Virginia
Cooperative Extension is hosting an Orchardgrass Production Meeting on
Thursday, January 8, from 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at Creekside Plain and Fancy in
Edinburg, VA. Farmers wishing to attend should register in
advance by calling the Shenandoah County Office of Virginia Cooperative
Extension (540-459-6140) by January 5.
There is a $5 per person registration fee payable at the door.
Farmers
across the mid-Atlantic (DE, MD, PA, VA, and WV) are experiencing reduced vigor
(fewer cutting and lower yields per year) and early death of orchardgrass
stands compared to only ten years ago. A 15 member task force (called the
Mid-Atlantic Orchardgrass Task Force) was organized that represents
agribusinesses, farmers, university specialists, and extension educators from Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
In
response, the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture initiated a research program
to address the problem. Mr. Gordon Jones
was hired as a doctorial student at Virginia Tech within the Department of Crop
and Soil Environmental Sciences. For the
past one and one half years, Mr. Jones has been focusing on this issue. This has included an extensive multi-year
assessment of over 53 orchardgrass fields throughout the mid-Atlantic, and
research plots focused on cutting height, fertility, and disease pressure. During this meeting, Mr. Jones will give an
update of his research program and provide some of the results to date. This meeting will allow area farmers to have
direct interaction with one of the primary researchers who is addressing this
problem.
The Mid-Atlantic Orchardgrass
Task Force estimates there are approximately 1.1 million acres of “improved”
stands in the mid-Atlantic region and this problem is costing farmers over $40
million per year. Meetings of industry,
Extension, and government agencies (USDA-NRCS and USDA-ARS) personnel have been
held to discuss the current situation. Discussions at these meetings have
identified three potential causes of these orchardgrass problems:
- Cutting or grazing too
short and/or too frequently,
- Pests (primarily
orchardgrass billbugs, grubs, and a disease called leaf streak),
- Improper fertilization.
These
factors are either working individually or in concert to cause significant
financial losses to farmers. However,
there are many farmers across the mid-Atlantic who are following all
recommended practices who are still experiencing these problems. Thus, a key recommendation from the Task
Force was that research was needed to find a solution.
A special thank you
to the following agribusinesses for helping to sponsor this meeting: AMVAC, BASF, Bayer Cropscience, Binkley &
Hurst, CFC Farm & Home, Dow AgroSciences LLC, Farm Family Insurance, First
Bank & Trust Company, Helena Chemical Co., Hubner Seed, James River
Equipment, Mathias Brothers, MidAtlantic Farm Credit, Monsanto Company, Page Cooperative Farm
Bureau, Rockingham Cooperative Farm Bureau, Southern States – Front Royal, Southern
States – Luray, Southern States – Winchester, Sygenta, Valley Fertilizer &
Chemical Company, Virginia Farm Bureau, Wightman Insurance Agency, and
Winchester Equipment Co.
Virginia Cooperative Extension
programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability,
gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation,
race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any
other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
If you
are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services, or
other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Robert A.
Clark, Senior Extension Agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources, at the
Shenandoah County Office of Virginia Cooperative Extension at 540-459-6140/TDD*
during business hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to discuss accommodations five
days prior to the event. *TDD number is
800-828-1120.
