Benefits to Fall Soil Sampling

I am a firm believer that one of the most important tools you can own is a soil probe.  Knowing your soil’s fertility levels and pH is key to having healthy and productive land.  It also has a huge impact on managing your inputs to help maximize outputs. 

Fall soil sampling allows you ample time to implement research-based fertility recommendations before spring planting.  When you receive the soil test results, read the pH and lime recommendations.  You may need to apply lime to neutralize soil acidity.  To be fully effective, agricultural lime should be applied in the fall because it takes about six months to break down and react with the soil.  So, the earlier you spread lime, the better.

The turn-around time for samples is much faster in the fall, usually within a few days, because fewer people are submitting samples this time of year.

All recommended fertilizers, except nitrogen, can be applied this fall.  Buying fertilizer in the fall usually will save you money because prices are cheaper due to lower demand.  Also, we usually have drier soil in the fall making it easier to get the spreader truck into the field.

Farmers who don’t test fields and pastures can only guess at fertility needs.  Estimating how much fertilizer is needed often results in applying more than necessary. And this is an unnecessary expense, not to mention the negative environmental effect.

The McLean Cooperative Extension Service has soil sample bags, details on taking accurate samples and other pertinent information.  Soil samples analysis cost $7.

Your soil analysis report is based on that little pint of soil you submitted. For the most accurate report, take the best soil samples possible.

You’ll need to take different samples for various land uses such as agricultural fields, lawn, garden, fruit trees, ornamental shrubs and azaleas because these may have distinct fertility and acidity or alkalinity requirements.

Take a sample from poor growing area and from adjacent areas of good growth. Mark each sample with a letter, or numbers on a field map.  Collect at least 10 soil cores for small areas and up to 20 cores for larger fields.

 How deeply you take cores for farm use depends on the tillage system used. For tilled areas, take cores from the surface to plow depth, usually six to eight inches.  Take cores down to a four-inch depth in no-till fields and pastures. For home lawns, take cores from the surface down to four inches. For gardens, ornamentals and fruit trees, take cores down to six to eight inches.  Be sure to take all cores from an area at the same depth.

           

After you’ve collected soil cores, put them in a clean, dry plastic bucket, crush the soil and thoroughly mix it.  Allow this to air dry in an open, contamination-free space.

When it dries, fill the sample bag and completely fill out the information sheet. A separate sheet is needed for agricultural soil, home gardens, lawns and turf grasses and commercial horticultural crops.

It’s a good idea to take core samples around the same time each year to compare results from year to year.

For more information about soil sampling, contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Office at (270)273-3690.  Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Safety Counts, Protect What Matters- National Farm Safety Week is Sept 21-27

National Farm Safety Week is September 21^st-27^th.  As Agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations, we need to observe safety measures not just next week, but every week to make sure that we are protecting ourselves and others.

Today’s busy lifestyles seem to have people on the road and in a hurry to get at super-highway speed, but America’s rural roadways are not equipped for that speed and therefore present several safety hazards to contend with.  Roads that were engineered decades ago can be narrow and winding, constructed of gravel, and have unguarded intersections and railroad crossings. On rural roads, drivers will find large farm equipment moving slowly from field to field and taking up a large portion of roadway.

People can be distracted from the primary responsibility of driving while texting or using hand-held and wireless phones, operating laptop computers, or visiting with passengers in the vehicle. Taking the attention of the driver off the roadway and diverting it to other items is dangerous on four lane roadways, and it can be deadly on the rural roads.

Farm equipment needs to be checked on a regular basis to ensure that all lighting and markings are in working order and visible to the motoring public. Farm equipment operators need to take heed when making left turns into fields and farmsteads. Farm operators should also use turn signals when a tractor or combine is so equipped and use hand signals for older equipment. Operators of farm equipment should always look behind before attempting a left-hand turn to be certain no vehicles are trying to pass them.

