A computer model was developed to simulate the varying depths of water applied to the ground due to the intermittent movements of a typical center pivot. The stop–go model inputs include the sprinkler application depth, the sprinkler pattern, that pattern’s wetted radius, the center pivot’s % timer setting, the move cycle time, and the end tower maximum travel speed. The model outputs were the depth of application in the pivot’s movement direction, the distribution uniformity (DU), and the coefficient of uniformity (CU). The results revealed that the pivot circular application uniformity is mostly a function of the move distance as a percent of the sprinklers’ wetted radius. This, in turn, is a function of the percent timer setting, the cycle time, and the end tower travel speed. Due to this, the high-speed center pivots had corresponding lower application uniformities compared to low-speed machines, and sprinklers with larger wetted radii resulted in better uniformity. Shortening the cycle time also resulted in higher uniformity coefficients. Based on these results, it is recommended that the run time be set based on the pivot end-tower’s travel speed and sprinkler wetted radius, such that the end tower move distance is equivalent to the sprinkler wetted radius. This will reduce wear to the tower motors due to the on–off cycling, especially for slow travel settings and for sprinklers with larger wetted radii. The ponding depths at different percent of the move distance, for the potential runoff, were estimated, which were set to be equivalent to the wetted radius.
Silver scurf is an economically important disease on potato tubers caused by Helminthosporium solani. Two studies were established near Mount Vernon, WA at Washington State University NWREC on 20 May 2011 and 21 May 2012 in Skagit silt loam soil. Five treatments included: penthiopyrad applied at 45 days after planting (dap), penthiopyrad applied at 60 dap, azoxystrobin (Quadris; 9 oz/acre) applied at 45 dap, and azoxystrobin applied at 60 dap, and a non-treated non-irrigated control. This study did not control for the effect of irrigation, as azoxystrobin-and penthiopyrad-treated plots were drip-irrigated while non-treated plots were not irrigated. The results of this study are therefore limited but do suggest a reduction in silver scurf incidence and severity with no significant impact on yield of potatoes when treated fungicide applied through drip irrigation systems.
In 2018 the Washington State legislature passed Substitute House Bill 2671 to address suicide in the agriculture industry, and Washington State University Skagit County Extension was selected by the Washington State Department of Health to develop a suicide prevention pilot program for farmers and farmworkers. In the initial stage from March to September 2019, program efforts included collaborating with suicide prevention and behavioral health experts, building institutional capacity (bilingual English–Spanish material and website creation), and leveraging the Extension platform. We provide a roadmap for other Extension entities looking to create suicide prevention programs.
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