Jimmy Laska, vice president of sales and marketing for KMC, points out a feature of the company’s new stalk pulling equipment.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — People with pets and those who spend a lot of time outdoors don’t need to be told that a warm winter and spring, especially when combined with frequent rain, mean more fleas and mosquitoes.

Cotton plants don’t sit around scratching and gnawing themselves, nor do they have noticeable red bumps to indicate their irritation. But the same conditions that bring about more misery for humans and their fur babies also mean party time for harmful nematodes in the soil.

A Tifton manufacturer displayed new technology to battle the pests that damage the roots of crops including cotton, corn, peanuts and soybeans Thursday at the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition Field Day. The annual event is a chance for farmers to check out the latest seed, chemical and irrigation technology at the farm show’s field area.

 Nematodes can survive in temperatures of less than 40 degrees, and the soil in which they live doesn’t cool down to the extent as the air outside, said Jimmy Laska, a scientist who studied the pest and now works for KMC, which manufactures its new stalk puller in Tifton.

“Through the winter you could get six cycles of nematodes,” said Laska, vice president of sales and marketing at KMC. “They’re a big (cause of) destruction on cotton yield.”

 Left in the ground, roots provide nutrition for the parasites, Laska said.  “Roots still have enough life in them (that) nematodes can feed on them through the following winter,” he said. With the stalk puller, a farmer can “eliminate egg populations and nematodes for the next season. It’s a crop management tool.”

KMC’s prices are $13,468 for a four-row puller and $19,364 for a model that covers six rows. They are marketed to remove from the soil stalks of cotton, corn and soybeans.

The Field Day drew an attendance of about 250 people.

The consistent rainfall over weeks had the nearly 500 acres of plants looking lush and healthy. Planted in fields near the Spence Field show buildings are 200 acres of cotton, 160 of peanuts, 100 in hay, 95 acres of corn and 20 acres of soybeans, said Farm Manager Cody Mitchell.

“It’s looking great,” he said. “We’re having a great year.”

The rain has it looking like workers will be able to cut hay five times for the season. Corn will be harvested in three weeks, and peanuts in September.

Those who attended the event stopped at 26 stations where representatives from seed companies and chemical companies told farmers about their new offerings.

The University of Georgia also has plots on display.