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Give thought to where you cut back on Bt traits, pesticides

An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) specialist says farmers should be thorough in identifying where insects might populate before reducing certain inputs.

Bruce Potter with the University of Minnesota tells Brownfield growers can save money purchasing seed with fewer traits, but problems with pests happen on a field-scale.

“Just because ten fields in the county don’t have a corn borer problem doesn’t mean that your (fields) won’t either.  So, that’s the caution I’ve got for growers: be cognizant, if you’re not using traits (or) insecticides, which fields you’re doing that in.”

He says a lot of inputs growers use aren’t always necessary, however.

“In the case of insects, some of the seed insecticides…you probably don’t need those on every acre.  That might be a way to save a little bit of money.  If a guy’s been paying attention to pest populations in their fields, there might be a way to save money on Bt traits as well.”

Potter says rotating corn and soybeans continues to be one of the top tools for insect, weed and disease management.

But he understands why some farmers might be tempted to plant additional soybean acres this year as a way to potentially reduce input costs.

Potter says there will be an education session February 28th at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton from 1 to 4 discussing rootworm, corn borer and soybean aphid management.