Tupelo Agriculture Newsletter PRODUCED PRODUCED BY TUPELO AG STUDENTS October 2018 Volume 1 Issue 2 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT We would like to thank everyone who enjoyed our first issue of Tupelo Agriculture. We will try and distribute one or two each month dealing with different agriculture topics that we feel you would be interested in. If anyone has topics or issues they would like information on just contact us and we will be glad to research the topic and add it to one of our publications. We are considering a classified ad section as well. Our classified ads will only consist of agriculture equipment, land, or agriculture employment opportunities that are available. We will also start adding a FFA and 4-H section for those of you interested in the activities of our youth. We will not go overboard on this page because the intent of our publication is to give viable information about agriculture issues and give you information on those issues. In this issue: Fall Beef Protein Supplements Fall Web Worm Control Wild Hog Management Equine Parasites Trump and Agriculture
Month Bad Spring Cow Good Spring Cow Bad Fall Cow Good fall cow October None None November December January 3lb MP February 5lb MP 7lb MP March 6lb MP 7lb MP Supplement Fall Cattle 6% hay, w/ no supplementthe cows will eat around 1.75% of their body weight and lack protein and energy, they will also lose condition. 6%hay, 2#/day 38% cubesshe actually needs only 1.25#/day to meet her nutritional requirements, 2# a day will cost about $8 extra per cow. 8% hay, no supplementsshe should be able to meet her requirements on hay alone during winter. 8% hay, 2#/day 38% cubesthe hay alone supplies her needs so this will cost around $21 extra per cow. Tips: it takes one round bale of hay to feed one cow for one month. A 50-pound bag of minerals should last 10 cows almost a month. Hay rings reduce hay waste by at least 10 percentage units. Forage protein declines to a low of around 3% to 4% during mid-winter. HP = high protein supplement, such as 38% protein range cubes or cotton seed meal. MP = moderate protein supplement, such as 20% protein range cubes or corn gluten feed.
Fall Webworm Control The Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea) is a moth in the family Erebidae known principally for its larval stage, which creates the characteristic webbed nests on the tree limbs of a wide variety of hardwoods in the late summer and fall. It is mainly an aesthetic pest and is not believed to harm otherwise healthy trees. The range of trees attacked by this pest is impressive, world-wide more than 600 kinds of deciduous trees have been attacked. Favorites in Oklahoma include pecan, hickory, walnut crabapple and persimmon. Entomologists tell us that webworm outbreaks run in cycles. Some years outbreaks are severe, while in other years they are barely noticed. Weather, birds and the predatory insect population contribute to the circular nature of these outbreaks. Heavy driving rains can flush the worms from the foliage early in the season, reducing the level of damage. Two generations of fall webworm caterpillars can occur in the Southern Great Plains. The first generation usually appears from June through August. If a second generation is produced, it can extend into October. This pest overwinters as a pupa in a cocoon concealed in ground litter, cracks and crevices, or in the soil. Following mating, female moths usually deposit their egg masses on the undersurface of the leaves. Larvae hatch in approximately seven days. They immediately begin to spin a small silken web over the foliage on which they feed. In the initial stages, the small, hairy, yellow-brown worms feed only on the leaf s upper surface; but as the size of the caterpillar increases the whole leaf is eaten. As they grow, the web grows to enclose more and more foliage. For the first half of the 4-6 week period during which the caterpillars feed, all feeding occurs in the web. As caterpillars near maturity at 13/4-inches long, they leave the web at night to feed. During the final development stage, caterpillars leave the web and crawl to a convenient hiding place, such as a thick patch of bark or the leaf litter at the tree base, where they pupate. During most years, a fall webworm infestation can be ignored, especially if it is in a large, mature tree in good condition. When small trees are attacked they can be severely defoliated and can even be completely encased by webs. In most cases, complete defoliation will not kill the trees. However, if small trees are not well established or are experiencing any type of severe stress, defoliation can result in death, especially if it happens twice in one season. Removal of webworms in small yard trees can be accomplished using a rake or a long pole equipped with a hook to pull down the webs. If within reach, a web located at the tip of a branch can easily be pruned out and destroyed. Do not attempt to burn the webs out as you may cause additional damage to the tree and possible injury. Insecticide applications are most effective when the caterpillars first hatch and the webbing is still small. Because the webbing is not very noticeable early in the life cycle you must be intentional in your scouting efforts during this time. Several classes of insecticides are labeled for control of fall webworms. However, many of these spray materials, including pyrethroids, are harmful to predatory insects that aid in webworm control. Bacillus thuringiensis sprays are a safer alternative and ideal for use in home situations but is most effective when applied to small caterpillars. Unless the webbing is widespread it is not necessary to treat the entire canopy. Fall webworms populations vary from year to year several strategies and techniques are available to control this pest. Early detection is important when controlling heavy infestations of webworms.
