Ext. Pecan Meeting Thu. March 12 at 8 am at Morehead Store Irwin County Extension 107 West Fourth Street Ocilla, Georgia 31774-1401

Office Phone: (229) 468-7409 E-mail: pedwards@uga.edu

Webpage: https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices/irwin.html

IRWIN COUNTY EXTENSION AGRICULTURE NEWS - Vol. 7 Mon. Mar 9, 2020

Phillip Edwards Irwin County Extension Coordinator In this issue: Recent, Meetings/Events, Free Webinar on Forage Management, Upcoming Area Forage Meetings, UPW Training, Auxin Training, Solar Energy, GA Peanut Achievement Club, Paraquat Required Training, Citrus Meeting, Vegetable Planting Chart, Peanut Seed/Seed Treatment Recent

Wet conditions caused aerial nitrogen applications on wheat Tomato Plants available on afternoon of Tue March 31st at office Meetings and Events – Please call our office at 468-7409 for more information and to sign up for the Pecan and/or Pond Meeting Meeting/Events Date Location ____________________ 4-H Club Coke Fundraiser Pickup Day March 18, 2020 3:30-5 prefered Irwin County Extension Office Cloverleaf, Junior, and Senior 4-H Camp Sign-Up Now Irwin County Extension Office Extension Pecan Meeting Thu Mar 12, 2020 8:00 am Morehead Store Irwinville Best of Pest Webinar Thu Mar 12 3-5 pm Ben Hill Extension Office Georgia Native Plant Symposium Wed Mar 18, 2020 GA Museum of Agriculture Tifton Irwin Co. 5th Grade Agriculture Awareness Day Tue Mar 24, 2020 Gary Tankersley Livestock Barn Georgia Pecan Growers Association Annual Meeting Mar 24-25, 2020 UGA Tifton Campus Conf. Center Tifton Solar Energy in Rural GA – Opportunities for Landowners Thu Mar 26, 2020 9 am UGA Tifton Campus Conf. Center Tifton Registration https://events.attend.com/f/1383791650 Citrus Meeting (see flyer below) Tue Mar 31, 2020 Lowndes County Extension Office Tomato Plants for Sale Tue Mar 31, 2020 beginning at 1 PM Irwin County Extension Office Ext Pond Weed and Management Meeting Wed Apr 1, 2020 8 am Morehead Store then a pond visit FREE Webinars on Forage Management Thanks to The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has a series of FREE webinars this spring focused on forage management. March 3 Soil - The Foundation of Your Enterprise March 10 Forage Systems – Finding the Right Fit March 17 Grazing Management – Balancing Animal and Forage Performance

March 24 Managing Drought - Effective Mitigation Strategies March 31 Optimizing Your Operation - Legumes, Crop Residues and Cover Crops

Watch the first video now on Soil: The Foundation of Your Enterprise! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtLospaUFeU&list=PLsDMBXSb2jYcUGaCNrQ09f0JxDJXJQu24&index=2&t=0s For more information and to register for future events, please visit: https://www.ncba.org/cattlemenswebinarseries.aspx Other Upcoming Forage Meeting Opportunities – Click on link for details Georgia Forage and Grassland Council Meeting https://georgiaforages.caes.uga.edu/calendar/event.html?eventid=1621&event=Georgia-Forage-and-Grassland-Council-Meeting Free for GFGC members (also gives you memberships to the American Forage and Grassland Council) - $35/yr.

Bayer Crop Science New Pre-Emergent Herbicide Field Day – Moultrie https://georgiaforages.caes.uga.edu/calendar/event.html?eventid=1625&event=Bayer-Crop-Science-New-Pre-emergent-Herbicide-Field-Day---Moultrie

