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May 2, 2016
Farm News. Farm Views.
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Take steps to turn back emerald ash borer
Emerald ash borers have killed an untold number of ash trees since invading North America. The insect, native to Asia, was first identified in 2002 in southeast Michigan and in Windsor, Ontario. It has since spread to Indiana, killing ash trees all along the way.
 
"Emerald ash borer is an insect that takes no prisoners," said Cliff Sadof, entomology professor at Purdue University. "It kills every last ash tree. One of the things that happens when a community loses a lot of ash trees is that people start thinking 'I'm done with trees.' "I want to let you know that a healthy, 10-inch diameter ash tree, gives around $100 a year in services.
 

 

WIU field displays textbook herbicide resistance
Tales of the spread of herbicide-resistant weeds abound, and a university specialist on the subject saw it right in his "backyard." Mark Bernards, Western Illinois University associate professor of agronomy, crop science and weed control, said the WIU farm was relatively clean of weeds when he arrived in 2011 from the University of Nebraska.

Waterhemp
During the 2012 field day, a few waterhemp poked through the ground in Bernards' block area of the tour despite being treated with glyphosate. "So we talked about the fact this is what resistance is going to look like and what you might expect," he said at the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association conference.
New life for old barn
The old dairy barn on the hill sat idle for years. Weather-worn, the barn could have fallen to the wrecking ball, joining the shadows of others that are but landscape memories. Jim Stahler thought differently. He brought the barn back to life, and it now is the site of receptions, weddings, anniversaries and other events.
 
New life for old barn
"Anybody can tear them down. It's history. Most of them get torn down. I'm really proud of it. I'm a barn guy, just like some guys are on '57 Chevys," said the fourth-generation farmer. His love for barns traces back to his father, Lyle. "My dad was a barn guy. He loved them, and I do, too. When he first bought this farm (in 1970), the first thing he did was paint the barn.




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