Farmers, are you needing to pick a new variety of wheat or having problems with weed control?
Then make plans to attend the Cottonwood District - Pre-plant Wheat School on Wednesday, Aug. 30, in Hays.
The event will begin with a light supper at 5:30 p.m. with the program starting at 6 p.m. in the meeting room of the Cottonwood District’s Hays office at 601 Main Street.
According to Cottonwood District Extension Agent Stacy Campbell, topics of discussion by Extension Specialists will be wheat variety selection, disease and weed control options, variety interaction with nitrogen and fungicide, managing nitrogen for protein, rotations and tillage interactions.
Pre-registration is requested by Monday, Aug. 28, by calling 785-628-9430 or by emailing Theresa at tam3@ksu.edu
There have now been reports of sugarcane aphids in the Cottonwood District. Ellis County has been confirmed as having a few pockets of established aphids at the Hays Experiment Station. It is now time to be scouting your fields regularly for this insect. The good news is that they are several weeks later than last year, making the sorghum that much closer to maturity. The bad news is that SCA can still wreak havoc on your crops if left untreated past the threshold. For more information, you can visit: http://entomology.k-state.edu/extension/insect-information/crop-pests/sorghum/sugarcane%20aphid.html or contact me at the office located at 1800 12th Street in Great Bend.

Alicia Boor is the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Barton County K-State Research and Extension. Contact her by email at aboor@ksu.edu or call 620-793-1910.