Screwworm Reaches Arizona—Plus Weeds Get the Shock | Sunday Bonus | Daily Farm Brief

Quick Farm Headlines, just the essentials from Ag Web, a potential billion and a half dollar ethanol deal with Mexico. John Deere calls back 275 workers and opens more than 400 factory jobs. And soil biologicals could cut input costs, but farmers need proof they pay. Those are the quick headlines, now today's main stories. Good morning, Farm Nation, and Hello Truck City. This is FarmTale's unplugged daily farm brief for November 1st, brought to you by World TradeX empowering farmers. I'm Rick Portanova. It's our Sunday bonus edition. Today, the Arizona Warning, a family harvesting chestnuts from 13 acres, electricity that kills weeds, and the clock change farmers keep getting blamed for. We'll finish with grain, cattle, and dairy markets. And if you enjoy the show, give us a follow, a like, or a share. So grab your coffee, fire up whatever you're driving, and let's find out what was happening while you were busy actually working. Farm News: Screw Worm reaches Arizona. A veterinarian in Coachese County examined a dog October 26th and found a wound on its back heavily infested with maggots. Testing confirmed New World Screw Worm, and officials announced Arizona's first case October 28th. The dog is receiving veterinarian care. We've covered screw worm before. The development here is a confirmed case in another state. Despite the name, the adult insect is a fly. Its larvae feed on living tissue. That makes this a serious concern for cattle, horses, pets, and wildlife. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says its response includes a zone stretching roughly 12 miles around the detection zone with controls on animal movement, more monitoring, and releases of sterile flies. For owners in the area, the advice is simple: inspect animals daily. Watch for wounds that drain or grow larger, maggots and egg masses, or unusual discomfort. Suspected cases need an immediate call to a veterinarian or animal health official. And before moving animals through an affected area, check current restrictions with state animal health officials. This case deserves attention. It doesn't tell us what your next beef purchase will cost. What it does tell us is that early detection matters, whether the animal outside is a steer, a horse, or the family dog. On this Virginia family farm, the crop comes down by itself. Getting it picked up is where the work starts. East Rockingham Chestnuts near Elkton grew for Matthew Jefferson's idea to do something different with a 13-acre property. He and his father Danny settled on chestnuts. The farm's website now describes almost 600 trees. In an earlier profile shared by the farm, Jefferson explained that ripe chestnuts dropped to the ground. He built a sweeper to pull behind a four-wheeler, but plenty of handwork remained. Then came separating the prickly burrs, sorting and inspecting the nuts. His wife, parents, brother, and children all helped. The farm also welcomes pick your own visitors during its fall harvest season. We're sharing this story as a seasonal feature rather than a new farm opening. It's a family business built around an unusual crop and a harvest you look for under the tree instead of on the branch. Here's your high-tech moment. Weeds get the shock. Imagine controlling weeds without spraying them or turning over the soil. Oregon State researchers are testing equipment that sends electricity through the plants. A tractor powers a generator and transformer. Metal electrodes touch the weeds. Resistance inside the plant creates heat that damages its cells. The useful part for the orchards, the soil surface stays undisturbed. In hazelnuts, that matters because the nuts are harvested from the ground. But there's a trade-off. Slower travel generally improves control in blueberry trials. Crawling through a field, though, takes time. Researchers found that two passes at moderate speeds could sometimes match or beat one very slow pass. Deep-rooted perennial weeds also can grow back. Burning down the top doesn't necessarily finish the root system. Commercial equipment exists while researchers continue refining how to use it. This is specialized high-voltage machinery with operating and fire precautions. Its value will depend on the weeds, field conditions, and how much ground a farmer can afford to cover. Let's open the old farmer's almanac. If somebody blames farmers for changing the clocks this morning, the old farmer's almanac has a correction. Daylight savings time wasn't created for farmers. Many opposed it. Their work followed daylight hours. Buyers, trains, and businesses followed the clock. Moving one without moving the other could make farm schedules harder to manage. Today, November 1st, clocks go back one hour at 2 in the morning across most of the United States. Hawaii and most of Arizona skip the change. The Navajo Nation observes it. And turning a clock backwards does not add daylight. Sunrise and sunset simply move earlier on the clock while the season keeps shortening the days. For the practical part, check the clocks that don't reset themselves, especially equipment timers and older vehicle clocks. Your phone may still have the new time, but the clock in the pickup may be living in October. Market Watch Friday's board. Here are Friday's closing futures for October 13th, as reported by Farms.com. December corn, $4.47 and three quarter cents a bushel, down three and a half cents. January soybeans, $12.34.25 a bushel, down half a cent. December Chicago wheat, $6.3.5 a bushel, down a quarter of a cent. December Live Cattle, $220.95 per 100 weight, down $5.35. January feeder cattle, about $331.78 per 100 weight, down about $10.18. And December Class 3 milk, $16.74 per hundredweight, down $0.50. Those are Friday's reported closing future prices. Your local cash fit and milk check will differ. And if you'd like more information about any of the topics we covered, there's a matching blog for every episode we release. You'll find it on our website, farmtailsunplugged.com. And there you have it. That's your FarmTales Unplugged daily farm brief for Sunday, November 1st, brought to you by World TradeX empowering farmers. I'm Rick Portanova, and I'll see you Monday morning.