Dairy producers are well aware of the value and importance of "cow comfort." Cow comfort refers to a comfortable environment which will minimize stress on the animal. A high measure of cow comfort reduces stress and allows animal’s genetic potential to be expressed in higher milk production. Planning for cow comfort involves evaluating all aspects of the animal environment--free stall and feed bunk design, bedding, barn ventilation, cow grouping and social behavior to name a few--with an eye toward reducing stress. Crop producers can also benefit by finding ways to provide "crop comfort."

Providing crop comfort involves evaluating and modifying the crop environment in an effort to minimize stress and allow the genetic potential of the seed to be expressed in crop yield and quality. Selecting a crop rotation that facilitates weed, insect and disease control and adding organic matter to improve soil tilth contributes to crop comfort. Tillage that alleviates soil compaction also contributes to crop comfort. A challenge for the crop producer is in selecting and evaluating which aspects of the cropping system should be changed in order to improve crop comfort. Yields are a measure of crop comfort but the connection between end-of-season yields and such things as the quality of the seedbed can be difficult to sort out. In what other ways can we measure crop comfort?

Table 1. Sugar beet emergence compared across tillage systems, 1999.

When seedling emergence was used as a measure of the quality of the seed environment, the untilled, stale seedbed clearly provided the greatest crop comfort and improved early emergence and growth. Seventy-five percent of the seeds had emerged within two weeks of planting. In the standard seedbed less than 30% had emerged in that time. The stale seedbed provided firm, moist soil; freeze/thaw cycling alleviated seedbed compaction; and there were no wheel tracks. Reducing seedbed tillage improved crop comfort. The challenge for growers is to evaluate their farming system and find ways to build crop comfort into all aspects of their cropping program.

Hydro-Cooling uses cold water, either sprayed over the vegetables or with the vegetables immersed. Water increases the rate of cooling relative to air because of the higher amount of energy that can be absorbed. A disadvantage is that the vegetables are wet, aggravating decay potential.

Michigan Precision Agriculture Research – NCR-180 is a committee of researchers from land grant university experiment stations who are working in precision agriculture. Committee members prepare annual research summaries, which are presented and discussed at a meeting in January. Below are abstracts of Michigan research presented to the group in January. Research reports for Michigan and other states can be found at: http://precision.agri.umn.edu/ncr180_Pawg/research/research.html

Intervention N and Irrigation Management Strategies for Corn. - F.J. Pierce and M. Elwadie.

This project, funded by the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan, will determine if corn managed with variable rate N fertilizer based on plant chlorophyll content and variable irrigation based on remotely sensed plant stress are more or less efficient then current fertilizer and irrigation practices. Specific objectives include (i) comparing prescription (at planting) and PSNT (Pre-sidedressed N test) based N management strategies with intervention N management strategies based on N stress in plants determined from chlorophyll measurements and (ii) comparing irrigation strategies based on need and scheduling with irrigation based on remote sensing spectral indices indicative of water stress in corn. Two field studies were conducted in 1999, one at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) and the other at the MSU campus research farm. At KBS, four N treatments were evaluated under no irrigation, MSU irrigation scheduling, and a sensor based irrigation regime. Irrigation water was applied using a trickle irrigation system. N treatments included no N applied, N applied at planting, N applied based on a PSNT test, and N applied when leaf chlorophyll indicated an N deficiency in corn. At MSU, N management strategies were evaluated under rainfed conditions and included the N treatments at KBS plus three additional N treatments including N applied based on Iowa State University’s PSNT recommendations, N applied when leaf chlorophyll indicated an N deficiency in corn using 90 Lbs of N with no further applications, and N applied at planting and any time N deficiency in corn was detected via the leaf chlorophyll content. At KBS, PSNT and sensor based N strategies applied less fertilizer N with no loss in corn yield with or without irrigation. At MSU, yields were lower in treatments where N applications were delayed because of dry soil conditions after N appl. The experiment will be repeated in 2000.

Site Specific Management of Nitrogen. - Natalie Rector, Neil Miller, Innovative Farmers of SC Michigan.

Site-specific Management Guidelines - http://www.farmresearch.com/SSMG/
SSMG-2 Management Zone Concepts - T.A. Doerge

SSMG-5 Developing Management Zones to Target Nitrogen Applications - D.W. Franzen and N.R. Kitchen

SURFING THE WEB
Seeds and Weeds

• This photo herbarium contains pictures of many plants that are common to North America. Some of the plant species listed are not generally considered weeds but may have toxic or poisonous properties, or are otherwise of general interest as wildflowers or herbs. http://ext.agn.uiuc.edu/wssa/subpages/weed/herbarium0.html
  
• Weed Images and Descriptions - http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/weeddocuments/
  
• Plants Harmful to Humans - http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/harmfulplants/
  
• Find the aquatic weed that matches what you have found in your pond. - http://www.willinet.net/~dvanbeek/Joe/aquaweedid.htm
  
• Enter information about an unidentified weed, and compare it with photographs and text descriptions of weeds that share similar characteristics -  http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/weedid/

  A commercial source, but still useful ...

