Monitoring Your Alfalfa Fields for Weevil
Joshua Putman, Field Crops and Forage Specialist
Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Program

Scouting for the alfalfa weevil involves walking a random pattern in the field and stopping to collect a stem every 10 steps. Once you have 10 stems, visually inspect the stems for weevil tip-feeding injury, and count each stem showing tip-feeding injury within the top three inches to determine a percentage of damaged stems. Repeat this collection of 10 random stems five more times throughout the field for a total of 50 stems inspected. Repeat this scouting in different patterns within the field weekly. Field Crops Specialist, Josh Putman, is monitoring alfalfa fields in SWNY to properly document and manage this pest. More information can be found through the Cornell University Integrated Pest Management Program.
Upcoming Events
Soil Health Field Day
June 30, 2026
Farmersville, NY
Save the date! We're hosting a Soil Health Field Day at Nichols Farm in Farmersville on June 30th. Topics include soil health demonstrations, cover crop uses and benefits, and lunch is being provided. Call 716-699-2377 (ext.106) to RSVP.
Fecal Egg Count Mobile Workshops Summer 2026 - CCE Erie County Pavilion (Orchard Park, NY)
June 30, 2026
Orchard Park, NY
Amy Barkley, Livestock Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension's Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops Program (SWNYDLFC) will be teaching a series of fecal egg count mobile workshops for those who are interested in the internal parasite challenges affecting sheep, goats, llamas, and alpacas.
Dairy Grazing Pasture Walk
July 1, 2026
Bath, NY
FREE
0.75 DEC credits in CORE, 1a, 21 Available
Presentations from Steuben County Soil and Water and SWNY DLFC Team
Announcements
No announcements at this time.





