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FARM 8 RURAL LIFE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1995 THE PORT PERRY STAR - 5 Warm summer produces large population of corn borers By Neil Moore, "This is not going to be a year to leave the corn in the field to dry down be- cause harvest losses could be very high. Farmers will have to balance between paying a little extra for drying vs leaving fallen cobs in the field" says Tom Hartman, pest manage- ment advisor, Clinton. Scouting corn fields for damage will help prevent surprises when harvest- ing. European Corn Borer (ECB) damage differs from year to year. The en- vironmental conditions at egg laying is by far the most important factor in building populations with- in a field. This year, with the warm summer, large num- bers of eggs were laid and therefore higher popula- tions of borers. All areas in the province have at least the potential for one generation of corn borers, however, we think two strains of ECB are present in Ontario. The one strain will go through only one generation per year, while the other strain can go through mul- tiple generations. In Cen- tral Ontario we have the one generation strain. The first generation of ~ ECB generally starts fly- ing around mid-June, and peak flight and egg laying will occur shortly after that. The moths, which are active only at night, lay their eggs on the un- derside of the leaves. They are generally attracted to the tallest fields of corn in an area. Once the eggs hatch, the young borers move down the leaf and enter the whorl of the corn plant. Once inside the corn plant control is virtually impossible. The borer con- tinues to feed in the plant tip and once the plant tas- sels the borer starts to move down the plant to eventually end up at the base of the plant at this time. In the multiple genera- tion areas, the second and third generation lay their eggs in the ear zone of the corn plant. Therefore, damage is greater on the ear and shank and lower stalks in those areas. By Mark Leahy OMAFRA, Stirling Market prices for finished and replacement cattle have been unstable the last few weeks. It is a good indication that we are moving into the down side of the beef cycle. For the past seven or eight years prices have been at a record high. The good times don't last forever. Neither do the bad times. The chal- lenge is to survive the bad times in order to enjoy the good times. Cow-calf profits between 1993 and 1994 have declined, and further decreases are predicted for 1995. Beef production is expected to increase in the next two to three years. An increase in beef often results in depressed calf prices and herd liquidations. This means more downward pressure on prices. Heifer prices are affected most because of the abundance of replace- ments available and tend to slide further than steer prices. Corn pric- es look to be strong, increasing fee- dlot costs. The biggest concern with the down side of a beef cycle is the loss in equity in the cow herd. Culling cows at the bottom of the cycle means a low salvage value. This is especially true for low quality cows. Culling cows at the top of the cycle provides a higher return. Having a young herd as the cycle bottoms out will reduce the need to cull. Culling a herd before cow 'prices hit bottom is usually desirable. It appears we are quickly moving past the best time to cull in the present beef cycle. In most years October and November are low cow price months because of normal fall cull- Beef prices on the downslide, so what's the good news? ing. This year looks to be weaker for prices. For cow-calf producers looking at staying in the cow business for the long term, at least four or five years, this fall may be the time to replace culled cows. The cycle is also moving in the direction to consider increas- ing the herd. More producers tend to expand at the top of the price cycle. At this point they are paying a high price for replacements and selling calves as the market is sliding. Expanding at the bottom of the cycle means more reasonable prices for breeding stock and catching the calf market on the rise. The challenge is in knowing when the cycle has peaked or bottomed! The bottom of the cycle is a time to watch costs very closely. This is a time for no frills management. If it won't pay don't do it. CN i i } id EA a UL MORE PROTEIN SURASS EXT Ia FROM A NEW ENERGY SOURCE! » The extruded chunks in SURPASS EXT increase [| the digestibility and energy in the ration unlike any other manufacturing process. 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