Georgia Forages Conference (part of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association Convention) https://georgiaforages.caes.uga.edu/calendar/event.html?eventid=1622&event=Georgia-Forages-Conference-(part-of-the-Georgia-Cattlemen%E2%80%99s-Association-Convention) Hay and Baleage Shortcourse - Wheeler County https://georgiaforages.caes.uga.edu/calendar/event.html?eventid=1623&event=Hay-and-Baleage-Shortcourse---Wheeler-County Advanced Grazing School and Fencing Field Day https://georgiaforages.caes.uga.edu/calendar/event.html?eventid=1628&event=2020-Advanced-Grazing-School UPW Training - RSVP 3 Days Prior to the number listed below – No Meal – Training Time is 1.5 Hours Applicators of Engenia, Fexapan, Tavium or XtendiMax who attended a UPW training during 2019 are NOT required to attend the 2020 UPW training (although all are welcome and encouraged to attend). For Enlist One and Enlist Duo, those persons in-charge of in-season applications to tolerant cotton and soybean who attended training during 2019 are NOT required to attend the 2020 UPW training (again all are welcome). Those who were not trained in 2019 are required to attend a 2020 training. For those wanting confirmation regarding 2019 attendance, visit the GDA website http://agr.georgia.gov/24c.aspx and scroll down to the bottom clicking on the location attended last season.

Auxin Training

Solar Energy in Rural Georgia: Opportunities for Landowners 9:00 am on March 26 UGA Cooperative Extension will offer a collaborative program to help landowners understand the benefits and possible liabilities of placing solar panels on their land. Speakers from UGA Extension, Georgia Tech, USDA and the University of Tulsa will cover what landowners and communities need to consider before they decide to install solar panels or contract with a solar energy company. For questions about the workshop, please contact UGA Extension Specialist Amanda Smith (aziehl@uga.edu, 229-386-3512). Location: UGA Tifton Conference Center Date: Thursday, March 26, 2020. The event is free, but registration is required. Register online: https://events.attend.com/f/1383791650 Attention Peanut Farmers: 2020 Georgia Peanut Achievement Club Rules and Guidelines It is time to prepare entries for the 2020 Georgia Peanut Achievement Club (GPAC). We are expecting some very worthy entries with outstanding yields from the 2019 growing season. There will be 15 winners chosen in this manner:

State Winners (1) One state-wide winner that produced the highest average yield in Georgia in 2019 on 100.0 to 299.9 acres. (2) One state-wide winner that produced the highest average yield in Georgia in 2019 on 300 to 699.9 Acres (3) One state-wide winner that produced the highest average yield in Georgia in 2019 on 700 or more acres

District Winners One winner from each of the four GPAC districts for the following three acreage categories:

1) 100 to 299.9 2) 300-699.9 3) 700 and up Acreage planted must be certified by CFSA smart card printout of each farm. Acreage entered must include total acreage on all farms and farm numbers farmed by a producer/operator in Georgia. This means every acre that a producer/operator is involved in producing, including those acres in which the producer is listed as a co-producer. The exception would be if the other individual(s) listed as co-producer(s) entered the Georgia Peanut Achievement Club and included that acreage in their entry. If peanuts are produced in more than one county, the producer will decide to which county his entry will be submitted. Minimum acreage required for entry is 100 acres. The overall state winner in the 100 – 299.9, 300 – 699.9, and 700 plus acreage categories will be determined first. The district winners for the 100 – 299.9, 300 – 699.9 and 700 plus acreage categories will be determined after determining the three overall state winners. Any producer averaging 4000 pounds per acre on all farms can be entered into the Georgia Peanut Achievement Club and can receive a certificate. The minimum yield requirement for acreage category 3 (700 acres plus) is 3500 pounds per acre. In the event that an acreage category within a district does not produce a yield of 4,000 pounds per acre or more (3500 lbs/A for the 700 plus acreage category), then the highest yield in that acreage category from all entries statewide will be declared the winner, provided it exceeds 4,000 pounds per acre. If there are no statewide entries with a yield of 4,000 pounds per acre within that acreage category, then the next highest yield statewide will be declared the winner if it meets the minimum acceptable yield as determined by the rules committee. The reported peanut production will not be separated by peanut market type (runner, Virginia, Spanish, Valencia). For the purpose of the Peanut Achievement Club, market types are not treated separately. Acreage and poundage entered must be listed with the County Agent and acreage certified by CFSA. Records for District and State awards must be received in the by 5:00 PM, Friday, March 27, 2020 to be eligible. A State Peanut Committee reserves the right to check any yield thought necessary. A complete application is available at our office. Training Requirements for Paraquat Usage Prostko You must go online and compete training and pass the test and keep and print 1) New Gramoxone 3SL label: http://www.syngenta-us.com/current-label/gramoxone_sl_3.0 https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/paraquat-dichloride-training-certified-applicators 2) Current bulk handling systems already meet the new closed-system packaging requirements. A video of the new closed system for 2.5 gallon containers can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/XNxHq_asxXg. Tank adapters for 2.5 gallon containers should be available from dealers and/or manufacturers????? In my opinion, this headache will likely push more growers to bulk handling systems. 3) EPA-Approved Paraquat Training Information: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/paraquat-dichloride-training-certified-applicators