  Roger Brook  

  Abstracted from the Agri-Surfer newsletter http://www.agrisurfer.com 
  Neither I nor Michigan State University endorse the information contained in these web sites.

   

  ACCIDENT CLIPS AND SAFETY TIPS
  Electric Shock Prevented with G.F.C.I.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) are electrical devices designed to protect people from electrocution when using plug-in cord-connected portable electrical equipment, especially in wet or damp locations. GFCIs prevent electrocution by quickly disconnecting the electrical current if the flow of electricity is "leaking" out of the wires due to bad insulation, nicks, cuts or cracks. The GFCI "trips" if you, become a path to ground or if the electric current finds it’s way to the ground. More details are found in the February’s "Safety News".

SAFETY TIP: A GFCI operates by measuring the current (current is expressed in amperes) flowing in the two wires (the white and black wire) to the receptacle or equipment it protects.

A GFCI does not depend on or use a "ground wire" (the bare copper or green wire). Pushing the "test" button simulates a leakage (a very small difference in the current between the white and black wire) that is just above the trip setting of the GFCI.

If the current in the two wires differs by more than 6/1000 of an ampere, the GFCI shuts off power in a fraction of a second. This explains why an older farm house or building wired with just a two wire system (no ground wire) can still take advantage of using GFCI's.

What changes a person’s ability to think more objectively about risk?

Those who have survived a "close call" or injury often remember the "significant emotional event"and adjust their risk taking assessments. We can learn from our own mistakes and from others.

Sending me farm injury news clippings and reports will increase the Michigan farm safety data accuracy. The information is also used to identify high-risk work activities and warn others about current farm operation hazards. Please keep sending farm safety information to my office.

Howard Doss

Farmer Gets Arm Caught in Roller Mill

On January 24, 2000, according to a Lapeer County MSUE news clip, a forty-year-old farmer — and high school freshman basketball coach — reached down with his left arm to pick something up, when his right coat sleeve was grabbed by the roller mill he was operating pulling his forearm into the machine.

The farmer’s injuries included skin and muscle damage, limited use of three fingers, and broken bones resulting in muscle and skin grafting. Limitations on the muscles in his forearm are too early to predict.

SAFETY TIP: Loose clothing including draw-strings on jackets and sweatshirts, and frayed coat sleeves can get caught in moving parts. Even long hair on workers can become entangled in moving parts like exposed chains, belts and augers. Your farm operation needs a "safe work" policy that clearly indicates a ban of workers —including family members— wearing loose or frayed clothing. Make appropriate clothing to wear when working a policy on your farm. A safe work policy should be a part of your overall farm safety plan.

Howard Doss

Phil Kaatz of Lapeer developed a 15 slide PowerPoint presentation on farm safety for a local livestock producer meeting on February 11, 2000. You can view Phil’s presentation via e-mail; request the presentation by e-mailing me at : doss@msue.msu.edu

Challenge yourself by making your own farm safety presentation from past and/or current SAFETY NEWS fact sheets. Phil’s presentation was created from SAFETY NEWS facts other sources. He produced a quick, to-the-point presentation concerning farm safety by focusing on important issues for local producers.

Keep the presentation simple and to-the-point. An hour investment of your time can make this happen and keep safety management issues in the forefront.

If I receive ten PowerPoint or overhead farm safety presentations developed for this year’s meetings, I will award the top three authors with personal protective equipment (PPE) items to use at future educational meetings.

Howard Doss

The Manure Management AoE Task Force is organizing a full-day symposium on Research on Manure Management at Michigan State University. This symposium, intended specifically for MSU Faculty and Staff, will be held Thursday, April 6, 2000, at the Marriott Hotel in East Lansing. Lunch will be provided.

The purpose of the symposium is to acquaint MSU personnel with on-going research at Michigan State University dealing with the many broad aspects of animal manure and to promote discussion and further cooperation amongst those involved with the subject. Presentations will be by MSU Faculty and Staff and are intended to represent all aspects of manure management research presently underway at Michigan State University.

Please reserve the date on your calendar and plan to attend this update opportunity.

Bill Bickert