Forage producers need to preserve any remaining forage as drought tightens its grip on Arkansas, said John Jennings, extension forage specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, area covered by a drought classification jumped from just below 25 percent to more than 94 percent in late May. “The likelihood of a record-setting dry spring across most of the state is very unsettling for forage and livestock growers,” said Jennings.

In late May, rust on tall fescue was observed in southwest Missouri fields from Preston to Weaubleau in Hickory County, in addition to cases reported in neighboring counties.

“There are several species of rust fungi that attack grass plants,” said Brie Menjoulet, agronomy specialist with University of Missouri Extension.

The recent hot, dry weather combined with poor root development in corn planted in relatively dry, compacted soils may be setting the stage for rootless corn problems. Rootless corn problems are widespread in parts of Iowa and Illinois. Rootless corn, or "rootless corn syndrome," occurs when there is limited or no nodal root development. Plants exhibiting rootless corn symptoms are often leaning or lodged. Affected corn plants may only be anchored in the soil by seminal roots or by a single nodal root.

Forage producers know they must pay attention to details when focusing on forage quality. Both old and new tools can be utilized by forage quality consultants and feed nutritionists to help their clients improve forage best management practices (BMP’s). Following are some of the most common, useful tools.

The western corn rootworm season is progressing at an unprecedented pace, reports University of Illinois professor of entomology and crop sciences extension coordinator Mike Gray.

Reports of severe injury to Bt corn that expresses the Cry3Bb1 protein targeted against corn rootworms have come in from western Cass County. In 2011, similar reports of injury to Bt hybrids expressing this protein surfaced in other North Central states, particularly in Iowa.

Last year’s drought is the most likely reason producers are seeing more grasshopper, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.

High grasshopper populations are tied to hot, dry weather for a number of reasons, said Dr. Chris Sansone, associate department head and AgriLife Extension program leader for entomology, San Angelo.

“The drought damaged range and pasture grasses thus creating areas with no to little grass,” Sansone explained. “Hatching grasshoppers use these areas to warm up in the spring.

This year many areas of the state have been reporting good forage yields so far. As a result, we nutrient removal by the crop may be up significantly too. This combined with increasing fertilizer prices, especially for potassium (K) has raised questions about fertilization of forage stands.