Peanuts: Middle April and May peanuts are still tracking on schedule. I will not be checking peanuts on Labor Day. Be mindful of white mold and peanut rust. I’m finding some Velvet bean Caterpillars (VBC). They are easy to kill but they have a huge appetite and can strip a peanut plant quickly. The threshold is 4-8 per row foot. Pyrethroids work on VBC but they can flare spider mites so be careful. Diamond, Dimilin, Intrepid, and Prevathon work well too. I have also found a little burrower bug damage.
Cotton: More calls on boll rot, I’m sorry there is nothing to do. Some cotton is starting to crack open at the bottom. One plus is December cotton is at $0.65. Of course, it needs to be higher than that but its a small win.
Cattle: Summer is tough on cattle but prices seem to be ok right now. Feeders have dipped some since the first of August and the hurricane threw a kink into things last week but prices are better than they were from March to June. There is a large number of calves expected to be sold this fall so these prices may be hard to sustain. Uniformity, castration, and quality may go a long way this fall.
Cotton & Peanut Research Virtual Field Day: The virtual field day will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at noon. Re-certification credits for pesticide applicators and CCA will be available pending approval. The field day is a free event, but attendees are encouraged to preregister at https://bit.ly/cottonpeanutfieldday. The purpose of the tour is to showcase current research to producers and industry leaders, which is funded by both commissions. The sponsors’ goal is to provide an educational opportunity for cotton and peanut farmers and offer them the chance to present questions directly to the researchers and express opinions and concerns pertinent to the production of their crops.