Sara Caldwell

Recently some exciting news was announced with regard to the dairy promotion activities and representatives in our area.

Kara Stephenson, dairy princess representing Butler County and Sara Caldwell dairy princess representing Beaver County, recently participated in the Pennsylvania State Dairy Princess pageant. The pageant was held in Camp Hill in conjunction with the All-American Dairy Show. Contestants are judged on several different aspects with the winner selected to represent and promote the dairy industry throughout the state.

Sara Caldwell, 17-year old daughter of Ron and Vicky Caldwell of Beaver Falls, was selected the Pennsylvania State Dairy Princess for 2007. Sara is a senior at Riverside High School in Beaver County. Being selected is quite an honor as the competition is challenging at the state level.

Butler County Dairy Princess, Kara Stephenson, a senior at Butler High School, also competed. Although not selected as the winner, Kara will do a fine job promoting and representing the dairy industry for the county. Congratulations to both girls for their terrific effort.

Grain storage preparation

Starting out with a bin free of old, insect infested grain is essential for storage preparation, particularly if no other protection will be applied to the grain. Sweeping down the walls of the bin and getting old grain out of the cracks and crevices is essential to prevent problems later.

Malathion, Storcide IITM or Tempo Ultra SCTM and several pyrethrin products can be used to apply a surface treatment to the inside of bins and provide a residual. Check the label for Storcide II; there are restrictions on application method. Chloropicrin is no longer labeled to fumigate underneath false floors and in air ducts. Phostoxin is the only product that can be used.

Once the bin has been cleaned, it is important to put clean, insect free grain in the bin. The first step is making sure your equipment has been cleaned out before you begin harvesting. You could add insects to the bins that have been living in your combine.

Make sure your combine is adjusted to prevent breakage of grain. Whole grain is more difficult for molds and insects to infect and makes aeration of the bin more efficient. If possible, grain should be run through a cleaner before entering the bin. Sanitation and surface treatments should be sufficient to control insects for a six to nine month period.

If you are not able to clean out the bin or don't fumigate under floor areas, or if you think the storage period may be longer, application of a residual insecticide to the grain as it goes into storage will help keep insects controlled. Actellic 5E is labeled for this use on corn. A dust formulation of Malathion (check the label) may still be available for this. If you do not treat the entire bin this way, you can treat the last load going in with a protectant or mix in a BT product into the top four to six inches of grain in the bin to control Indian meal moth.

During winter months, cool temperatures keep insect activity in check but as spring approaches and grain temperatures rise above 40-500, insects become active.

If insect populations develop in your bin, your only option is to fumigate. Aluminum or magnesium phosphide is labeled for grain fumigation. You must be a certified applicator to use these products. Remember, fumigation only kills insects that are present and does not provide long-term residual protection. As soon as the fumigation is complete, insects can begin re-infesting grain.

This information was provided by the Penn State Crop Management Extension Group.

Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.