This is going to be an interesting weather week for Colquitt County. According to the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, 1.5-2 inches of rain is in the forecast for Monday-Tuesday. Please monitor the weather situation as potential severe weather can impact the area. If you would like more information on the upcoming weather please go the the National Weather Service Facebook page.
Up Coming Production meetings!!
If you are interesting in attending any of the Colquitt County Production meetings call the office at 229-616-7455. If you prefer, you can register online here.
The Colquitt County Cattlemens Association will be hosting a meeting on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at the Colquitt County Extension office. This meeting will start at 7 pm. Dr. William Secor, UGA Livestock Economist will be informing area livestock producers a market up by zoom.
As we begin the new year, I wanted to remind you of a few important commodity meetings that you may be interested in attending. The following meetings will provide industry updates and additional opportunities to visit with UGA Specialist, Ag industry and Commodity Commission representatives, as well as Georgia producers.
- 2024 Corn Short Course will be conducted at Tifton Campus Conference Center on January 23rd from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Please share the 2024 Corn Short Course information and agenda with interested growers. Online registration fee is $15.00 for attendees, however there is no charge for Agents. Please refer to link below for registration and additional meeting details.
https://www.caes.uga.edu/news-events/calendar/event/2086/2024-corn-short-course.html
- The Georgia Peanut Farm Show & Conference will be held on January 18th at Tifton Campus Conference Center from 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Unfortunately, Agents have direct conflict with this event and Extension Conference, but please share and promote this opportunity with your peanut producers.The Peanut Farm Show is free and open to farmers and industry representatives. You may view the schedule and exhibitor information at the following link. https://gapeanuts.com/farm-show/
- The Georgia Cotton Commission Annual Meeting & UGA Cotton Production Workshop will begin at 7:30 a.m. on January 31st at Tifton Campus Conference Center. Please refer to provided link to view meeting agenda and registration details. Please share with your cotton producers and plan to register using the following link. https://georgiacottoncommission.org/
- 2024 Ag Forecast will be held on January 26th at Tifton Campus Conference Center. Agents do need to register for this event and submit online registration payment of $10 or day of event in-person registration fee of $25. However, if you have undesignated county program area funds, you may receive registration cost reimbursement, with CEC approval.I encourage you to participate in this year’s Ag Forecast program by inviting county producers, stakeholders, and Ag lenders/businesses to attend with you. Please share this event information in your county and consider attending with your county representatives. You may use the following link for additional meeting information and registration details/submission https://agforecast.caes.uga.edu/#Agenda
- 2024 Georgia Citrus Association Conference will be conducted on February 27th at Tifton Campus Conference Center from 9am-4pm. Please promote and advertise to your county producers and interested clientele. The following link may be used for registration purposes. https://www.georgiacitrusassociation.org/conference
How do I check my pesticide credits?
Interesting question. Commercial and private applicator credit is provided to participants in county production meetings. If you are a Certified Crop Advisor, some counties provide continuing education credit for those certifications. To satisfy the requirements for a private applicator license, growers only need to obtain 3 hours every 5 years. The 3 hours of recertification credits must be earned no later than 90 days before your license expires to avoid re-taking the Georgia Private Pesticide Applicator Certification Training Program. There are plenty of opportunities for growers to get the needed hours over a couple of growing seasons. Please do not wait until the last minute to check your status and realize you will come up short. If you have questions about the status of your license, you can contact your county office, or you can click here to see how many hours you need. Type in your last name, and make sure you select commercial or private, then click “Find Applicators With These Criteria.”
If you would like more information on obtaining your pesticide license please go to the UGA Pesticide Safety Education website. This is a great place to find out information on taking commercial and private applicators test, recertification and other educational resources on this subject.
Peanut Variety Trials
Dr. Scott Monfort, UGA Peanut Agronomist, provided County Peanut Variety trial information this past week. The table below shows variety, number of locations, average yield, grade, % TSWV, and final plant per foot for each variety evaluated this past year. If the variety is highlighted in black, then seed supply is limited. If you have questions, please contact your local county Extension agent.
2023 Colquitt County Cotton Fungicide Demonstration
This past year, I was given the opportunity to do another cotton fungicide demonstration in Colquitt County. The demonstration was conducted in a field that had a history of Aerolate mildew. The treatments included an untreated check, Abound (6 oz/A), Miravis Top (13.7 oz/A), and Revytek (10 oz/A). The treatments were replicated three times across the field, which was planted in DynaGro 3799. The plots were 18 rows wide and ran the length of the field. Fungicide applications were made in the third week of bloom, and we applied them with the grower’s sprayer. Canopy defoliation ratings were made at 35, 48, and 69 DAT (days after treatment). At 35 DAT, the Miravis and Revytek treatments had significantly lower defoliation compared to the untreated check. The untreated and Abound treatments had significantly higher canopy defoliation at 48 and 69 DAT compared to the Miravis and Revytek.
Below is a drone picture of the plots at 50 DAT.
This past year, no significant differences were noticed between the untreated check, Miravis, and Revytek. The data below shows a 40-pound increase for the Revetek treatment compared to the untreated check. If you assume $0.80 per acre, that would be an increase in revenue of around $32 per acre, but will that pay for the fungicide and application costs?
Mr. Kichler, that is all nice, but does it pay to apply fungicides to may cotton? I have had the opportunity since 2018 to do on-farm demonstrations to find out more information for growers, consultants, and retailers. In seven trials conducted in Colquitt County since 2018, where Aerolate mildew was the predominant disease in the field, the yield increase in the highest-yielding fungicide treatment compared to the untreated check averaged 110 lbs. Ranging from 40 to 180 lbs. These studies were presented at the 2024 Beltwide Cotton Conference last week and can be seen below.
These on farm fungicide demonstrations could not be possible without support from the growers, gins and industry partners.
Have a safe week!!
Jeremy M. Kichler
Colquitt County Agent
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension does not endorse or guarantee the performance of any products mentioned in this update.