MAY 2003Newsletter
Issue 20:2
Lyle Paul - Agronomist
David Lindgren - Farm Foreman14509 University Rd.
Shabbona, Il 60550
Phone/Fax 815/824-2029
e-mail lylepaul@uiuc.edu
COLLEGE of AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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MAY 2003NewsletterIssue 20:2
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2003 Weather Data:
| March | April | |
| Air Temperature Average (F°) | ||
| Monthly Average High | 47.0 | 62.7 |
| Monthly Average Low | 26.2 | 38.0 |
| Daily Average | 36.8 | 50.6 |
| 36 Year Daily Average | 36.6 | 49.0 |
| Departure from Average | +0.2 | +0.4 |
| Observed High (date) | 73.3 (17) | 88.4 (15) |
| Observed Low (date) | -0.4 (10) | 21.6 (9) |
2003 Precipitation (Inches)
| Month | Total | Departure from Average | Total Year Accumulation | Total Departure |
| January | 0.40 | -1.16 | 0.40 | -1.16 |
| February | 0.05 | -1.41 | 0.45 | -2.57 |
| March | 1.04 | -1.41 | 1.49 | -3.98 |
| April | 3.02 | -0.21 | 4.51 | -4.19 |
2003 Growing Degree Days (Base 50)
| Month | GDD | 27 Yr. Ave. | Departure | 4/15 to EOM | Ave. YTD | Departure |
| April (15-30) | 136.9 | 108.9 | +28.0 | 136.9 | 108.9 | +28.0 |
Drought Over???
The dry spring weather gave way to rain starting late afternoon Tuesday, April
29 at the Research Center. Since that time, 1.89" of rain fell in the last
2 days of April and another 4.61" of rain fell in May from the 1st through
the 13th. May's rainfall by the 13th is 0.70" above the average rainfall for
the full month. With the late April and May rains, we are still 3.49" below
what would be expected by the end of the month. Hopefully, we will not make up
all of that shortfall in the next 2 weeks.
Planting progress was off to a rapid start. Some farmers in the area are finished with corn planting, others have made a very good start. About 70% of the corn research was planted before the rains started, but there are still 3 studies to be planted. Available planting hours since the 29th can be counted on both hands. The delays are mostly a matter of waiting on the fields to dry enough to be acceptable for planting. Even fields that did not need to be worked again before planting have not dried rapidly.
Coated Seed
One of the studies that we are doing at the Research Center and in Urbana with
Emerson Nafziger is using Polymer-coated seed. The Intellicoat® seed coating was
applied to seed by Landec (Fielder's Choice). The study includes coated and uncoated
seed and 2 dates of planting at each location. The first date in Urbana was March
24 and the first date at NIARC was April 1.
The corn at NIARC started to emerge 25 days after planting. This is a long time, but about 175 GDD in heat accumulation. The second planting date was April 29. The first plants from that planting date were starting to emerge on May 13. Just 14 days after planting.
The coating is reported to allow early planting and delay emergence until favorable weather begins and then the corn can emerge quickly and get off to a fast start. Following is a chart with the rate of emergence for the first planting until about 95%+ of the final stand had emerged. The way the emergence occurred, coated seed seemed to delay emergence about 12 to 18 hours. That amount of a delay would not make much difference getting to better weather or for any other consideration. The study was planted at 32,094 by the planter book. Plant stand at seven weeks after planting for both treatments and the early planting date was right at 31,000.
Upcoming programs:
| Small Grain Twilight Field Day | June 24 5:30 - 8:00 PM | Light Supper Wheat Market Outlook Staying in Compliance: Farm Bill Details Niche Markets for small grains Small Grain Varieties & Diseases |
Register with DeKalb County Extension Unit 815-758-8194 Registration Fee $10 Illinois Wheat Association members - $5 |
| Twilight Weed Control Tour | July 9 5:00 PM | Christy Sprague and others will discuss the latest developments in weed control. More details later. |
No advance registration |
| Agronomy Field Day | August 4 4:00 PM | Program still be developed. More details later. | No advance registration |
| Crop Training Center Sessions | June 10 8:30 AM - Noon | Drift injury on woody ornamentals & nitrogen Soil test Workshop |
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| Crop Training Center Sessions | July 11 8:30 AM - Noon | Insect Workshop | |
| Crop Training Center Sessions | August 26 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM | Disease and Nematode Workshop |
Registration and complete details for all CTC sessions are available from the Quad Cities Extension Center. There will be registration fees for each of the CTC sessions. Phone #- 309-792-2500.
Most programs will have continuing education units for Certified Crop Advisers. Amounts and categories will vary with program.
For some details on each of the programs, you can call the listed office or the NIARC at 815-824-2029.
Registration will be handled by the listed office and will have registration deadlines about 5 days to a week or so before the meeting.