Corn diseases focus at CTC breakfast

The next Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series will be on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. The session will start at 7:30 a.m. with a complimentary buffet breakfast followed by the program at 8 a.m. The final session will be held on Feb. 19.

On Feb. 5, Dr. Pierce Paul, OSU Extension State Specialist in Corn and Small Grain Diseases, will speak to the Conservation Tillage Club about corn diseases. Although the current crop season started out with few corn diseases, gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight did appear in some area corn fields. Later in the growing season, some farmers experienced corn ear rots which had an impact on grain quality.

Dr. Paul will discuss these and other disease issues in corn production, providing recommendations for effective control. Deciding when the disease reaches an economic threshold for fungicide treatment is only one factor to consider. The other one is the window of opportunity to make application for best control. Producers will learn about these topics as well as choosing a disease resistance package while selecting the best hybrid for a field will be part of this meeting’s message.

The Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series is jointly sponsored by OSU Extension and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Hardin, Logan, and Union Counties, and in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Contributions to meeting planning and presentation are being provided by the Ridgemont FFA. Breakfast is courtesy of the generous support from agricultural lenders and agricultural businesses. All events are open to the public and no advance registration is required. Continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers are available.

By MARK BADERTSCHER
OSU Extension Educator