Cooperave Extension Service Fleming County P.O. Box 192 Flemingsburg, KY 41041 (606) 845-4641 Fax: (606) 845-6311 extension.ca.uky.edu AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES Fleming County Newsletter September 2019 It’s (almost) Fall Y’all! We are a week into September and it ’s hard to believe temperatures are sll seeing the mid 90s. It seems the weather keeps going from one extreme to the next. I know I’ve heard many of you talk about the struggles from the dry spell we hit this summer and the effects on the crops. However, I ’ve also heard of many folks having a beer crop year than last. Thankfully I haven ’t seen as many plants come into the office with moisture related issues this year. The start of September means we are gearing up for fall educaonal programs. When I began this posion a cou- ple of years ago, I had many folks tell me they would like to see a farm field day come back to Fleming County. Well I’m happy to say that it’s happening on September 24th thanks to the Fleming County Extension Ag Advisory Council. To find more info about the Farm Field Day and other educaonal opportunies, please check out the following pages of this newsleer. We hope to see you out to the farm field day as well as the other programs! Sincerely, April Wilhoit Fleming County ANR Agent ON the “WEB” You can check out this Newsletter issue on the Fleming County Extension Service website http://fleming.ca.uky.edu/ Also, other current information and events can be found on the website, too. Like us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/fleminganr If you have questions or comments, please email me at [email protected] or call my cell at (606)776-1504. In this issue…. PAGE 2 IMPORTANT DATES PAGE 3 TIMELY TIPS (BEEF) PAGE 4 GEEZ, WHAT A MESS! PAGE 5 GEEZ, WHAT A MESS! CONTINUED & 12 HABITS OF A SUCCESSFUL FORAGER PAGE 6 AUGUST REPORTS LEAVE MANY QUESTIONS UNANSWERED PAGE 7 HAY SAMPLING & EAST KY HAY CONTEST PAGE 8 ARMILLARIA ROOT ROT: A THREAT TO STRESSED LANDSCAPE TREES PAGE 9 GROWING INDUSTRIAL HEMP MTG PAGE 10 FARM FIELD DAY PAGE 11 FARM SCHOOL FOR WOMEN PAGE 12 FORAGE TIMELY TIPS
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Cooperative Extension Service Fleming County P.O. Box 192 Flemingsburg, KY 41041 (606) 845-4641 Fax: (606) 845-6311 extension.ca.uky.edu
AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES
Fleming County Newsletter
September 2019
It’s (almost) Fall Y’all!
We are a week into September and it’s hard to believe
temperatures are still seeing the mid 90s. It seems the
weather keeps going from one extreme to the next. I
know I’ve heard many of you talk about the struggles
from the dry spell we hit this summer and the effects on
the crops. However, I’ve also heard of many folks having
a better crop year than last. Thankfully I haven’t seen as
many plants come into the office with moisture related
issues this year.
The start of September means we are gearing up for fall
educational programs. When I began this position a cou-
ple of years ago, I had many folks tell me they would like
to see a farm field day come back to Fleming County.
Well I’m happy to say that it’s happening on September
24th thanks to the Fleming County Extension Ag Advisory
Council. To find more info about the Farm Field Day and
other educational opportunities, please check out the
following pages of this newsletter.
We hope to see you out to the farm field day as well as
the other programs!
Sincerely,
April Wilhoit Fleming County ANR Agent
ON the “WEB”
You can check out this Newsletter issue on the Fleming County Extension Service website http://fleming.ca.uky.edu/
Also, other current information and events can be found on the website, too.
Like us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/fleminganr
If you have questions or comments, please email me at [email protected] or call my cell at (606)776-1504.
