Forage Fax

WEED OF THE WEEK: Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum L.) Hemp dogbane is an erect, one to three feet tall perennial. It grows from woody horizontal rootstocks. Leaves are smooth, elliptical, narrow and erect. Flowers are small with five greenish-white petals. Leaves and stems have a milky sap. Seed pods are long and slender. Hemp dogbane plants produce from 800-12,000 seeds per plant. Each plant usually has 10 to 60 seed pods and each pod contains between 80-200 seeds.Hemp dogbane is very competitive. It can reduce forage yields if not… Read More →

Broadleaf Marshedler (Iva annua L.) is a warm season annual in the Sunflower family. Also called broadleaf sump weed. The leaves are situated in pairs across from each other on the stem. Marshelder grows in wet, moist areas, disturbed areas, and roadsides. This plant germinates in the early spring in February or March. The flowers, which resemble those of the ragweed group, are inconspicuous. It flowers in later summer and fall. Select Herbicide Options: Weedmaster 2, 4-D GrazonNext HL Duracor Grazon P+D Milestone PastureGard Chaparral (for bermudagrass pastures,… Read More →

Extension forage specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and in the southeast U.S. would like your help in gathering information on hay harvest methods and time required for harvesting hay to help develop more effective forage educational programs. We would appreciate you taking the time to complete a survey regarding your hay harvest methods. If you do choose to participate, we appreciate your feedback, and all information will be kept confidential to the extent allowed by applicable state and federal law…. Read More →

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Ecosystem and Management Unit is offering Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) continuing education units (CEUs) for private applicators online in November. Private applicators need 15 CEUs every 5 years, and a maximum of 10 can be from recorded online courses and/or correspondence courses. Five CEUs must come from a live class or webinar in order to meet the TDA requirements to recertify. Of the 15 CEUs, a minimum of 2 must be laws and regulations, and 2 must be integrated pest management… Read More →

Pesticide Applicators Training (5 CEU’s) Thursday, December 5, 2019   Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center Overton, TX   Preregister by Nov. 30, 2019; Cost: $35/person On-Site Registration: $60/person (includes lunch)   Register online at: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/Overton   Topics: Weed Control Strategies for Pastures and Hay Fields Wild Pig Control Aquatic Weed Control External Parasite Control   8:30 am Program Starts 11:45 am Lunch Served 3:00 pm Adjourn   FLYER      

Sugarcane aphids feed on and damage all species of Sorghum grown for grain, forage and hay.  Aphids feed on plant sap and infested leaves turn yellow and then brown and die, reducing forage yield. Sugarcane aphids also produce large amounts of honeydew, a sticky waste product that accumulates on leaves.  A black sooty mold sometimes grows on the honeydew, turning leaves black.  The honeydew on leaves and stems can gum up harvest machinery.   The following practices can reduce the risk of sugarcane aphid damage: Plant hybrids with… Read More →

Dr. Jason Banta and Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson released the 2019 Herbicide Cost Per Acre Spreadsheet for Pastures and Hayfields. It is a downloadable spreadsheet (Spreadsheet ) that calculates herbicide cost per acre for a partial list of available products. This spreadsheet is intended to serve only as a guide for determining herbicide cost per acre and is not an indicator of product effectiveness or appropriate use. The herbicide cost per acre spreadsheet should not be the only factor in choosing a product. In addition to cost, the following… Read More →

Ranchers Leasing Workshop $50 per person or $80 per couple April 9, 2019 9 am – 1 pm Nacogdoches Expo Center 3805 NW Stallings Drive Nacogdoches, TX 75964 FLYER     Focused specifically on grazing, hunting and livestock leases. Half day seminar, participants will be able to ask questions, interact with attorneys and economists. All participants receive their own copy of The Rancher’s Agricultural Leasing Handbook, which contains checklists and sample lease language.   Registration Required: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/Ranchers     Vanessa Corriher-Olson Forage Extension Specialist Soil & Crop Sciences,… Read More →

by Dr. Jourdan Bell, Jourdan.bell@ag.tamu.edu Dr. Ed Bynum, EBynum@ag.tamu.edu Dr. Ronnie Schnell, ronschnell@tamu.edu Carla Naylor, Preston Sirmon, Dr. Kevin Heflin and Katrina Horn   The 2018 Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Forage Sorghum Silage Trial consisted of 56 entries including forage sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass, sudangrass, and dual-purpose forage/grain sorghum hybrids. Two corn hybrids and two additional grain sorghum hybrids were included as checks. Of the 56 entries, 26 were brown midrib (BMR) forage sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, and 13 were brachytic hybrids. The average forage yield was 22.5 tons/acre with yields… Read More →