Weather seems typical early spring weather, warm and sunny, then cool and cloudy. The six- to 10-day forecast for April 1-5 from the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center is calling for odds of cooler than normal temperatures and moderate chances for above normal rainfall. Online data from the MSU Enviroweather station at Deerfield/Blissfield shows Michigan is above normal temperatures for 16 of the first 26 days of March, with two days at 70-plus degrees, seven days in the 60s and seven days in the 50s. However, minimum soil temperatures since March 1, taken at the 2-inch level, under bare soil, has not shown any numbers above 50 degrees F. Historical growing degree day (GDD) summary for corn from March 1-27 records 88 GDD (base 50 F) for corn in 2024, 16 GDD last year, 64 GDD in 2022 and a six-year average of 56.1 GDD. Rainfall at this location in 2024 and from Jan. 1 to March 27 has been 5.97 inches, compared to 9.89 inches last year and a previous five-year average of 5.02 inches. Anyone can access this and a host of other weather, field crop, vegetable, fruit crop and other data; just Google MSU Enviroweather and then select the location desired. A small weather station was purchased for the Monroe County Community College Student Ag Farm, but at present the station is not fully up and running.
Alfalfa weevil scouting should begin anytime the temperature is above 48 F, though alfalfa weevil feeding is not predicted to begin until after April 2 based on current weather and temperature models. Alfalfa weevil adults overwinters on field margins and adults become active at 48 F. Larval defoliation will be small holes in leaves, leaf tip feeding, with a skeletonized “frosted” appearance in severe feeding, possibly resulting in a shorter stand life. Normally, farmers can avoid the use of insecticides if alfalfa is within seven to 10 days of harvest, then early cutting is the preferred way to reduce larval numbers and also keeping predator (beneficial) insects present.
Corn farmers have an online tool to help estimate growth and development, particularly if 2024 spring rains and cooler temperatures will delay planting. Because corn maturity is based on growing degree days (GDD) or growing degree units (GDU), farmers can use this tool to estimate if their corn varieties may have enough time to reach physiological maturity.
Soil is not dirt, but a living ecosystem in which green plants grow and produce food, fiber and aesthetic benefits that we need for life. Soil provides anchorage, water, air, nutrients and a growth-producing chemical environment that buffers excess acids, alkali, salts and contaminants that might interfere with plant growth. An ideal soil for plant growth would be composed, by volume, of 25% air, 25% water, 45% minerals and 5% organic matter, sometimes referred to as humus. In times of excessive rains, soils may become saturated and have more water and less air space. Healthy soils contain living organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, mycorrhizae, protozoa, lichens, nematodes, insects, soil-borne microbes, actinomycetes and invertebrates, such as earthworms.
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Soil characteristics important to soil quality includes: texture, structure, water holding capacity, water infiltration rate and bulk density. Except in some small size situations, soil texture cannot be changed, but people can easily change or even ruin soil structure, most commonly by excess tillage, leading to compaction. Compacted soils means that air, water and plant roots cannot move through the soil profile. One teaching point here is that people can easily compact their garden, yard or farm fields. One example is by driving equipment on the soil, particularly if the soil is too wet to work, such as being muddy. One easy thing people can do now is take a soil test of their lawn, garden or field so they know if it is lacking in a nutrient or if a nutrient is already sufficient for good plant growth. The Monroe County Extension office has homeowner and farmer soil test kits, and this job can be done in plenty of time for planting fields, plants or gardens. Already this year I have pulled soil samples for all nine blocks at the MCCC Student Ag Farm and got the results back about seven to 10 days later.
— Ned Birkey is an MSU Extension educator emeritus and a regular contributor to The Monroe News.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County Agriculture: Now is the time to test soil
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