Local Interest
By Gary Stone, Extension Educator Invasive & Resistant Pest Issue Team
Last year in another state, 14 horses died and another 100 were sickened from hay that contained blister beetles. Usually Blister beetles are not a problem, but growers should be aware of the insect and what to scout for in their fields.
The Pest: The blister beetle (scientific name Epicauta spp., order Coleoptera, family Meloidae) includes several species: ash-gray blister beetle (Epicauta fabricii), black blister beetle (Epicauta pennsylvania), three-striped blister beetle (Epicauta vittata), and spotted blister beetle (Epicauta maculata).
Anyone who receives a package in the mail with unsolicited seeds from China is encouraged not to plant them, but to contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) office in Lincoln.
According to John Thomas, Nebraska Extension Educator based in Alliance, Extension has been receiving some inquiries about the seeds, and has received the following guidance from the Lincoln APHIS office:
Anyone receiving the seeds should call the Lincoln APHIS office at (402) 434-2346 for additional instruction.
John Thomas, Extension Educator, Box Butte County
Jeff Bradshaw, Extension Entomologist, Panhandle Research and Extension Center
Karen DeBoer, Extension Educator, Cheyenne County
As winter wheat harvest progresses in the Nebraska Panhandle, it is becoming clear that 2020 is another year of significant wheat stem sawfly infestation and cutting. Infestations are moderate in the north and heavier in the south.
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Virtual Nebraska Crop Management Conference set for January 27
Upcoming Communicating with Farmers Under Stress webinar workshop to build farmer stress awareness
Third annual Nebraska Regional Foods Systems Initiative Food Systems Summit to be virtual
2021 western lambing and kidding school Feb. 6 near Bayard
Lincoln, Neb. —The 2021 Western Lambing and Kidding School on Saturday, Feb. 6, near Bayard, will feature a farm tour, hands-on demonstrations, and presentations by expert speakers.
The school, sponsored by the Nebraska Sheep & Goat Producers and Nebraska Extension, will run from 9:15 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Julie Kappen Farm, 10803 Rd 89, Bayard, and Bobby Jo’s Branding Iron, 533 Main, Bayard.