SEPTEMBER 23 GROWING INDUSTRIAL HEMP MEETING (6:00PM) MCTC
SEPTEMBER 24 FARM FIELD DAY (REGISTRATION/VENDORS OPEN 5:00PM | PROGRAM
6:00PM)
ELIZAVILLE RD
SEPTEMBER 26 BEEF BASH LEXINGTON
OCTOBER 1 FARM SCHOOL FOR WOMEN (1 OF 4: 6:00PM) MASON CO. EXT. OFFICE
OCTOBER 1 EXTENSION AG ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING (11:30AM) FLEMING CO. EXT. OFFICE
OCTOBER 2 FENCING SCHOOL FLEMING CO. EXT. OFFICE
OCTOBER 7-11 FLEMING COUNTY AG AWARENESS WEEK (11TH TRACTOR PARADE) FLEMING COUNTY
OCTOBER 8 FARM SCHOOL FOR WOMEN (2 OF 4: 6:00PM) ATM FARM
OCTOBER 11 AGRICULTURE LEADERS OF TOMORROW (ALOT PROGRAM) 1ST MTG MASON CO. EXT. OFFICE
OCTOBER 15 FARM SCHOOL FOR WOMEN (3 OF 4: 6:OOPM) ATM FARM
OCTOBER 22 FARM SCHOOL FOR WOMEN (4 OF 4: 6:00PM) MASON CO. EXT. OFFICE
OCTOBER 22 FLEMING COUNTY EXTENSION COUNCIL MEETING (6:30PM) FLEMING CO. EXT. OFFICE
OCTOBER 29 CLOSING DAY FOR FLEMING COUNTY FARMERS MARKET FLEMING CO. EXT. OFFICE
NOVEMBER 4 CREATING A BUSINESS PLAN FOR BEGINNING FARMERS (6:00PM) FLEMING CO. EXT. OFFICE
NOVEBMER 2 EAST KY HAY CONTEST MORGAN CO. EXT. FARM
NOVEMBER 15 ALOT PROGRAM 2ND MTG MASON CO. EXT. OFFICE
DECEMBER 13 COMMERCIAL PESTICIDE APPLICATOR CONTINUING ED. TRAINING
(9:00AM)
FLEMING CO. EXT. OFFICE
DECEMBER 13 ALOT PROGRAM 3RD MTG MASON CO. EXT. OFFICE
Sign up for webinars on various farm safety topics at:
https://www.agrisafe.org/nfshw-2019
Timely Tips Dr. Les Anderson, Beef Extension Professor, University of Kentucky Spring-Calving Cow Herd
Fescue pastures don’t generally produce much this month. If you are lucky and had some rain with this heat, you may have some forage going into the usually dry months. Keep rotating pastures to permit calves to continue gaining weight. Keep minerals available at all times.
Bulls should have been removed from the cow herd by now! At the very latest, pull them by September 1. They should be pastured away from the cow herd with a good fence and allowed to regain lost weight and condition. It is a good time to evaluate physical condition, especially feet and legs. Bulls can be giv-en medical attention and still have plenty of time to recover, e.g., corns, abscesses, split hooves, etc.
Repair and improve corrals for fall working and weaning. Consider having an area to wean calves and retain ownership for postweaning feeding rather than selling “green”, lightweight calves. Plan to partici-pate in CPH-45 feeder calf sales in your area.
Fall-Calving Cow Herd
Dry cows should be moved to better pastures as calving time approaches. Cows should start calving next month. Yearling heifers may begin “headstart” calving later this month. Plan to move cows to stockpiled fescue for the breeding season, so it will soon be time to apply nitrogen fertilizer.
Prepare for the fall-calving season (usually September). Get ready, be sure you have the following: record book ear tags for identification calf puller castration equipment
General
Provide shade and water! Cattle will need shade during the hot part of the day. Check water supply fre-quently – as much as 20 gallons may be required by high producing cows in very hot weather.
Select pastures for stockpiling. Remove cattle and apply nitrogen when moisture conditions are favora-ble. Stockpiled fescues can be especially beneficial for fall-calving cows after calving. Reproductive rates are highest in fall-calving cows grazing stockpiled fescue.
Avoid working cattle when temperatures are extreme-ly high – especially those grazing high-endophyte fes-cue. If cattle must be handled, do so in the early morn-ing.
Do not give up on fly control in late summer, espe-cially if fly numbers are greater than about 50 flies per animal. You can use a different “type” of spray or pour-on to kill any resistant flies at the end of fly sea-son.
Keep a good mineral mix available at all times. The UK Beef IRM Basic Cow-Calf mineral is a good choice.
Cattle may also be more prone to eat poisonous plants during periods of extreme temperature stress. They will stay in “wooded” areas and browse on plants that they would not normally consume. Consider putting a roll of hay in these areas and/or spraying plants like purple (perilla) mint which can be toxic.
Take soil samples to determine pasture fertility needs. Fertilize as needed, this fall
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Geez, what a mess! Dr. Les Anderson, Extension Beef Specialist, University of Kentucky Have you ever looked at your cow-calf operation and had the thought “Geez, what a mess?! Even if we don’t want to admit it, often our lack of organization and planning sometimes really hinder our opportunity to succeed especially in our cattle opera-tions. An example; it’s September. Have you pulled your bull? If a bull pen is not available, is your breeding season over? The first step in becoming an efficient, profit-possible operation is con-trolling the calving season. How do we transform the calving season? A great example of controlling the calving season occurred on a farm enrolled in the UK Farm Program. This producer had huge Limousin-cross cows (1700-1800 pounds), calved all year long (see table The Beginning), 16 of 17 cows calved and 13 calves were weaned from 2015 calvings. This producer wanted to move to a fall-calving herd because of his time commitments to his grain en-terprise. Steps taken: Determined the reproductive status of the herd; he had calv-
ing dates and we estimated the date of their next calf by rec-tal palpation.