Wherever wild pigs are present, they are a problem, causing damage to livestock, agricultural fields, forests, the environment, and threatening native wildlife. Wild pig populations can be managed by lethal or nonlethal methods. Nonlethal methods include installing fencing to exclude pigs, using guard animals to protect livestock, and vaccinating animals to prevent disease spread. Although in some situations nonlethal methods are appropriate and effective, in many cases they are not a good option, either because they do not work well or are too expensive. Therefore, lethal methods are often the most practical and widely used. They include trapping, shooting, and hunting with dogs. Currently, there are no toxicants registered for use on wild pigs in the United States, so poisoning is not an option. Trapping is the most efficient means for removing wild pigs because it is a continuous activity requiring far less time and effort than other methods such as hunting. There are box traps, corral traps, and cage traps. If there are more than a couple hogs the best one would be a corral trap. Box traps are limited to a small number of hogs. A cage trap only lets you have a small amount of hogs and you could easily catch another animal. You need to catch at least 80% of the hogs to be effective. Here are some items you would need for trapping: locating high-use areas for potential trap, pre-baiting and baiting, effective trap design and size, effective trap door design, and patience. The use of snares for capturing wild pigs is not recommended due to the possibility for the capture of non-target animals. Trail cameras are very useful for conducting round-the-clock surveillance of pre-baited traps. Pre-baiting is an important component to successful hog trapping yet is often overlooked by trappers. Pre-baiting attracts pigs to the trap site, and more importantly, gets all of the pigs in a sounder or family group conditioned to entering and leaving the trap unharmed. Here are some things you could use for baiting: shelled corn (dry or fermented), other grains such as sweet potatoes or overripe fruit, commercial scents or attractants and molasses Though trapping is the most efficient means of removing pigs from an area, dog hunting is the most effective means of removing trap-shy or educated pigs that have altered their activity patterns based on previous experience with traps. Today, pig hunting with dogs has evolved into a highly popular form of sport hunting. Although this method of hunting is sometimes controversial, it serves as a valuable tool when trying to remove pigs in areas where intense shooting and trapping pressure have driven pigs to become more nocturnal in their activity patterns. Dogs can be used to trail these skittish pigs to their bedding areas. Appropriate measures should be taken to minimize stress to the animal and insure that they are dispatched humanely. Pigs can be easily dispatched using a firearm chambered for.22 long rifle or larger calibers fired precisely into the brain cavity. The brain shot will insure a quick, humane death while minimizing the amount of blood left in the trap. If euthanizing wild pigs with a rifle, do not insert the rifle barrel through the side panels in an effort to avoid accidentally shooting the trap. Pigs commonly will charge and ram into the side of the trap trying to find a way out. If a pig happens to charge just before you shoot, it may strike the barrel of the firearm, with you on the other end of it. This could cause you or someone else a serious injury. Instead, either shoot through the fence or shoot down into the trap from an elevated position. Most hog meat goes to waste so after you kill them you can eat them, or donate them to the homeless so nothing will go to waste.
