LAST CALL:  Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep

        Fond du Lac County agricultural crop producers and landowners will be offered an opportunity to dispose of unwanted and out-dated chemicals at a Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep to be held on Friday, November 6th. Chemicals will be collected from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds Expo Building.  There is no cost to participate; however, pre-registration by phone with the Fond du Lac County UW-Extension office is required.  This year's clean sweep is being offered with limited funding.  Farm participants who are not pre-registered may not be accepted on a "drive-in" basis if funding is exhausted.

        Proper disposal of unwanted ag chemicals that sit idle around farm buildings and homes will eliminate the threat these products pose to human health and the environment.  It also releases individuals of the liability and high cost associated with disposing of these products on their own.

        Eligible chemicals for the agricultural clean sweep include suspended or banned pesticides such as DDT, chlordane, heptachlor, lead arsenate, parathion, aldicarb and 2,4,5-T.  All currently labeled pesticides will also be accepted.  Other farm chemicals such as lead based paints, acid washes, engine cleaners, solvents, veterinary supplies, and wood finishes can also be brought to the clean sweep.  Non-eligible materials include waste oil, latex or oil paints, used oil or kerosene, explosives, radioactives, and infectious wastes.

        Businesses, schools, and government departments are also eligible to participate in the clean sweep, but must pay a portion of the disposal cost.  These entities must also pre-register.  The last Agricultural Clean Sweep was held in Fond du Lac County in 2005.

        To pre-register, simply call the Fond du Lac County UW-Extension office before Friday, October 30th (929-3171).  When you call, be prepared to answer some general questions about what you are bringing (pesticide or other chemical), how much (pounds or gallons), and if you are a business or private landowner.

        Funding for the Fond du Lac County Agricultural Clean Sweep is being provided by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection and Fond du Lac County. 

Converting Wet Corn Price to Dry Corn Price

        Having a conversion chart is the quickest method to do it but there are a couple of simple equations that accomplish the same task.  If you know the dry price per bushel and want to figure the wet price, use this equation: 

Wet price = [dry price x (100 - % moisture of wet corn)]/84.5. 

        Conversely, if you know the wet price per bushel and

want to figure equivalent dry price, use this formula: 

Dry price = (wet price x 84.5)/(100 - %moisture of wet corn) 

Several conversion charts are also available on the FdL County Agronomy web site:
          www.uwex.edu/ces/crops/timelyPI.htm

Got a good set of soil tests?

        If you don’t have an up-to-date (within the last 3-4 years) set of soil tests, now's a good time to make it happen.  The per acre per year cost is peanuts compared to potential fertilizer cost savings.  Fields that test above the optimum level for phosphorus and potassium are good candidates for reduced fertilizer rates.  It won’t work forever, but still an effective way to save some bucks without losing production in the short-term. 

Leaving Corn in the Field to Dry

        There's little doubt that the temptation to let corn "field dry" will be higher than normal this fall.  Letting corn dry in the field over winter or simply using the field as a grain bin until spring is a risky proposition.  UW research from several years ago demonstrates the variability in outcomes from such a strategy (Table 1).  In 2000, a year of much snow, grain yield dropped from 206 to 72 bu per acre from November to March.  Conversely, in 2001, grain yield dropped very little from November to March.  The difference was very favorable winter weather following the 2001 crop year. 

        Dry down through the winter months depends largely on the moisture content of the grain as November approaches.  Table 2 summarizes five years of grain dry down based on planting date.  This data demonstrates that most of the drying occurs in October and, for later planted corn, November.  After that, there’s really no reason to wait given the risk of significant yield loss. 

Soybean Cyst Nematode Update

        Positive soybean cyst nematode (SCN) samples continue to be confirmed in Fond du Lac County. Symptoms of SCN infection are often patches of stunted, yellowed, less vigorous plants.  However, SCN can cause significant yield loss without showing obvious above ground symptoms.  The best method of confirming SCN is to test the soil for the presence of cysts.  These tests are offered free of charge through the UW Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab and the Wisconsin Soybean Growers Association.  If SCN is confirmed in a field, crop rotation and resistant varieties are the foundation of a management plan.