Citrus Meeting

Vegetable Planting Chart

2020 Peanut Seed Quality Seed Treatment Issue Kemerait We have received many questions in recent days pertaining to the quality issues facing our peanut seed supply in 2020 and relative performance of seed treatments Dynasty PD and Rancona. Below is the information that you need to know now; as more information is developed we will pass it to you quickly. As you know, Rancona and Dynasty PD both contain several fungicides; however, they do not contain the same fungicides. This is noteworthy in 2020 when Aspergillus flavus seems to be especially important.

1. We have multiple years of data showing that Dynasty and Rancona are both very good seed treatments for peanuts. 2. There has been a tendency for Rancona being stronger on Aspergillus than Dynasty. This was with Aspergillus niger which

has been our primary seed pathogen in recent years. 3. UGA grad student Brian Jordan's work showing that the mutation for high level resistance to QoI's can occur in A. niger

supports the clearly reduced efficacy of azoxystrobin (Abound) in furrow, and also on seed (although fludioxinil in Dynasty on seed would help moderate that effect).

4. Those differences in control may or may not have been enough to make a difference in yield, although the pattern was there for that in some trials

The biggest issue we face with seed quality in 2020 is that this is a different scenario with Aspergillus flavus (a related, but different, pathogen). Here is what we know now: 1) Last season was extremely hot and dry. There is a much higher frequency of Aspergillus flavus in our peanut seed from last year than we usually see. A. flavus produces aflatoxin, but it can also be an important seedling pathogen. 2) Culturing the pathogens from seed shows a huge difference in the efficacy of Dynasty and Rancona on this seed borne A. flavus, at least in some seed lots which were identified as being of lower germination. 3) Rancona has considerably less incidence of A. flavus growth in these seed lots. The difference in seed treatments for inhibition of A. flavus is believed to help explain some of the differences in germination observed, with Rancona producing significantly higher germinations. Again, this is on some seed lots and not others. Preliminary evidence is that the later-harvested seeds, which were exposed to the most heat and drought, are the most likely to have high Aspergillus levels. What does all of this mean? Are the differences observed this year due to A. flavus being resistant to QoI fungicides as sometimes occurs in A. niger? That issue is not known, but is being evaluated as quickly as possible. There is much we still need to learn, but for now we can say the following:

1) Rancona and Dynasty have both been very good seed treatments. This year, with the emergence of A. flavus, Rancona will probably be more effective treatment on those lots with elevated A. flavus populations. (Elevated A. flavus populations seem to be linked to seed lots with lower germination).

2) High quality seed with similar germinations on the Rancona and Dynasty will probably be fine with either product as the seed treatment.

3) Either seed treatment will likely benefit from the addition of an in furrow spray. Proline and Velum Total have been the most consistent in recent years. Abound should not be paired with Dynasty, as it duplicates the chemistry most prone to resistance. Abound would add an additional chemical class where Rancona is being used, and may help with other seed pathogens other than QoI-resistant Aspergillus.

4) If seed that is to be planted has (or is suspected to have lower germination rates), and the seed has been treated with Dynasty PD, then there is a greater need to consider use of additional in furrow applications of Proline or Velum Total to protect stands.

NOTE: We cannot become too narrowly focused as many different pathogens can affect peanut seed! Research (including grow out tests in the greenhouse) is seeking to answer more of these questions prior to planting season, and we will keep you updated as those results come in. It should be noted that these issues are being seen in commercial seed that have been produced, handled and stored with great care. Farmer saved seed are sometimes exposed to less than ideal conditions, and may have even more issues this season. Thank You, Phillip Edwards Irwin County Agent

The mention of trade names in this newsletter does not imply endorsement by the Georgia Extension Service, nor criticism of similar ones not mentioned.

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