Large strongyles (Strongylus spp.), also called bloodworms, migrate as larvae through the abdominal arteries, causing damage that can lead to rupture or circulation blockages. Some species damage the liver and other internal organs. Effects range from weight loss and anemia to fatal colics. Small strongyles (cyathostomes) burrow into the intestinal wall as larvae and encyst. Signs of infection include weight loss and failure to thrive; large numbers of small strongyles emerging at once can cause diarrhea and weight loss, and, rarely, death may result. Strongyles can survive in a freezing environment, but a hot and dry environment will often kill them. The infective larvae survive up to 31 weeks at winter temperatures, compared to up to seven weeks at summer temperatures. Ascarids (Parascaris equorum) are intestinal worms typically found in foals. Ascarids may cause weight loss, diarrhea and/or colic. Immunity develops with maturity. How do you treat ascariasis? Anthelminthic medications (drugs that rid the body of parasitic worms), such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the drugs of choice for treatment of Ascaris infections, regardless of the species of worm. Infections are generally treated for 1-3 days. The drugs are effective and appear to have few side effects. Tapeworms (cestodes) can cause colic and contribute to intestinal blockage. Three species of tapeworms affect horses; their larvae mature in the equine intestinal tract within four to six weeks after the eggs are ingested and then shed egg-bearing segments in the manure. Botflies (Gasterophilus spp.) lay tiny yellow eggs usually on the hairs of a horse's front legs. The larvae enter the mouth when the horse licks at them, then become attached to the stomach wall, where they develop into grubs that pass out through the feces. Eye worms (Thelazia lacrymalis) live in the tear ducts. Excess tearing may be the only sign of eye worms, but light sensitivity or conjunctivitis and related infections may also occur. Filarids (Onchocerca spp.) are thin, small worms transmitted by biting flies.they live in the neck ligaments and skin tissues, causing a maddeningly itchy immune reaction in some horses. The larvae can also invade the eye. Lungworms (Dictyocaulus arnfieldi) are most common in donkeys and mules, but horses pastured with them may become infected. The larvae migrate through the intestinal wall and into the lungs, where they become egg-laying adults. Chronic cough may be a sign of infection. Pinworms (Oxyuris equi) damage the bowel wall during their larval stage, but the tip-off to infection is usually the tail itching incited by the female laying her eggs in the anal area. As horses mature, they seem to develop immunity to pinworms. Stomach worms (Habronema muscae), transmitted by flies, and are responsible for summer sore. The larvae reside in open sores, causing inflammation and chronic wounds or lesions. Threadworms (Strongyloides westeri) are usually the first parasites to infect foals. They may cause diarrhea, but immunity usually develops before young-stirs are weaned. RESOURCES: https://equusmagazine.com/management/internalparasites-in-horses3
Trump and Agriculture America s farmers have harvested their annual wheat crop. Close to 60 million tons are gathered yearly and almost half is usually exported. Where this crop will be sold, though, remains an open question. As Donald Trump s trade war escalates, a lot of farmers are worried. Trump was elected, in part, on a promise to put America s interests first and crack down on what he characterizes as a world trade system rigged against the US, but until recently the president has acted like many of his predecessors- talking tough on the campaign trail but backtracking in the White House. On June 15, 2018 Trump published a list of $50 billion worth of Chinese technology products to be hit with a 25% tariff. China is expected to hit back with a list of its own and US farmers expect they will be on the top of that list. This article is an excerpt written by Dominic Rushe, found at www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jun/02/trump-trade-war-impact-farming-agriculture-industry Christian Haughney says that this trade war affects the soybean farmers the most because in China the commodity is primarily used to feed China s enormous pork industry. Now that the commodity is about to become significantly more expensive, Brazil and other soybean exporters will benefit from the escalating tensions, according to agricultural economists and market analysts. If Donald Trump s trade doesn t work out as planned, how do you think it will affect farmers and industry s today? 580-845-2774 Tupelo Ag Department ag@tupelo.k12.ok.us Tupelo. OK 74572 tupelo.k12.ok.us
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