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| Duane A. Lienemann Nebraska Extension Educator |
For many young people all across this part of the country it is Graduation Weekend! Most of us would agree that perhaps in many cases the days we spent in high school were certainly the best days of our lives. It was in school that we made our first friends, competed to excel, hoped for places in the sports teams, and learned our first lessons about life. Now that time has come to an end and for some it went too fast, and I am sure to others – not fast enough. Either way, what an important day this is in the lives of our young people who are taking this step into the unknown. I remember that time well. Yes I know it was for me a very long time ago, but in reality it seems in many ways just like yesterday. I remember the anticipation, the count down, and excitement and yes even the fear. You looked forward to it, but that was tempered by the thoughts of what may or may not lay ahead of you. It could be in many cases, daunting and intimidating. After all it meant leaving the familiar and comfortable confines of your community and school and venturing into, as one of my former teachers put it, “Out into this cold, cruel world!”
Graduating from high school is exciting, but it’s also pretty scary. Whether you’re going to college or not, it’s a big deal to graduate! You just got through some of the toughest years of your life and are about to embark on a huge new journey. You’re leaving high school behind and are going off to meet new people and do new things. So this is it, the very last days of the life they have grown so comfortable with. Bidding farewell to high school allows these young people to keep all the great memories while still moving forward in their lives and to change the world as adults rather than holding onto the past like children. Each year as a teacher I would lose a great class of seniors. I had mixed feelings and emotions. They do become a part of you and it is sad to see them leave, but you also look forward to what they can do with the skills you helped develop in college or in any field of endeavor that they choose.
I get that same feeling now as an Extension Educator. You get accustomed to having these great 4-H and FFA kids as part of your programs, judging teams, the county fair, state fair, Ak-Sar-Ben and as Junior Leaders. You get to the point where you count on these kids and are delighted in how they develop into fine young men and women as well as excellent herdsmen and showmen. The good news as a teacher was that there was always another new class coming in. Full of promise, energy and potential. It is much the same when you work with these young people in 4-H. There is an outstanding group of young people waiting to spread their wings and endeavor to be as good and productive as their mentors ahead of them. This is a particularly large and talented group of seniors. Their enthusiasm and leadership will be sorely missed. I wish to extend, on behalf of the 4-H and our office, - a robust and hearty - Congratulations!! We will miss you!!
Disease in Wheat: We went from “way too dry” and dying wheat to some promise and rainfalls that completely change your attitude and prospects for your crops and grass. It shows how dependent we are on Mother Nature. But getting moisture can also mean that we should be expecting some fungus and disease to pop up and it has. I have had calls and have looked at wheat all across the South Central tier of counties and have found varying degrees of infection. In some it is very obvious, and just walking through the field will leave your boots or pants “painted” with an orangish/yellowish or powdery cast. That of course is not a good sign. Now the question is: “What do we do?” That of course will depend on circumstances, depending on many factors. One is the early status of the wheat and how it has developed, or perhaps - not developed.
Some fields were hit hard with drought, winter-kill and both in some cases. We have some fields that were tore up and planted to something else, but we also have fields that were left to see what they would do. Some of those look pretty darn good, while others most likely will not have great yields. I am in concurrence with other educators who like me suggest that farmers take a good look at their stand and total field to make a decision on treating these diseases or not. I got a note from Jenny Reese, Extension Educator from our neighboring Clay County, and this was her assessment: “Most dry land I’m not even recommending to spray because it just doesn’t pay with wheat price and cost of fungicide and original thin stands...It would have been better cattle feed prior to heading. With the heading stage we’re aiming for a double whammy right now with increased scab risk with all this rain. With wheat just heading and still beginning to flower …we will probably see a lot of scab too this year. If headed, you need to use something like Prosaro, Caramba or Proline.”
I also sent some pictures and visited with Dr. Stephen Wegulo, UNL Plant Pathologist, who recommends: “If the grower wants to spray, then the field should be sprayed right away when weather permits or as soon as possible to protect the flag leaf. Prosaro or Caramba would be my recommendation mainly because I suspect we may have Fusarium head blight (FHB) given recent, current, and forecast weather conditions. Either of these products will achieve excellent control of stripe rust and provide some protection against FHB on those plants that are already headed. A cheaper alternative is the generic form of Folicur 3.6F (tebuconazole), known as Orius 3.6F (there may be other tebuconazole generics in addition to Orius, but Orius is the only one I know). It is excellent on stripe rust but not as effective on FHB as Prosaro or Caramba. Because it is a generic, it is at least three times cheaper than Prosaro or Caramba.” A wheat fungicide table can be found at: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/documents/1841/8062087/2015+Fungicide+Efficacy+Table/21306ea6-794d-44a9-87e0-03756baf8af8 Each farmer will have to decide if it is worth the expense or not, depending on the potential of his crop!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or Nebraska Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, Nebraska Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home
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