House Passes NPDES Permitting Bill

The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) was extremely pleased to see the House passage of H.R. 872, a bill to remove duplicative new permitting requirements related to pesticide applications. The bill passed by a 292 to 134 vote on March 31.

When signed into law, the legislation will amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Clean Water Act to clarify Congressional intent and eliminate the requirement for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for applications of pesticides approved for use under FIFRA.

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UK Wheat Field Day - May 17

The University of Kentucky will host farmers on May 17 in Princeton for their semi-annual Wheat Field Day to showcase their latest research and provide information for producers.

CCA and Pesticide credits have been requested. Registration starts at 8:30 am CDT – Tours begin at 9:00 am. The field day concludes at noon. KySGGA is providing lunch.

View the tentative agenda.

Head Scab Alert System Ready for 2011

The U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative’s Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) Alert System, which proved its value in 2010, promises to be even more useful this year. The tool is already monitoring scab risk and FHB alerts have been refined so that growers and other users have information that is more customized to their geographic area.

The purpose of the FHB Alert System is to give growers and grain industry personnel better advanced notice of potential outbreaks and the risk of scab in their area, thus facilitating timely treatment of at-risk fields with fungicides.

The system is tied in with the Fusarium Head Blight Risk Assessment Tool hosted by Pennsylvania State University, Kansas State University, Ohio State University and the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI).

That FHB risk assessment tool — located at http://www.wheatscab.psu.edu/riskTool.html is where the alerts originate. The prediction model data are supplemented by “feet on the ground” commentary from university extension plant pathologists and other crop specialists in participating states. The commentaries are very important, says Kansas State University plant pathologist Erick DeWolf, because they provide timely, localized interpretation of crop-impacting factors that may not be considered by the scab prediction model.

Producers, crop consultants, grain processors and marketers and other interested persons can sign up for 2011 alerts by going to the following web address: http://scabusa.org/fhb_alert.php. Alerts are sent out to one’s cell phone or e-mail, depending upon the user’s preference. Frequency and timing of alerts depends upon a given area’s risk for serious scab problems — which obviously varies, depending upon environmental conditions and crop stage.

KySGGA Welcomes New Officers & Directors for 2011

At their March meeting in western Kentucky, the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association board of directors elected Richard Hughes of Adairville (Logan Co.) as the 2011 president. Hughes has served on the KySGGA board since 2007. He replaced Sam Hancock, of Fulton, who had served the maximum three years as president.

Tom Folz, of Herndon (Christian County), was elected to vice president, and Michael McCain, of Springfield (Washington Co.) was elected to secretary/treasurer.

The board also approved an ex-officio board seat for the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Assistant Dean for Research to help direct KySGGA research priorities. Dr. Nancy Cox, who is also the director of the Kentucky Agricultural Research Station, agreed to serve in that role.

During the KySGGA Annual Meeting on January 21, 2011 in Bowling Green, Carl Schwinke was elected by the membership to serve as the industry representative on the board of directors. Schwinke is the vice president for grain supply for Siemer Milling Company in Teutopolis, Ill.

For more timely news and stories about Kentucky's small grain industry, view our Spring 2011 newsletter.

Be sure to visit www.kysmallgrains.org for the latest small grain news and resources.