Center of KY Home Horticulture Series

Backyard gardening and landscaping enthusiasts are invited to attend the Center of Kentucky Home Horticulture Series offered by the Adair, Green, and Taylor County Cooperative Extension Services. Citizens may choose to attend one, a few, or all sessions offered. Each session is free and begins at 6pmCT/7pmET. For more information, contact the Extension Office at 270-384-2317 or Nick Roy at nick.roy@uky.edu The schedule is as follows:

Monday, January 13, 2014 - Trees and Shrubs for the Home Landscape: Getting it Right the First Time with Dr. William Fountain, U.K. Landscape Specialist at the Taylor County Extension Office, 1143 South Columbia Avenue, Campbellsville, KY (park and enter from the rear of the building)

Monday, January 20, 2014 - Backyard and Patio Gardening with Dr. Richard Durham, U.K. Consumer Horticulture at , 1143 South Columbia Avenue, Campbellsville, KY (park and enter from the rear of the building)

Monday, January 27, 2014 - Keeping My Trees & Shrubs Healthy with Dr. Nicole Ward, U.K. Plant Pathology/Ornamentals, at Green County Extension Office, 298 Happyville Road, Greensburg

Monday, February 3, 2014 - What's Bugging You - Inside, Landscape, and Garden Insects with Ricky Arnett, Pat Hardesty, Nick Roy, Extension Agents for Agriculture, at at Green County Extension Office, 298 Happyville Road, Greensburg, KY

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - The Perfect Lawn with Ricky Arnett, Pat Hardesty, Nick Roy, Extension Agents for Agriculture, at Adair County Extension Office, 409 Fairground Street, Columbia, KY

Monday, February 17, 2014 - The Backyard Orchard, with Dr. John Strang, U.K. Fruit Crops. at at Adair County Extension Office, 409 Fairground Street, Columbia, KY.

Monday, March 3, 2014 - Food Preservation, with Audrey Myers, Green County Family & Consumer Sciences Agent, at at at Green County Extension Office, 298 Happyville Road, Greensburg, KY

Tobacco End-of-Season Disease Management

Tobacco growers need to begin preparing now to manage diseases in the 2014 crop. There's no way to tell what disease pressures growers will face in the coming growing season. Much depends on the climate when dealing with diseases like blue mold and target spot. However, some problems will show up again and again once certain pathogens become established in a transplant system or the field.

It is important to think about managing diseases like Pythium root rot, target spot, black shank and Fusarium wilt now and not wait until the upcoming production season. A critical step is to institute good sanitary practices on the farm. Many diseases seen in the float system and field survive between crops on equipment and plant residues.

Greenhouses and outdoor float beds should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized in the fall to reduce overwintering populations of pathogens. Plant debris and trash should be buried or burned. Styrofoam trays should be carefully cleaned, sanitized as recommended (or destroyed), and properly stored before winter sets in.

In the field, especially where black shank was a problem, all crop debris needs to be turned under as quickly as possible after harvest. The black shank pathogen (as well as Rhizoctonia and Pythium) survives very well on crop residues, and stalks left in the field can be a source of inoculum that can lead to outbreaks of disease in 2014.

By plowing crop residues under in the fall, soil microbes will have more time to break down plant matter. This in turn will help reduce pathogen survival over the winter, and the effect will be greater than waiting until next spring to incorporate crop residue.

It's also time to think about crop rotation. One of the best practices that we can recommend for preventing or suppressing diseases like black shank and Fusarium wilt is rotation to a non-host crop. Even though we are many months from planting, growers need to start the planning process and make decisions on field choice and potential rotation crops.

Pushing the Pencil on the 2013 Crop

Harvest has begun in Adair County of early planted corn fields. As expected, thus far yields are very good. Full season soybeans have begun to dry down as late planted double crop soybeans try to squeeze in maturity before frost. As harvest has neared, activity has picked up in the grain markets. Corn futures for December have dropped from $5.70 in June to $4.51 as of September 20^th. Soybean futures for November have rallied from $11.75 in early August to over $13.00 for the past 4 weeks. As the 2013 crop is harvested and the new crop hits the market, we can expect more movement in market prices.

While corn has taken a hit in prices this year, the outlook for yields is good and will help make up some of the difference. Soybeans have prices in their favor but double crop plantings were delayed due to rain in early July compromising yield potential. It is likely that some soybeans planting will not mature before frost resulting in very poor yields. With these factors in mind, it is worth taking a look at this year's production costs and potential returns for the 2013 grain crop.

Grain producers can estimate their net return per acre with the help of corn and soybean budgets developed by the University Of Kentucky Department of Ag Economics. These budgets include fertilizer, seed, pesticide, machinery costs, crop insurance premiums, drying, trucking, fuel, repairs, taxes, 5% interest, and depreciation. Users may add land rent and edit other values to reflect their own operation. Using average spring 2013 fertilizer prices in Adair County, multiple scenarios reflecting changes in crop value and yield were conducted to develop the included tables. Keep in mind that these values DO NOT include land rent. 

