These traps are just one way we are adding value back to your farm.
Blog by Brent Budreau, Seed Consultant
This summer has been an exciting one for Spectrum Non-GMO. You might say, well isn’t every summer an exciting summer for Spectrum Non-GMO? Well you’re right. The deployment of hundreds of bug traps across the Midwest are part of one of the largest insect trapping campaigns ever recorded. What are we recording you might ask? These traps remotely record target insects for that specific field. These traps are targeting one of three pests Western Bean Cutworm, Corn Borer, and Corn Earworm.
With this network, we have been able to visualize remotely any changes to our customer’s fields. Andy Bailey, an agronomist with Precision Agronomics, said this about the traps “I like the ease of use. You set them and forget em. You have the ability to get data sent to you every day. You can see real time when it is happening not after it happens.” This information aids the farmer in managing their Non-GMO acres for optimum variety performance as well as placement for next year.
Corn borer numbers have been very low. We saw a slight spike in west central Indiana two weeks ago, however this spike was compared to little action and was well below the threshold. Kelly Estes with the State of Illinois says “We saw a low corn earworm flight for the first flight and we are expecting a larger flight for the second flight. She says that with the high Japanese beetle feeding on soybeans we will have to watch for feeding on silks in the coming weeks.” The goal of these traps is to allow you to see moth flight patterns for the overall network so that you know when to scout for larvae feeding. Instead of trying to get into the heads of these insects and ask them when they will join you in your field for dinner, we will know about their dinner reservations. “If you want to know something you don’t have to put a sticky trap out and manually count them” Tom Anson of Anson Farms said.
These traps are just one way we are adding value back to your farm. Is your farm using genetics in areas with little pressure? Are you looking for more ways to increase your farm business profitability? Don’t be waiting around for insects that may never show. Plant Non-GMO.
Learn more about the Z-Trap network here and subscribe for free.
About the Author
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