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On June 26, 2019

To Attend The Planting Green Field Day
Lancaster County farmer and Cover Crop Coach Steve Groff will lead a field day focused on planting ‘green’ at the David Leid farm near Shippensburg on June 25th. The practice of planting a cash crop into a live, standing cover crop is being rapidly adopted by farmers across Pennsylvania, with many citing benefits of weed suppression, soil moisture management and habitat for beneficial insects. However, there can be pitfalls in implementing the practice, especially for first timers. Steve, area farmers and Penn State Extension specialists will help those new to the practice as well as veterans learn how to make planting green work for their farms.
At this hands-on field day attendees will learn about the practice including equipment setup, planning and managing your cover crop, herbicide and weed management and how planting green can improve our soils. Steve Groff will also share his experiences in promoting cover crops around the world. The day will feature a demonstration of the practice and area farmers will share their experiences in planting green. Support for the event is provided by the Stroud Water Research Center and area sponsors.
The event will be held at the David Leid Farm, 10857 Thornwood Rd, Shippensburg, PA 17257, from 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM, Tuesday, June 25th, 2019.
The event is free to the public and lunch will be provided. Attendees are asked to register in advance to ensure an accurate lunch count by going online to https://extension.psu.edu/planting-green-field-day or by calling 1-877-345-0691. For further information regarding the event contact Brittany Clark at Penn State Extension by calling (717) 263-9226.
Workshop speakers and topics Include Steve Groff, Cover Crop Coaching, who will discuss cover crop selection and management. Dr. Sjoerd Duiker, Soils Specialist, Penn State Extension will lead a soils pit demonstration and discussion of how cover crops improve your farm. Dr. John Wallace, Weed Scientist, Penn State Extension will cover selecting herbicides for cover crops and how to use planting green to suppress weeds. Charlie Martin, farmer and inventor; Gideon Stoltzfus, Pequea Planter will both address setting up your planter for planting green and high residue environments.

Caption: See how planting into standing, green cover crops can improve soil health and learn how to adapt the practice to your operation. Zachary Larson photo.
To Evaluate The Use Of Fungicides On Corn In A Wet Year
Corn growth and development in Pennsylvania is variable depending on the location. Considering that we are again above average with rainfall across the state, we are starting to receive questions about early season fungicide applications and if they would be of benefit. Extension Plant Pathologists Paul Esker and Alyssa Collins report this is a common question, especially since it is an attractive option because at this time the corn is short enough to be easily driven over with most equipment, and most farmers are used to applying a herbicide at this time as well. This means you do not need to deal with the hassle and expense of getting a custom applicator to make the application.
Given the questions focused on early-season applications, university plant pathologists across the country have studied this question for several years. In the majority of studies, we have found no significant yield benefit to a fungicide application at this early vegetative timing. The majority of research to date, as well as our 2018 foliar fungicide work at Rock Springs and Landisville, have indicated that it is around tasseling (VT stage of development) when we see the most effective (yield and economically) applications.
What are some the reasons that early season applications are less profitable? Mainly, the challenge at this time of year is that our primary yield-limiting diseases do not become problematic until the reproductive stages of development. The reasons for this include the fungal leaf diseases that are most yield-robbing are favored by warm temperatures and high humidity. At the earlier growth stages like V5-V7, the crop canopy is very open with excellent air flow. It is not until later stages that the canopy closes over, trapping in heat and humidity. If you have ever scouted corn, you know exactly what we mean!
Additionally, the leaves that really do the work of grain fill (the ear leaf and above) are not yet formed at this time. Because of this, we cannot protect them with an early fungicide application. Even our most persistent fungicides only last for about three weeks in the plant tissue. The fungi that cause diseases like Grey Leaf Spot (GLS) and Northern Corn Leaf Blight (NCLB) survive in crop residue from previous years. It takes some time each season for conditions to become right for them to start sporulating, and then for those spores to leapfrog from the lowest leaves to the upper, more critical ones.

To Attend The Farming For Success Field Day
Penn State Extension and the Penn State Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SEAREC) are hosting the Farming for Success Field Day on Thursday, June 27, 2019 for Farmers, Industry Representatives and other Agricultural Professionals. The field day is held at Penn State SEAREC, 1446 Auction Road, Manheim, PA 17545which is a 100 acre research farm located near Landisville in Lancaster County. The doors open at 8:30 AM when you can visit with sponsors and the program beginning promptly at 9:00 AM.
The field day promises to be an informative event featuring a wide range of crop production topics. You can see research plots in the field, learn from Penn State and Ag industry professionals and visit with industry sponsors. For more details and registration visit the following website: www.extension.psu.edu/farming-for-success or call toll free: 1-877-345-0691
Quote Of The Week: “”We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” President John F. Kennedy (Next month we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s landing on the moon.)