The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/122355
D-6 Wednesday, April 17, 2013 Area Happenings Al-Anon meeting—Meetings are conducted each Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., located at 424 W. Seventh St. in Jasper. For more information, call 812-8870349. Oakland City Library—Author Thom Wilder will be at the Oakland City-Columbia Twp. Public Library Thursday, April 18, at 6 p.m. CDT to speak about his book, "The Road to Paradise." It is the story of the 1982 Castle Knights football team's road to the State Championship after having gone 0-19 the previous year. Come hear about the impact this dedicated team had on not only the sports program, but the community in general. Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Oakland City Columbia Twp. Public Library. Call 749-3559 for more information. Next EV V Area W HS Alumni Luncheon group—will meet on April 19, 2013 (third Friday of month) at Wolf's Barbecue, 6600 First Ave, Evansville. We will now have seating for our group downstairs, close to the buffet. We will no longer be meeting in the room upstairs. Also gratuity will not be 20 percent, but can be left in amount preferred by you. You can order from their menu or choose buffet. Our luncheons will now start at 11:30 a.m. CDT instead of noon. RSVP by April 18 so a head count can be given to Wolf's for seating. E-mail to: jddedman@gmail.com or phone 812-422-6683. Fundraiser for Christine Watson—Winslow Eagles Ladies Auxiliary will sponsor a benefit fundraiser on Saturday, April 20, at noon, with a silent auction and bake sale to help the family defray expenses for Christine Watson, who passed away April 3. Donations can also be sent to Curtis Funeral Home. Blue Jeans Center Sunday Dinner—April 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Proceeds help keep the Center open. Lincoln Heritage Public Library—The monthly board meeting will be conducted on Monday, April 22, at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Celebrate Today a free quarterly program for — those whose lives have been touched by cancer, continues the 2013 theme of world travels on Monday, April 22, with an Italy-style celebration. The program will begin at 6 p.m. at the St. Joseph's Parish Center, on the campus of St. Joseph Church, located at 1029 Kundek Street in Jasper. The program will include good food, a glimpse of Rome, prize giveaways and extra surprises. Anyone who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer or has been affected by it in the past is invited to attend. The program includes a light meal, followed by fun and fellowship. For more information or to pre-register, visit Memorial Hospital's website at www.mhhcc.org and click on "Classes & Events" or call 996-0626. Winds and Percussion Concert—The Vincennes University Department of Music will present "An Evening of Winds and Percussion" on April 23, 7:30 p.m. (EDT), at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center. The performance is free and the public is invited to attend. The concert will feature a wide variety of traditional and contemporary wind literature and will showcase the VU Brass Ensemble, the VU Woodwind Ensemble and the VU Concert Band. IN 15 Regional Planning Commission—Will meet Tuesday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. EDT at the Commission's office at 221 E. First Street in Ferdinand. Regular meeting will meet at 7:30 p.m. EDT at the same location. Free Health Screenings Offered By VNA Plus Home Care and Hospice—The next screening is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, from 9 to 11 a.m., at Williams Brothers Pharmacy in Princeton. The clinic is conducted by a registered nurse and also includes free blood sugar screening and a cholesterol screening for $3. No pre-registration is necessary. For more information, call the VNA Plus Princeton office at 812385-8857 or 800-659-4862; or visit www.vnaplus.org. Little Critters Day—Preschool children ages 3-6 are invited to the first in a series of programs in the Dubois County Museum's "Little Pioneers" kids' room for the 2013 year on Saturday, April 27, from noon-2 p.m. This hands-on program will feature lots of "buggy fun" such as games, crafts, fine and gross motor skills, snacks and a story time all about little bugs, critters, and insects (or whatever you would like to call them). RSVP by April 24 to csermersh@hotmail.com or call the museum at 634-7733 to register. Branson's Buddies—will be conducting a five stop motorcycle ride and benefit on Sunday, April 28, 2013, at the Old Petersburg Gym on Walnut St. in Petersburg. All proceeds benefit March of Dimes. Registration for the ride will be at 11 a.m. Bikes will leave from 11:45 a.m. til 12:15 p.m. Cost is $10 for one hand and $15 for two. The public is welcome to attend the festivities at the OPG, which will include entertainment by Fighting for a Chance and Backroads Band, raffles, 50/50 tickets and booths serving bbq, hamburgers, hot dogs and additional concessions. Find out more information by looking up Branson's Buddies on Facebook or by calling Alex Benefiel at 812-789-3340. All times are listed in EDT. The Press-Dispatch Post-planting weather could decide insect threat By Steve Leer Farmers should look to the skies for an idea of how active below-ground insects could be in cornfields later this spring, a Purdue Extension entomologist says. Weather conditions following planting are a good barometer for infestations of seedcorn maggots, wireworms, grubs and slugs, Christian K rupke said. Those insects, and others like them, are beginning to move toward the surface of the soil after overwintering beneath the surface. They feed on plant roots and green material and are a greater threat if the corn plant is not well established. "All of those pests get a foothold only when we get a cool, wet post-planting period," Krupke said. "If you don't have those weather conditions the corn plant generally pops out of the ground and does just fine in terms of insect pests. So in the early stages of the crop season it really is weatherdependent." Corn planting is off to a slow start in Indiana. As of Monday (April 15) farmers had planted less than one percent of the 6.1 million acres they told the U.S. Department of Agriculture they intend to plant in a March survey. That compares with 21 percent planted by this time one year ago and the mid-April five-year average of six percent. A weeklong forecast of cooler and wetter weather in much of Indiana could slow planting progress but won't necessarily contribute to post-planting insect problems, Krupke said. Aside from timely control of winter annual weeds that can attract egg-laying moths like black cutworm, there's little farmers can do ahead of planting to reduce insect damage risk and only certain steps they can take after seeds are in the ground. "Sometimes you'll get insect protection from insecticidal seed treatments at this time of year. Seedcorn maggot is one example," Krupke said. "For others such as rootworms, white grubs and wireworms, you also can get some protection from in-furrow insecticides for those still using granular and liquid products. The Bt corn hybrids have no affect on wireworms, white grubs, seedcorn maggots or slugs. There's not much that can be done in terms of managing below-ground pests once damage has occurred, however." If the weather cooperates and corn plants are able to outgrow those pests, other insects—notably, armyworm and black cutworm - could present problems, Krupke said. "Right now these moths are in the Gulf states where they can develop yearround," he said. "In the spring they move north on prevailing winds and with storm fronts—some years many, some years few—and look for places to lay eggs. They prefer to lay eggs in green material such as weedy fields and fields with cover crops, and when those cover crops or weeds are killed the larvae will then move over to the corn that is out of the ground." Purdue entomologist John Obermeyer coordinates a network of volunteers who monitor the moths and others using pheromone traps placed throughout the state. They report their findings in the weekly Purdue Pest and Crop Newsletter. T he good news for farmers is that last year's drought hurt some insects as much as it did crops. Krupke believes overwintering insect populations generally are lower and, with the exception of spider mites, which thrive in hot, dry conditions, could portend fewer insect problems this year. But farmers should not be overconfident. "If conditions are just right and these insects are in contact with germinating seed for a long time, that's when you have a recipe for bad things to happen," Krupke said. "Insects in general, and pests in particular, can increase their populations extremely rapidly when conditions are right." Additional information about crop insects is available on Purdue's Field Crops Integrated Pest Management website, at http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/ fieldcropsipm/. TMI? NO SUCH THING. Give them the newspaper this summer. Call or click now for affordable gift subscriptions. Your total energy efficiency professionals 905 Vincennes Ave. | Petersburg, IN BEnnEr & Co. 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