NC State Small Grain Specialist Dr. Randy Weisz has issued an alert for all North Carolina winter wheat growers; stripe rust has been found in the state. Weisz is recommending spraying triazole fungicide as a treatment, but also strobilurin fungicide can be used as a preventative, but in order for that material to be affective all tissue has to be covered, up to several weeks, but, if there’s substantial rainfall, efficacy of treatment could be shortened.
 

Weisz also reminds wheat growers that conditions are prime for powdery mildew. While there’s very little out there right now, Weisz says it could develop in the coming weeks. For more information on stripe rust, visit our website, click here to see Dr. Weisz’ demonstration video.
 

Gang of Eight’s Immigration Reform Legislation Ready to Submit
 

An agreement between the United Farm Workers and key Senators has paved the way for the Gang of Eight immigration reform proposal to move forward. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack thinks a guest worker program is a good start…

“The current system is broken and as long as it remains broken agriculture is at risk because we will have fewer and fewer people working in our fields. We will have more and more produce and product that wont be grown because we don’t have the workforce to produce it.”

Of the 1.1-million immigrant workers in the country today – Vilsack estimates that as many as 700-thousand may be here illegally.
 

Report Distorts Data to Blame Farmers

The National Pork Producers Council says the Environmental Working Group is using selective and incomplete 2011 government data on retail meat samples in a report to blame America’s livestock and poultry farmers for the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant illnesses in people. NPPC notes 2000 to 2012 data from the federal National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System show a very pathogenic bacteria on meat and stable to declining rates of those bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.