Michael Gray Email

In a recent Bulletin article, I shared an observation of black cutworm damage in southern Illinois. Just recently (May 20), James Kennedy, Advanced Crop Care, Inc., found black cutworms were at work in northern Illinois as well. He found three fields that were infested with cutworms (4th instar) with cutting of plants in the 1-3% range. The fields were located in northern Kane County and McHenry County. James indicated that rescue treatments would be applied in the near future to these infested fields.…

John Pike, University of Illinois Crop Sciences Research Agronomist, Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, observed some cutting of corn plants today (May 18) in some plots that had volunteer ryegrass prior to burndown (Figure 1). John indicated that overall moth flight has been low at this location; however, as his observations illustrate, it is still worthwhile to scout fields closely for cutting activity. Please refer to some previously published Bulletin articles for additional information on this topic.…

Kelly Estes, Illinois Agricultural Pest Survey Coordinator, works with a network of volunteers across the state to monitor flights of key insect pests, including the black cutworm. Significant flights (nine or more moths trapped over 2-day period) of black cutworm moths occurred in Ford County (April 30), Mercer County (May 2), Lee County (May 4), Whiteside County (May 5), and Henry (May 10). By using these dates as a biofix and projecting heat unit accumulations we estimate that cutting of corn seedlings could begin to occur in fields on the following dates: Ford County (May 24),…

On January 28, 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)  published a “proposed framework to prevent corn rootworm resistance.” Public comments were sought across an original 45-day period that was extended 30 days beyond the original March 16, 2015 deadline. Within the proposal, the United State EPA acknowledges that corn rootworms have already developed resistance to “Bt corn” in some areas of Iowa and Illinois. US EPA has characterized some states within the Corn Belt as in the “red zone”…

On March 20, 2015, an article published in Environmental Science and Technology confirmed the extensive use of neonicotinoids as insecticidal seed treatments in a wide variety of field crops across the United States. The authors of the article Margaret R. Douglas and John F. Tooker are scientists with the Department of Entomology at The Pennsylvania State University.
Provided below are some direct quotes from their journal article concerning neonicotinoid seed treatments (NSTs):

• “Neonicotinoid use increased rapidly between 2003 and 2011,

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In the transgenic era, the most important insect management decision a corn producer makes is deciding which type of corn hybrid to plant — a Bt hybrid or a non-Bt hybrid? This decision is typically made in the fall or early winter, well before planting ensues. In a sense, a producer who elects to plant a Bt hybrid takes out an insurance plan against a wide range of insect pests for the upcoming growing season. I have referred to this in previous Bulletin articles as —…

On October 15, 2014, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued a report on the benefits of neonicotinoid insecticidal seed treatments to soybean production in the United States. Neonicotinoid insecticidal seed treatments include imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and clothianidin. The analysis concentrated only on the potential benefits of imidacloprid and thiamethoxam used as seed treatments. Although clothianidin is registered for use as a soybean seed treatment, the authors of the report considered its use “minor” as compared with the other two neonicotinoids.…

The registration site for the 2014 AGMasters Conference is now open! Space in the breakout sessions is limited and those with interest in this conference are strongly encouraged to register at their earliest convenience to help ensure the availability of specialized classes of most interest.The conference will take place at the I Hotel and Conference Center, Champaign, Illinois, December 15 to 16. The registration fee for this event is $250.00 through December 5. Continuing education credits (CCA) are offered in the following categories: professional development (1.5),…

The line up of speakers for the 2014 AGMasters Conference, December 15-16, is beginning to take shape. The 2-day conference will take place at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign, Illinois. The conference begins with a general session that features speakers covering a variety of topics including: potential water protection rules and standards, implications of the new Farm Bill, agrichemical/agribusiness/industry education initiatives, and the practical implications of evolutionary principles regarding resistance development by insects,…