Evaluated the physical characteristics of the cows (feet/legs, udder quality, age, temperament) and developed a plan. The cow that calved in January 2015, was pregnant and calved in December 2015, so one cow weaned two calves from 2015 calvings. She was culled after she weaned the second calf.
The bull was sold. Cows calving from March – October were held for fall breeding. 3 cows that did not wean a calf and three “done” cows were sold. Two heifers bred to calve in September were purchased. One of the November-calving cows was kept and we advanced her breeding by inserting a CIDR device
for 7 days about 14 days after she calved. Estrus was synchronized for AI in the two heifers and 10 remaining cows. In general, the cow herd was
too big so proven AI sires moderate in size, acceptable in calving ease. Developed a crossbreeding plan. Heifers were vaccinated against BRD using a modified-live vaccine and boosted about 30 days before
breeding. Cows vaccinated using a killed-virus about 30 days before breeding. All females were also vac-cinated against Lepto including hardjo-bovis.
*One cow calved twice in 2015
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GEEZ, WHAT A MESS! CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Dewormed all females at the time of vaccination. Began feeding the IRM mineral. Body condition score was 5+ at calving in all
females so the nutrition program was not changed.
The transformation of this farm was remarkable. The calving season was reduced to 60 days or less and this short season has been maintained. The herd pregnancy rate has been good but some of the cows have been aborting so an additional vaccination against BRD and Lepto at weaning will be added. Several replacement heifers were kept (2 in 2015, 5 in 2016, 7 in 2017, 7 in 2018) to increase stocking rate and to enable culling of the older, bigger, less productive cows. Open and “done” cows were sold each year. We used AI to get predictable genetics and to make cross-breeding easier. About 50-75% of the herd con-ceived to AI each breeding season.
Just think about how much more efficient, how much easier this management system is now. This producer has to monitor calving for 50-60 days in-creasing the opportunity of a higher calf survival rate. Winter feeding is easier and more efficient be-cause the cows are on the same production cycle. Controlling the calving season has helped increase the total pounds of production and the pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed. Even though this producer is only marketing 15-20 calves per year, he was able to put together two marketing groups and increase the market value of his calf crop. The key to this transformation was a little planning. Once the problems were identified, a plan was de-veloped and then implemented. A solid plan helped control the calving season increasing production ef-ficiency on this farm.
*One cow had twins. **3 cows diagnosed as pregnant,
12 Habits of Highly Successful Forage Producers In a recent series included in Farmers Pride, Dr. Jimmy Henning spelled out 12 habits of highly successful foragers: (the full article is in The Farmer’s Pride)
1. Knowing their soil resource 7. Use effective establishment practices
2. Making sound soil fertility decisions 8. Have long grazing seasons
3. Effectively managing tall fescue 9. Manage for clover
4. Having a well distributed water system 10. Understand clover dynamics in pasture
5. Balancing forage utilization intensity w/ animal req. 11. Understand the importance of hay testing
6. Having a workable rotational grazing systems 12. Invest in themselves.
The August reports surprised the soybean market with the 2019 soybean crop cur-rently projected to be 864 million bushels smaller than the 2018 soybean crop. USDA projects the harvested area to be reduced by 12.2 million acres and a yield that is 3.1-bushels smaller than last year’s yield. The large carry-in of over 1 billion bushels off-sets the large production loss, and total soybean supply is projected to be reduced by 228 million bushels from 2018.
The challenge in the soybean market is ex-port demand, which is currently projected to be 1.7 billion bushels. Given the trade disruption with China and strong export competition, projected exports could be reduced in future reports. Crushing demand has steady growth but cannot compensate for the reduced exports. USDA currently projects soybean ending stocks to fall to 755 million bushels, which would be a 315 million bushel reduction from 2018 if realized. The smaller stocks level is not expected to improve soybean price for the 2019-20 marketing year.
Wheat’s production estimates are more solid than those for corn and soybeans as the winter wheat crop is projected to be 93% har-vested. The balance sheet for wheat shows minor changes from the previous marketing year. Total supply is projected to increase by 69 million bushels with a larger wheat crop offsetting a smaller carry-in. Demand is projected to increase by 127 million bushels driv-en mostly by expected increase feed use for wheat. Ending stocks, similarly, are projected to decline by 58 million bushels to a little over 1 billion bushels. The 2019 U.S. MYA wheat price is projected to be $5.00 per bushel, down $0.16 from the 2018 MYA price.
Questions remain about the size of the corn and soybean crops, as USDA has not conducted any in-field objective yield surveys. Giv-en the late planting, the in-field measurements may not provide solid estimates until the October report. Until then, the market will be in flux, responding to any news that moves production higher or lower.
August Reports Leave Many Questions Unanswered Todd D. Davis, Grain Marketing Specialist
In a typical year, the August Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports would shed light on the potential size of the corn and soybean crops. Unfortunately, 2019 is not a typical year. The historic late corn and soybean planting season created uncertainty on how many corn and soybean acres were planted this year with anticipa-tion of a large number of acres filed for prevented planting. Market analysts surveyed before the reports were released ex-pected the 2019 U.S. corn crop to be 13.1 billion bushels with a range of 12.7 and 13.5 billion bushels. Uncertainty over acre-age and yield created this wide range of projected production from market analysts. USDA surprised the market with a project-ed corn crop of 13.9 billion bushels. The analysts also expected the 2019 soybean crop at 3.78 billion bushels with a range of 3.6 to 3.96 billion bushels. The reports currently peg the 2019 soybean crop at 3.68 billion bushels.
What do the larger than expected corn crop and slightly smaller than expected soybean crop mean for ending stocks and price potential? The corn, soybean, and wheat balance sheets for the 2019-20 marketing-year are reported in Table 1. For corn, the 2019 corn crop would be 519 million bushels less than that for the 2018 crop, if realized. The impact of the smaller crop is par-tially offset by an increase in beginning stocks and imports. USDA projects the 2019 corn supply to be 16.3 billion bushels, which is a reduction of 279 million bushels from 2018. USDA projects a slight reduction in both the domestic and export corn demand from 2018. The combination of larger carry-in and slightly smaller demand is projected to lower ending stocks by 179 million bushels. At this point, the smaller corn crop is not having a significant impact on stocks or the U.S. marketing-year aver-age (MYA) price (Table 1).
U.S. Average Farm Price $3.60 +$0.00 $8.40 -$0.10 $5.00 -$0.16
Source:August 2019 WASDE - USDA: WAOB.
----------------------------------------- Million Bushels -----------------------------------------
Table 1. Consolidated Corn, Soybean and Wheat Balance Sheets for the 2019-20 Marketing-Year.
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Sign Up for Hay Sampling– FLEMING & ROBERTSON COUNTIES ONLY
If you are interested in having your baled hay sampled for nutrient analysis before the upcoming feeding season, please call our office at 606.845.4641 or email [email protected] to be added to the list. We have set aside some dates in October to come out and take samples for the East Kentucky Hay Contest.
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GROWING INDUSTRIAL HEMP
MEETING
U K C O O P E R A T I V E E X T E N S I O N S E R V I C E B U F F A L O T R A C E C O U N T I E S
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Add a little bit of body tEducational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on thebasis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status,genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE, AND KENTUCKY COUNTIES, COOPERATING
PLEASE CALL TO REGISTER AT 606.845.4641 BY SEPTEMBER 18TH
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Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color,ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information,
age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ANDKENTUCKY COUNTIES, COOPERATING
FARM LOCATION:FROM THE INTERSECTION NEAR
MCDONALDS/SHELL TRAVEL
APPROX. 3-4 MILES ON ELIZAVILLE
RD. TOWARD EWING. THE FARM IS
LOCATED ON THE RIGHT. FOLLOW
THE FIELD DAY SIGNS.
LOCATION MAY CHANGE IFINCLEMENT WEATHER
IF INCLEMEN
T WEATHER
CALL TO CONF
IRM
LOCATION OF EVEN
T
PLEASE CALL YOUR LOCALEXTENSION OFFICE TO REGISTER!
FARM SCHOOLFOR WOMENOCTOBER 1 - BASICS OF CUT FLOWERS &
ARRANGEMENTS (HANDS ON ACTIVITY) @ MASON COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE | 6:00PM
**OCTOBER 8 - PASTURE MANAGEMENT (PASTURE WALK)
@ ATM FARM 7736 KY 11, MAYSVILLE, KY | 6:00PM
**OCTOBER 15- CATTLE HANDLING & CARE(HANDS ON ACTIVITY)
OPTIONAL BQCA CERTIFICATION FOR $5 @ ATM FARM 7736 KY 11, MAYSVILLE, KY | 6:00PM
OCTOBER 22- MAXIMIZING YOUR PROFITS @ MASON COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE | 6:00PM
**TOPICS COULD FLIP BASED ON WEATHER
PRESENTED BY : THE COOPERAT IVE EXTENS IONSERV ICE BUFFALO TRACE COUNT IES
Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color,ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information,
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FLEMING COUNTY AGRICULTURE
AND NATURAL RESOURCES
If not already done, soil sample and apply fertilizer as needed. Plant perennial grasses and legumes. Consider using a novel
endophyte tall fescue. Harvest hay as needed. Do NOT harvest alfalfa after mid-
September. Scout pastures, identify perennial weeds and woody
brush. Consult an agricultural professional to determine the control strategy.
Closely monitor livestock and do NOT overgraze. Pasture plants accumulate energy reserves in the fall that help them overwinter and regrow in the spring.
Feed hay to allow pastures to stockpile for winter grazing. Rest native warm-season grass fields until after frost for better