The motoring public needs to be aware that farm machinery will turn left into fields or farmsteads and to drive defensively when attempting to pass farm equipment. Remember: drivers may only pass farm equipment in designated “passing” zones; it is illegal to pass farm equipment in “no passing” zones. It may be difficult for farmers making a left-hand turn to see passing vehicles in their rear view mirrors if those following vehicles are too close. Taking time to pass safely can be the difference between life and death.

Leaving home a little earlier and allowing more time to make it to a destination can allow for a more pleasant drive that will be safer for drivers, passengers, and other vehicle operators who share the road.

Equipment safety isn’t the only thing that we should pay attention to.  We often associate farm safety with properly using equipment. However, there is a danger that many forget to protect themselves from – sun damage.   One in five Americans will develop skin cancer. Risk for basal cell carcinoma, a skin cancer, is 40 percent higher in UV exposed workers compared to indoor workers. This includes farmers, who spend hours working outdoors.

Part of Farm Safety is Preventing Sun Damage:

·        Use a broad spectrum sunscreen (even on a cloudy day)

·        Use a waterproof sunscreen so it isn’t easily with removed sweating, apply 1 ounce, every two hours

·        Cover Up, Wear pants, long-sleeved shirts

·        Wear lightly woven, bright-colored clothing

·        Wear a hat (preferably wide-brimmed), The highest risk for skin cancer is on your face and scalp

Another safety measure that often gets overlooked is the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).  Never underestimate the importance of safety glasses, gloves, ear plugs and masks.  The use of personal protective equipment not only helps to protect you, but also improves productivity. Unfortunately, 70% of farmers experience some type of hearing loss compared to 10% of the general public, and eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in farmers (not old age).  Not only can your hearing and sight be saved by the use of PPE, but many farm related injuries could be prevented with the use of personal protective equipment.

For more information on Farm Safety, contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Office at (270)273-3690.  Educational programs of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome Update, UK Extension Plant Pathologist Don Hershman

Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome Update, UK Extension Plant Pathologist Don Hershman

There have been numerous reports across the state of soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS) showing up in certain fields since August. SDS, which can be a devastating disease, is caused by the soil fungus Fusarium virguliforme (Fv).  Fv is actually a soilborne fungus that attacks roots early in the season and later causes a root rot. Infection is favored by cool soils with good moisture; thus, this spring was perfect for infection in most full-season fields. As plants go into the reproductive stages, the causal fungus produces a plant toxin that causes above ground foliar symptoms of yellowing and tissue death between the veins (see below picture), and later defoliation. If the disease comes into the field during the early pod development stages, and enough of the field is impacted, SDS can result in almost total yield loss. This is, however, an extremely rare event in KY. More typically, the disease causes significant yield losses in spots in a field - usually the lowest portions where soil moisture is greatest - but the majority of the field has little to know yield impact.  That is, most plants either escape disease altogether or symptoms come in after mid to late -pod fill. Plants showing late symptoms will generally yield very well. Thus, the appearance of symptoms is not necessarily a good indicator of yield loss potential. Timing of symptoms is everything when it comes to SDS.

SDS is variety dependent. Many cultivars are available with respectable resistance to SDS. Some are fully susceptible. That is why fields with a history of SDS should always be planted to a resistant cultivar. SDS is also favored by early planting. This is because infection by the Fv is greatest when soil is cool and wet. Generally, very early planting dates meet these requirements for infection in most years. That is just one reason why growers take a great risk when planting soybean in late April.  For exactly the opposite reason, double crop soybeans rarely show significant levels of SDS. This is because doublecrop beans are planted in late June to early July. Soil temperatures and moisture levels are rarely highly conducive to infection by the SDS pathogen during late-planted situations.

If you have a field that you think has SDS, the most desirable way forward is to send a sample to one of our two Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratories for confirmation. Foliar symptoms can be mimicked by other diseases and even certain insects, so confirmation based on foliar symptoms alone may not yield an accurate diagnosis. But the foliar symptoms coupled with rotten roots and a milky brown stem discoloration (when a longitudinal cut is made into the stem) are the "trifecta" of symptoms for SDS. No other soybean disease will show those three symptoms at the same time.

