Author Archives: Stephen Biles

Cotton IPM Update – Early Season Thrips

Cotton maturity ranges from germinating to 2 leaf. Cotton planted in the last week has been emerging in  5-6 days. This quick emergence is due to warm temperatures and adequate soil moisture. Emergence to first square can take 27 to 38 days. We usually see the first squares 28-30 days after emergence. Thus, cotton planted March 27, emerged April 1-2 and should have the first squares by the first of May. The primary insect of concern is Thrips. Thrips are slender, straw-colored insects about 1/15 inch long, with… Read More →

Drone Seminar – February 1, 2023

Drone Seminar: February 1 8:45am – 1:00 pm Free Sponsored by Calhoun County Texas Farm Bureau REGISTER HERE Deadline to sign up is the 25th.

Virtual CEU Seminar – Thursday, January 26

On Thursday, January 26, the Victoria and Calhoun County AgriLife Extension Offices will host a virtual CEU Seminar. Details are below. REGISTER HERE

Fall Armyworm Management in Pastures

We are finding Fall Armyworms in many pastures and hay fields. In fields with above threshold numbers, this can reduce the hay yield or grass available for cattle grazing. I use a sweep net to sample and use an economic threshold of 25 worms per 5 sweeps. An alternative threshold is when worm counts exceed 2-3 per square foot. We sprayed an insecticide control trial last Wednesday near Port Lavaca (9/14/22). Results of the trial found most commonly used insecticides worked well. This includes pyrethroids like Lambda-Cyhalothrin, Lambda… Read More →

Grain Sorghum Hybrid Trial Results

The results of the 2022 Calhoun and Victoria counties grain sorghum hybrid trials are as follows: Calhoun County Grain Sorghum Hybrid Trial Victoria County Grain Sorghum Hybrid Trial Soil Testing needs to be done prior to fertilizing for next year’s crop. Give me a call to discuss soil sampling to 24″ for residual nitrogen. We can do the sampling and send the samples to TAMU Soil Testing Lab. Stephen Biles 361-552-9747