If we first look at the estimated returns for corn, the shadowed area are the most likely returns for corn given yield outlooks and current market prices. If you deduct land rent from these values, it is possible that net returns for the 2013 corn crop could be negative. Farmers with good yields and/or contracted prices in late winter/early spring are comfortably sitting at decent margins.
For soybeans, scenario results are similar to corn. Full season soybeans have performed well this year and will likely have average to slightly above average yields providing decent margins. For double crop soybeans, yields may lead to near break-even returns.

The purposes of providing these estimates are not to provide growers with a means of estimating their crop value, but to encourage growers to push the pencil on their own crop this year. Knowing your profit potential will be important as marketing decisions are made and as plans are made for next year. The past two year's weather conditions and swing in prices is a reminder of how risky our business can be. It's also reminds us how important it is to manage risks through the use of crop insurance, grain storage, and by using futures. As corns rose above $6.00 in previous years, growers naturally sought every way possible to add a few more bushels in the bin. Many times, these strategies included trying new products that seldom provided yield increases and adding acres with lower yield potential. 2013 will be remembered as a year of great corn yields, but also maybe a turning point in the way we approach both crop and risk management.

Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

 

Keep an Eye Out for Poison Hemlock

 With a break in the rain, many farmers began mowing hay fields earlier this week.  Along with that, several reports of poison hemlock were made.  Poison hemlock (fresh in pasture or in hay) can be toxic if ingested by livestock and has been rapidly appearing in Adair County in recent years.  While this weed is very dangerous, effective control options do exist.

Cattle, goats and horses are considered to be the most susceptible animals to poison hemlock but other animals can consume it. If ingested, poisoning symptoms appear within 30 minutes to two hours, depending on several factors including the animal species and quantity consumed. Lethal doses for cattle range between 0.2 and 0.5 percent of the animal’s weight. Poisoning symptoms include nervousness, trembling, muscle weakness, loss of coordination, pupil dilation, coma and eventually death from respiratory failure. If ingested by a pregnant animal, it can cause fetal deformities.

The best time of the year to effectively control poison hemlock using herbicides is in the early spring when plants are smaller and in the rosette growth stage, particularly when applying herbicides that contain 2,4-D. In the rosette growth stage, plants can be more difficult to find since poison hemlock is growing close to the ground, but producers can easily recognize it in fields due to its parsley-like leaves that are shiny green and triangular. When full grown, this invasive, noxious weed can reach 6 to 8 feet tall.

Poison hemlock is often confused with Queen Anne's lace, which also is called wild carrot and is a non-toxic weed. Both plants produce leaves and clusters of small, white flowers that look similar. However, poison hemlock has smooth stems with purple spots throughout while Queen Anne's lace has hair along its stem and leaf bases. During poison hemlock’s peak bloom period in late May and early June, Queen Anne's lace is just beginning active growth for the season.

If you find poison hemlock right now, mow it over to prevent further seed production. If it is found while making hay, mow around it to keep it out of the harvested forage

Keeping Dairy Rations Balanced this Winter will be a Challenge

Most years, when a dairy producer has their ration balanced for the new corn silage crop, very few and minor adjustments are then made throughout the winter to ensure the proper nutrient levels are being provided to meet production goals. Normally the most often tweak that must be made is due to variations of dry matter percentage of the different fields harvested.
This year’s silage crop brought mixed results, early planted corn that developed very poor and in some case no ears while later planted corn developed good ears with short stalks. This has translated into local corn silage sample testing from 6% to 12% crude protein and net energy lactation levels ranging from .49 to .75 Mcal/Lb.
The best strategy to deal with this year’s corn silage will be to test and test often. As different fields are fed and in some cases different parts of the field are fed, nutrient levels provided will be variable. Keep a close eye for key indicators that the corn silage quality may be changing. A reduction or increase in MUN (milk urea nitrogen) levels indicate either a change in protein levels or energy levels. Reduced intakes will generally be a result of feeding dryer corn silage or an increase in fiber levels. Increased intakes will be seen when the corn silage becomes higher in moisture or fiber levels drop. Take note of any of the occurrences and communicate them to your nutritionist.
Free forage testing and ration balancing services are provided through the Adair County Cooperative Extension for any farmer who would like assistance. For more information, call the Extension Office at 384-2317.
Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Center of Kentucky Dairy Shortcourse

The annual Center of Kentucky Dairy Shortcourse will be held in January 2012 hosted by the Adair, Green, & Taylor County Cooperative Extension Service. As in the past, the program will contain relevant information for dairy producers in the area as well as an out of the county dairy farm tour. Each session will start at 10:00 pm CT. The dates, locations, and topics for the program are as follows:

• January  10th– Green County Extension Office
  
  • Economics of raising heifers , corn & alfalfa
    
• January 18th- Adair County Extension Office
  
  • Transition cows & Footbaths
    
• January 24th– Farm Tour
  
• January 31st– Taylor County Extension Office
  
  • Problem solving in dairy production
    

Please RSVP to the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service by January 6^th. Registration for all 4 sessions is $40 per participant. Registration fees will cover the costs of meals and materials. For more information, contact the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service at 384-2317.