Note: Foliar fungicides do not have a direct effect on SDS.  However, in rare instances a very limited (favorable) indirect effect may be evidenced by a slight reduction in SDS foliar symptom severity. This indirect effect is unpredictable, but when it occurs is related to stress reduction following the application of certain fungicides, especially strobilurin fungicides. Currently available seed treatment fungicides are ineffective at reducing infection by the SDS pathogen, Fv.  Beginning next year, a seed treatment product may be available that is capable of reducing infection by Fv (there by reducing SDS). More on this potential breakthrough later.

Fall Armyworms and Paul Revere

With so many outbreaks of fall armyworms being reported in our neighboring counties, I can’t help but to feel a little like Paul Revere.  However, don’t expect me to go for a midnight ride through McLean County on horseback shouting “The Fall Armyworms Are Coming!” once they are spotted crossing county lines. 

As much as we all have enjoyed these late summer rains, they can cause increased survival of small fall armyworm caterpillars, which can lead to outbreaks.  Thus far, reports in Western Kentucky (including neighboring counties) have shown fall armyworms showing up in home lawns, grass pastures and in soybean fields.   Fall armyworms spend about 3 weeks as caterpillars but 80% of their feeding occurs in the last few days of their development. While devastating damage appears overnight, the worms have been present for some time before reaching their prime eating stage.

The key to preventing significant losses is early detection of infestation.  Watch for chewed leaves, the earliest signs of an infestation. Caterpillars are up feeding on leaves during the evening or on cloudy days but hide under surface residue or in soil cracks during the day.  An average of 2 to 3 worms per square feet may justify treatment.  Malathion is the only insecticide with a 0 (zero) day harvest or grazing interval but control may be limited.

A few things to keep in mind about fall armyworms:

·         Double crop beans could be problematic, especially if:

o   They are less mature than R6

o   The field borders a pasture/hay field

o   Fields are infested with grass weeds

·         Forage fields of mixed alfalfa/grass & pastures could be at risk.  Established fields will probably not be killed but a compete cutting may be lost.  By far the greatest risk would be newly established grass or alfalfa/grass stands.

·         Home lawns would typically be in the same danger as grass/hay pastures. A good established stand will probably not be killed, but a new stand certainly could be.  Home owners wishing to apply a control should see an insecticide that carries “armyworm” on the label.

Producers are encouraged to scout their fields and be on the lookout for fall armyworms.  For more information on fall armyworms, please contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Office at (270)273-3690.  Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Agriculture Science Fair Opportunity for McLean County Students

                                                                          

This fall we have a new after-school opportunity for students in grades 4-8 to be involved with at the McLean County Cooperative Extension Office.  I am working with a Farm Bureau program to get kids involved in the KY Farm Bureau Student Agriculture Exhibit Contest.  This program is designed to increase student interest in Agriculture and the Science that is involved in the industry.  It is designed similar to a science fair, only all projects are related to Agriculture. 

We will hold our own McLean County Ag-Science Fair at the Extension Office in October, which will be open to the public.   All of our county entries will be sent to the KY Farm Bureau Office in Louisville to be reviewed.  Eleven students from across the state will be selected to present their project at the KY Farm Bureau Annual Meeting on Thursday, December 4^th in Louisville and receive $75.

Student projects can be experimental, a demonstration, research based, an apparatus or a collection.  Students projects can be from these categories: Biological Sciences (Plant or Animal), Environmental Sciences, Food Sciences and Nutrition, or Engineering Sciences. 

We will have our first meeting for any McLean County Student in grades 4^th-8^th that is interested in participating on Tuesday, September 9^th at 3:15pm.  We will then meet every Tuesday from 3:15pm to 4:30pm until our County Ag Science Fair on October 21^st. 

 If you have any questions before then, please feel free to contact Cary Hicks at the McLean County Cooperative Extension Office at (270)273-3690 or by email at cary.hicks@uky.edu.  Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

2014 Beef Bash