By Dave Case

On Fertile Ground

Happy March! Just a few more weeks till the first day of Spring! It was back to reality this week after nearly 70 degrees to 30 degrees in less than 24 hours! Hope all of you were safe from the high winds and tornadoes that hit very near us.

Moles – “The Original Tunnel Rats!”

I thought this month we’d talk a bit about those dirty little diggers that destroy so many of our beautiful lawns! The subterranean diggers, Moles aka talpids, Maulwürfe.” in German, taupes in French and topos in Spanish!

Let’s get to the chase, what should we not do about them?

Poisoning can be dangerous to other animals and the environment. Plus, moles eat earthworms and not bait. Be very careful if you use poison.

Flooding is ineffective. Can damage your yard.

Ultrasonic devices. Little evidence this works.

Traps. Can work but can also be inhumane. Check frequently and release any captured moles far away from your property.

Grub Control. Moles do eat grubs but also earthworms and other insects like ants, and mole crickets. It’s possible this can work if applied at the proper time.

Floodlights. Moles are nocturnal animals. Not effective.

Fencing. Can be somewhat effective but is expensive and not practical for large areas.

Noise makers. Annoying and little evidence this works.

Burning. Dangerous and not effective.

Fumigation. Also dangerous.

Moth Balls. Tea Tree Oil and Chewing Gum. Not effective.

Natural Predators. Good luck with this one. I’m not aware of any “rent an owl”,” rent a hawk” or “rent a snake” companies.

Now we know what not to do, what can we do or try? First moles are a challenge, and no guarantees are represented here!

I’ve heard tar, coffee grounds, red pepper, or other strong spices can be helpful and not expensive to try.

Grub control. Yes, this is in what not to do and what to do! Reducing their food source might help. Find a product that controls grubs, ants, and other lawn insects.

Certain kinds of plants like daffodils, marigolds, and anything from the allium family but this doesn’t work in the middle of your yard.

Try Castor Oil. Some good success reported. Try 3 parts castor oil and 1 part baking soda. Castor Oil upsets their digestive tracts. Mix 4 tablespoons of this mix in a gallon of water. Soak the tunnels and entrances. This mix should be safe for your pets. This will last several weeks then re-apply.

Moral of the story, nothing is 100% effective, but a variety of things just might work! Let me know what works or doesn’t work in your yard.

Champaign County Ag Sector

Follow up on my Dicamba article of two weeks ago and where we are in all this!

EPA issued an “Existing Stocks Order” for dicamba products. In the order, EPA defines “existing stocks” as previously registered pesticide products currently in the U.S. that were packaged, labeled, and released by the manufacturing companies prior to Feb. 6. The order also states that end users of existing stocks must use the formerly registered products consistent with the previously approved labeling for the products and must cease use of these products by the relevant label date.

Questions and quick answers:

Will there be a shortage of Xtendimax, Engenia or Tavium? Yes

A farmer applying any of those 3 products listed in June, realizes he doesn’t have enough product, can they buy more to finish up their acres? No

A farmer doesn’t have enough product, can he use another dicamba product other than the 3 listed? No.

Annual training still required? Yes.

Will we have Xtendimax, Engenia or Tavium available in 2025? Still to be determined!

Spring is around the corner and for many the first field activity is burndown to remove winter annual weeds and cover crops. Here are some tips.

Pay attention to the weather. It’s been warmer than average so expect advanced growth of winter annual weeds. Daytime above 60 and overnight temperatures above 40 are best for effective burndown applications.

Understand what adjuvants are needed.

Be careful about adding too much nitrogen. Small amounts are beneficial, large amounts can have the opposite effect.

Make sure you know the proper tank mix sequence. I’ll have more on that next month.

Till next month, have a great March!

Question or comments? Email me at [email protected].

A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Dave Case majored in Agronomy and Ag Econ with an emphasis in Weed Science. Dave’s career spanned Champaign Landmark, Crow’s Hybrid Corn Company and 30 years with Bayer CropScience. In 2018, Case formed Case Ag Consulting LLC. He is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Agricultural Fraternity. He is on the Board of Directors of the Agribusiness Association of Kentucky, Chairman of the Ohio AgriBusiness Association Educational Trust Foundation and Secretary of the Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni Board. He is on the Board of Directors of the Champaign Family YMCA, Champaign County Historical Society Agricultural Capital Campaign Committee and is a Trustee for the Champaign County Farm Bureau. Dave and his wife Dorothy live on a small farm south of Urbana where they raise goats, cattle, chickens and various crops and they donate all profits to Pancreatic Cancer Research. Dave can be reached at [email protected].