Traill County Extension

Winter Injury of Evergreens

 Many of the evergreens especially pines, are not very green this spring. Some have turned completely brown, while others are showing needles with brown tips and green bases.

"There are a several potential causes, but the correct cause may be difficult to determine," says Joe Zeleznik, North Dakota State University Extension Service forester. "Insects, diseases and the extremely mild temperatures in March may all play a part in the current situation. Applying treatments to fix the trees may not work, especially if the exact cause is not determined. Much of what we're seeing falls under the heading of winter injury."

Symptoms cover a wide range. In some cases, almost the whole tree is brown or it's brown just on one side of the tree. On spruce trees, it might only be the needles that are underneath the branches that are affected, but not those on top of the branches.

"Nothing can be done directly to fix trees that are suffering from winter injury," Zeleznik says. "The only thing to do is minimize the stresses that the trees face during the upcoming growing season. Also, just because needles were killed doesn't necessarily mean that the tree is dead because the buds still may be alive.

While winter injury is the likely cause, insect and disease issues also may be playing a part. Pines may be affected by pine needle scale, pine moths, diplodia tip blight or some other pest. Diseases of spruce trees include cytospora canker or one of the needlecasts.

More information on pest problems is available in the "Insect and Disease Management Guide for Woody Plants in North Dakota" at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/trees/f1192w.htm.

FSA Certifcation Maps Ready

ATTENTION FARMERS: The crop year 2012 Acreage Certification maps for Traill County FSA producers are currently printed and are ready to be picked up at the Traill County FSA Office. Due to budget constraints they cannot be mailed out. The maps must be obtained and accurately completed by producers prior to filing their 2012 Acreage Report at the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Office.

The final date to report your planted acres at the FSA Office is July 15, 2012, to avoid late filing fees.

Vaccinate Livestock Against Anthrax Now

Now is the time to have livestock vaccinated against anthrax.

"Cattle should to be vaccinated before they're turned out into the pasture," says Charlie Stoltenow, North Dakota State University Extension Service veterinarian. "Producers will be working their cattle in the next several weeks, so this is the perfect time to get livestock protected against this disease."

Vaccination is especially important for livestock in areas with a history of anthrax. While the disease mainly has been reported in northeastern, southeastern and south-central North Dakota, it has been found in almost every part of the state, according to state animal health officials. Cases of the disease occur in the region almost every year.

Anthrax is a concern because spores of the bacteria that cause it can survive in the soil for decades. Favorable conditions, such as the flooding and heavy rainfall some parts of North Dakota have experienced in the last few years, may make it more widespread. Vaccines are effective, but they take about a week to establish immunity, and they must be administered annually because immunity appears to wane after about six months.

Livestock in areas where anthrax has been found should be vaccinated about four weeks before the disease usually appears. Herds within six miles of a prior case of anthrax also should be vaccinated, especially in years with wet spring weather and/or flooding.

If anthrax is detected in a herd, producers should move the herd immediately to a new pasture away from where dead animals were found to prevent other animals from getting infected.

During severe outbreak conditions, animals that haven't been vaccinated and are exposed to anthrax may have to be treated with antibiotics and then vaccinated. Producers thinking about treating with antibiotics should contact their veterinarian because antibiotics decrease the effectiveness of the vaccine, Stoltenow says.

Producers also should monitor their herds for unexpected deaths and report those losses to their veterinarian.

Because anthrax also is a risk to humans, people should not move a carcass. The carcasses of animals that died from anthrax should be disposed of, preferably through burning, as close as possible to where they died. Any contaminated soil should be piled on top of the carcasses for burning, Stoltenow says.

For more information about anthrax, visit http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/cattledocs and click on Veterinary Medicine.

NDSU Extension Service/Traill County

114 Caledonia Ave. W.
 Mailing Address (Box 730)
 Hillsboro, ND 58045
 Phone:  701-636-5665   
 Fax: 701-636-5666
 NDSU.Traill.Extension@ndsu.edu

Office Hours:

8 am - 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday

Summer Office Hours:

(Memorial Day - Labor Day)
7am-4:30 pm,  Monday-Thursday
8 am- Noon, Friday

Staff:

Kendall Nichols, Extension Agent/Cropping System
Rachael Hiam, Extension Agent/4-H Youth Development
Leigh Gunkel, Family Nutrition Program Assistant
LeAnn Beck, Administrative Assistant

Related Links:

North Dakota Extension Service
North Dakota Department of Agriculture
Traill County
City of Hillsboro
Cities of Mayville-Portland
City of Hatton