available.

For more information contact the Chippewa County Extension Office 715-726-7950.

Summer Hop Field Day

The UW-Madison Extension Offices of Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire will host a Summer Field Day at Hoppertunity Gardens, LLC. on July 26 from 10:00am to noon with lunch to follow.

Topics and speakers include Drip irrigation - basic to complex, Ken Schroeder, UW-Madison Extension, Portage County; Soil fertility focusing on a pH/Liming study; Dr. Chris Baxter, UW-Platteville Soils; Hop disease management, Dr. Josh Havill, University of Minnesota, Department of Agronomy; Hop marketing in Wisconsin, Matt Janzen, Wisconsin Hop Exchange; and Hop Quality Testing and Hop Storage Index, Zach Lilla, AAR Labs.

There is no cost to attend. 2 Certified Crop Advisor Credits are available. The field day is located at 3434 County Highway X, Elk Mound.

For more information contact the Chippewa County Extension Office 715-726-7950.

Emerging Crops Field Day and Celebration of UW-Madison 175th

The UW-Madison Extension Offices of Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire will host an Emerging Crops Casual Field Day on August 3 from 2:00pm to 3:30pm at the Chippewa County Farm Plots.

The day includes UW-Madison celebrating 175 Years of partnering and serving Wisconsin since 1848. You are invited to stop by, have a refreshment, and pick up some swag while celebrating with UW-Madison.

Browse research plots while visiting with local crops and soil specialists Michael Geissinger, UW Nutrient Pest Management Program; Emily Syverson, UW-Madison Student Intern, and Jerry Clark, Chippewa County Agriculture Educator. Research plots being showcased include malting barley variety and fertility trials, industrial hemp grain and fiber variety, nitrogen, and planting date studies, and a Kernza planting date study. A demonstration on growing dryland rice is part of the program. The use of winter rye, winter triticale, and winter wheat as cover crops and alfalfa inter-seeding with corn silage will also be discussed.

There is no cost to attend. Plots are located on the south side of the Riverview Preserve parking lot at 15985 Beach Drive, Chippewa Falls. Parking is available on-farm.

For more information contact the Chippewa County Extension Office 715-726-7950.

Chippewa County Extension Office

(715) 726-7950

Dunn County Extension Office

(715) 232-1636

Eau Claire County Extension Office

(715) 839-4712

An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements.