Pastures looking good

Jun 13, 2022

Many cattle were turned out to pasture earlier than normal this year.

Melissa Atchison is vice president of Manitoba Beef Producers.

"There wasn't a lot of a choice. You were either out of seed or you scrounged some up from far away but the feed pile is definitely gone and there's certainly not a lot of reserves going into next year. It's a first year for many folks not having a reserve pile going into the carry over for the winter. There was some cows going out maybe perhaps before the pastures were ready but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Atchison says pastures are looking good this year, although some of the low lying areas are still under water.

She commented on how forage crops are looking.

"Pretty good actually. The alfalfa is coming up nicely. Had a bit of a frost...It did touch some things here and there. The alfalfa looks a little bit curled up and a bit of winterkill on some of that alfalfa actually. It was a bit stressed last year with the drought, obviously. Forage crops are coming up good. We could just use some more heat...we actually could use a little bit of rain."

Atchison notes it's good to see dugouts topped up after the drought last year.

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.