Pests & Diseases

Both legumes and grasses are susceptible to diseases, pests and pathogens that can destroy the plant or greatly reduce their productivity or the quality of the forage.

Forage growers, like the rest of the farming world, must deal with pests of various descriptions – weeds, bugs, molds, fungi and the occasional virus as well. It reminds me of the “thorns and thistles shall it bring forth …” and “in the sweat of thy face you shall eat …” kind of problem mentioned in Genesis.

Alfalfa is a major forage crop in the U.S., and the organic component has been growing to supply organic milk producers. A number of insect pests attack this crop, but the alfalfa weevil is probably the most familiar to growers.

Over the past four years, Iowa State University has conducted 14 site-years of foliar fungicide research trials with alfalfa at the ISU Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Nashua, Iowa.

When it comes to voles, pocket gophers and field mice, forage growers will do just about anything to get them off their property – or at least under control.

We have some effective pesticides, but when do you need to apply them? The answer for many of us procrastinators is 10 days to two weeks ago. Rather than adding to a problem of selection for pesticide-resistant insects, maybe a better plan is to just cut the forage early and then monitor for continued problems.