SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - A soil expert for Farm Journal Magazine told a crowd of farmers from the region Tuesday that a bacteria which infected corn crops in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Ohio is headed this way.
"Has anyone in this room experienced Goss's wilt?" Ken Ferrie, 52, of Heyworth, Ill., the guest speaker at the fifth annual Schuylkill County Ag Day, asked the crowd of more than 150 gathered in the lower level conference room at First United Church of Christ in Schuylkill Haven.
No one raised a hand.
"Well, it's coming unfortunately," Ferrie said.
And a mild infestation can kill 50 to 60 bushels of corn, Ferrie said.
"There are a lot of diseases now that we never thought we'd see here," said Elizabeth A. Hinkel, district manager for the Schuylkill Conservation District, who hosted Tuesday's event.
She and her husband, Jared, run Hinkel Farms in Barry Township, which includes more than 1,400 acres of corn. And she said she wouldn't be surprised if Goss's wilt crept through the corn rows in Schuylkill County.
"If weather conditions are right, I'm sure we'll see it. That's the key. Once you have the right conditions, it's usually only a matter of time," Elizabeth Hinkel said.
State Secretary of Agriculture George D. Greig said he and his brother, Tim, run a farm in Crawford County, and it includes more than 300 acres of corn.
"I've heard of Goss's wilt. And there's always a concern about diseases. I'm hoping the winter kills off some of the bad stuff, but you never know. There's always something new," said Grieg, who arrived at the event after Ferrie's speech.
Barron L. "Boots" Hetherington, Ringtown, special advisor to the governor for agriculture, said "it's hard to say" if Goss's wilt will infect crops in Schuylkill County.
"A couple of years ago, there was a scare about soybean rust and it never quite got into Pennsylvania. But you never know," Hetherington said.
He and his wife, Robin A. Hetherington, run B&R Farms, a 400-acre site in Union Township, and it includes more than 100 acres of field corn.
Unlike corn disease threats which affect Schuylkill County farmers, like northern corn leaf blight and gray leaf spot caused by fungi, Goss's wilt is caused by bacteria, Ferrier said.
Symptoms include wilting, "freckles" and "wavy margins," Ferrie said. "The optimum temperature for it is 80 degrees," he said.
He said he believed it could infect corn crops in May or June, and evidence of the disease could show up in July or August.
"It likes wetter conditions and can survive in irrigation water. That's one of our challenges," Ferrie said. And there's no easy way to kill it, he said.
"Scouting has to be done in the field. We need to get out in the field, and iPads and iPhones allow you to get out there, to use GPS or the Internet or to take pictures," Ferrie said.
"Years ago, we used to plant the corn and walk away from it. What this guy is saying is don't get caught off guard. Be watching for it. Don't wait until your corn crop is dead to figure it out. My grandfather used to tell me 'you should be in every field every day if you're a good farmer,' and that's what this guy is saying," Heatherington said.
Ferrie said there's no easy way to kill Goss's wilt: "There's really no inoculate that you can use. If farmers see evidence of it, they're going to have to think ahead about changing their crop rotation or select hybrids to fight it."
"There really is no game plan for it yet. If it affects corn crops, those crops are pretty much going to be gone. Hybrid selection may the only way to avoid you. You have to select hybrids that are resistant to it," Jared Hinkel said.
Pictures of corn leaves infected by the disease are on the website for Farm Journal Magazine at www.agweb.com.
Ferrie has been writing for Farm Journal Magazine since 1992, and he's gained notoriety as one of its field agronomists. Agronomy is the science of soil management and the production of field crops.
Grieg drove from Harrisburg to Schuylkill Haven Tuesday morning to sit in on programs including "Problems of Douglas Fir and Needlecast on Spruce" presented by Emelie Swackhamer, a horticulture education for Penn State Extension.
"Like other farmers here, I'm getting credits for my state private pesticide license. And they'll renew your license as long as you get those required 'category' credits and 'core' credits," Grieg said.
"Category" presentations concern materials while "core" presentations involve safety issues," said Hetherington, who was also acquiring credits for his pesticide license Tuesday.
He said Swackhamer's presentation will give them two category credits.