Be Diligent: Help Minimize Strobilurin Fungicide-Resistant Pathogens in Rice

For many years now, strobilurin fungicides have been used to manage sheath blight disease of rice and they have been the backbone for managing fungal diseases of rice in Arkansas and other Southern rice producing states. However, troubling news came in the summer of 2011 from Louisiana where failure of the fungicide to control sheath blight was confirmed in a few fields.    This is a wake-up call for all of us as to how we use these fungicides and why we should consider integrated management more than ever.  Click here to read the full story.

Armyworms in Wheat

BY SCOTT AKIN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR & EXTENSION ENTOMOLOGIST, ON APRIL 2ND, 2012

We have been receiving calls on armyworms in wheat throughout the state.  The first visible symptom of armyworm feeding is defoliation in the lower portion of the canopy.  It is not uncommon for these lower leaves to be completely consumed before they make their way up the plant.  Because these pests feed primarily at night, armyworms can often be found under debris, at the base of plants or in cracks of soil.  Check these areas to ensure armyworms are still present and in fact the responsible culprit prior to making a treatment decision. http://www.arkansas-crops.com/2012/04/02/armyworms-in-wheat/

Should You File an Estimated Income Tax Return?

Did meeting a March 1 filing deadline give you heartburn this year? If yes, there is something you can do about it. Some farmers are under the erroneous idea that all farm tax returns are due on March 1. This is a misconception. Individual calendar year taxpayers have an April 15 deadline. However, if they owe income tax, they may be subject to a penalty for underpayment of estimated taxes. Farmers have a special provision that allows them to avoid this penalty if they file their return by March 1. There is also another provision that they may use.  Click here to read the full story.

Farmers worry over newly planted corn as rain continues to fall

“The farmland along the river bottoms, a lot of it looks like lakes,” Joe Vestal, Lafayette County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said Wednesday morning. “It’ll take awhile to get it off the fields,” and that’s where the worry lies.

Vestal said the Red River will also be taking all the water that northeast Texas and southwest Oklahoma have received with this storm, slowing drainage.  

Click here to read the full story.

New Publications on Crop, Insect, Disease, and Soils

Several helpful publications have recently been made available on www.arkansascrops.com.  These are found by subject (crop, insect, disease, soils) on the Publications page accessed by clicking the Publications tab at the top of the Arkansas Crops home page. Click here for the full story.

Managing legal risk workshops for foresters

The second and third in a series of workshops covering agritourism law for landowners and foresters are set for March 16 at Shreveport, La., and April 13 in Monticello.

“Agritourism is one of the fastest-growing alternative uses for forestland and farmland,” said Rusty Rumley, staff attorney at the National Agricultural Law Center. “It can be a very lucrative venture for a lot of people, but it opens landowners to risks they would not normally come across in traditional forestry and farming activities.” Click here to read the story.

Wheat fungus spreads to 17 counties in Ark

LITTLE ROCK – Wheat stripe rust has now spread to 17 counties in Arkansas, up from nine counties last week, and with more rain and winds in the forecast, infections are likely to spread, Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said Friday. Click here to read the full story.