Topics in this months newsletter on Forages and Livestock are the 2025 SE GA Cattle Update in Metter, Bermudagrass Stem Maggot, and Applying Rezilon for Winter Annuals
Southeast GA Cattle Update at Georgia Grown Innovation Center, Metter, GA, – July 31st
Cattle producers from across Southeast Georgia are encouraged to attend the Southeast Georgia Cattle Update on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at the Georgia Grown Innovation Center in Metter. The program runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and includes lunch and refreshments. Hosted by UGA Extension and the Georgia Grown Innovation Center, this event features presentations on forage management, herd nutrition, precision agriculture, breeding programs, and sprayer calibration by UGA specialists and Extension agents. Please RSVP to reserve your plate by contacting the Evans County Extension Office at (912) 739-1292, Candler County at (912) 685-2408, or Emanuel County at (478) 237-1226. Pesticide credits will be available for eligible participants.
New Information and Reminders on BSM
Below is a link to a recently published research article by Dr. Lisa Baxter. Her team found that time of day is likely mor impactful on BSM suppression than day after harvest. Read the article here for free:
https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cft2.70056
Also, refer to the slide below on the current IPM plan for BSM.
Applying Rezilon for Winter Annuals
“What if we get behind or what if early September is too wet to apply a herbicide application, would I have been better off to put out Rezilon in mid-August between my second to last and last cutting?”
I received the question above this month on timing Rezilon applications in Bermudagrass hayfield for suppression of winter annuals. The short answer is “yes, depending on the rate”. When we think about applying a winter annual preemergence herbicide we usually think Labor day, that is because in South Georgia winter weeds usually start popping up in September and we want to apply the preemergence herbicide before seed germination. If we don’t get out to spray before the end of September we have missed our best window to apply a preemergence herbicide. According to the Bermudagrass Management Calendar in the Bermudagrass Forage Production Guide that best window for preemergence herbicide applications to suppress winter annuals is August to September, see the calendar below. Additionally, when making herbicide applications it is a must to think grazing and haying restrictions. According to Rezilons label, “There are no grazing restrictions for fields treated with Rezilon. However, animals grazing heavily in an area treated with Rezilon may disturb the soil surface and have a negative impact on weed control. An example of this would be animals feeding around a hay ring. There are no harvest restrictions for hay when treated with 3 fl oz/A. If higher rates are used in a single application, hay cannot be harvested until 40 days after application.“
Although, it may be better to be early than to be too late with our application, the sooner we apply the herbicide the sooner we lose our residual activity.
