Green & Growing

There are several thou- can also be found on furnisand kinds of aphids, some ture and vehicles. of which only feed on one Honeydew can be washed kind of plant. The cabbage off with dish detergents or aphid, for example, only tar removers. feeds on cabbage and other members of that family such as cauliflower and radishes. The spruce gall aphid is only found on spruce and fir trees. There is a potato aphid, a rose aphid, and many other kinds. These annoying insects have some unusual characteristics. Aphids without wings are female and do not need a mate in order to produce young. The young aphids are born alive. However, when too many aphids are trying to live on GREEN AND GROWING By Linda G. Tenneson

Aphids have slender mouthparts one plant, some of them develop wings which are used to feed on sap in and fly to another plant. While they plants — particularly new growth, are poor fliers, their light weight unopened flower buds and young enables them to travel on the wind. leaves. As they feed, they use their The winged aphids mate and lay eggs. saliva to help digest the plant sap and Eggs laid in late summer can survive leave behind a sticky substance called the winter and hatch in spring. Aphids honeydew. The honeydew does not mature quickly and continue reproharm the plant, but a kind of sooty ducing all during their lives. mold may develop on it as a result. This mold will block sunlight from reaching the leaves. This honeydew attracts ants and yellowjackets and Aphids usually do not kill plants, but in severe cases cause twisted and curled or yellowed leaves. Aphids are small, only a sixteenth to an eighth of an inch long. They are pear-shaped and have soft bodies. They range in color and may be green, black, red, yellow, brown or gray.

The nymphs, or young aphids, are pale and smaller than the adults. They have what one source called “tailpipes” which extend from their backsides as well as a tiny tail. As they grow, they shed their exoskeletons and leave those white skins on leaves or stuck to the honeydew secretions. Ants may take care of aphids to “milk” them for their honeydew. The ant strokes the aphid to encourage it to produce honeydew. Aphids can also carry plant viruses and move them from one plant to another. The virus causes damage to leaves and fruit.

Because aphid populations can explode, it is important to check plant leaves and stems for the presence of aphids regularly throughout the growing season. They can feed on weeds as well as desired plants, so weed removal is one means of control. Another method is to knock the aphid off a plant with a strong spray from a water hose.

Lady beetles, lacewings, syrphid fly larvae and parasitic wasps all eat aphids. Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil and pyrethrin are pesticide control methods, but must be applied to the undersides of the leaves as well as the tops. These pesticides only kill the aphids they touch, so repeat applications may be needed during the aphid season. Systemic pesticides which travel inside plants work longer, but will also harm beneficial pollinator insects.

Go to extension.umn.edu/yard-andgarden-insects/aphids for more information and pictures to identify the type of aphid that may be in your garden

Linda G. Tenneson is a University of Minnesota master gardener and tree care advisor. v

Lindquest: ‘Cows are much healthier’ in the new barn

LAND MINDS, from pg. 2

able daily per cow production for you guys?

Brody: 80 to 85 pounds is okay … some do slightly better. And 300 to 330 days per lactation is the goal. The cows let you know when they’re getting to the end. About 25,000 pounds per lactation is what we’re achieving. These robotic milkers do a great job of warm-water washing and massaging the teats before each milking. Each cow is primed and ready!

Q: Talk about feed quality … You grow your own corn for silage; alfalfa hay for roughage?

Rod: Yes, feed quality depends on the growing season and the management of our field crops. We work through a nutritionist (Nelson Consulting) who helps with the different ingredients to balance our forage and silage feeds. And we monitor nutrition — even for our baby calves. Keeping each animal healthy and growing is the goal of good nutrition.

Q: Any special handling of baby calves?

Rod: We bottle feed everything until about two-and-a-half months old.

Brody: We sample forages monthly. Whenever a forage change we change the ration accordingly. Our total ration

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includes alfalfa hay, corn silage, earlage, soybean meal, distillers grain, minerals plus the additional protein supplements as needed. As you see, good nutrition is the mainstream of good milk production.

Q: The obvious question in view of this hot and dry June: what’s it doing to your crops?

Rod: Like virtually everyone we need rain soon!

Q: You’re still in the first year with your robo barn. Everything okay so far?

Rod: I haven’t seen anything we should have done different, so I think it was a good decision. Most importantly, I think our cows are acknowledging the same. Construction was Arnzen Construction, St. Rosa. They’ve done numerous robotic barns. I bought this farm right out of high school in the late 1980s. Today we own about 560 acres. We also rent about 300 acres. My ag teacher was Norris Osvold. He’s passed away, but deserves much of the credit for helping me to see the strong future in dairy farming.

Milk prices were about $17 per hundredweight in mid-June for Lindquest Dairy Farm. Rod modestly commented $17 would be better. Brody added, “You’ve got to think positive. But I’m absolutely convinced robo milking is the best — for our cows and for all of us too!”

These two young men certainly convinced me. I’m a farm kid. Helped milk cows when a kid, hand milking in a stanchion barn (‘nuf said). Yep, this is better. And their cows are telling much the same story. “These cows are a lot healthier than when in the other barn,” said Rod. An in-ground containment pit collects all manures which are pumped each fall, then knifed into fields replacing the need for purchased fertilizer.

Rod’s wife is Naomi. Brody’s wife is Amanda. Daughters include Mackenzie, 27; Korissa, 23; and additional son Kolby, 20. Rod’s phone is (320) 894-3211.

Summing up: Trust me … this Robotic operation at Lindquest Dairy Farms is indeed the dairy farm of the future!

Dick Hagen is the staff writer emeritus of The Land. He may be reached at rdhagen35@gmail.com. v