Pests & Diseases

Root and plant diseases that affect alfalfa yield and quality are nothing new to farmers. Diseases can be difficult to identify and manage, and it can be hard to understand their impact on plant health.

It is difficult to prevent fumonisin contamination of corn when conducive environmental conditions occur; however, selecting the right crop hybrid and using good cultural practices reduces severity.

Damage caused by dicamba drift has been in the news a lot over the past couple of years. With Monsanto releasing new varieties resistant to a new, less volatile formula of dicamba, reports of drift damage have increased in many states.

It’s really quite shocking, the first time you notice a large swath of your pasture has been cultivated without your knowledge or consent. You may even scratch your head and wonder what happened to your grass.

So, your cows are off their feed – maybe even off their feet. Perhaps you’ve noticed a disruption in your herd’s breeding interval, maybe a few more open than normal compared to previous years. Having ruled out diseases and pathogens, it’s time to consider: Is it something they ate?

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.