Mark Your Calendar

This fall we are having a new event in our county!  I am very excited to announce that the Chamber of Commerce and I are working together to host the McLean County Harvest Breakfast.  This event will take place Tuesday, November 25^th at Buck Creek Baptist Church, with breakfast beginning at 7am. 

The purpose of this event is to celebrate the end of the harvest season and thank all of our McLean County Farmers for their hard work.  We also plan to recognize the year’s top producers and present high yield awards in wheat, yellow corn, white corn, soybeans and grain sorghum. 

Our county yield contest will follow the same rules and guidelines as the state and national yield contest for each commodity.  Producers are strongly encouraged to enter the contest, not only on the county level, but at the state and national level as well.  McLean County has had several state and national winners in the past and I would love to see an increase in the number of entries we send every year.  You all put so much hard work into what you do and you deserve to be recognized for all of your efforts.

The rules for the corn yield contest can be found online at http://www.ncga.com/for-farmers/national-corn-yield-contest.  The rules for the soybean yield contest can be found at http://www.kysoy.org/news/yield-contest/.  The rules for the grain sorghum yield contest can be found at http://sorghumgrowers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014ContestEntryForm.pdf.

For more information about yield contest entries or to enter the yield contest, please contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Service 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.

Shelling Corn Early? Watch That Moisture! by Doug Johnson, UK Extension Entomologist

Shelling Corn Early? Watch That Moisture!

Doug Johnson, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky.

Lack of rainfall has put many corn producers in a bind, forcing them to begin harvest before the normal time. Early storage results in more days of warm, moist air before we reach the relative secure air temperatures of 50^o F or below. This early harvest is compounded because the kernels are often still at very high moisture levels. Early binning corn with 15% moisture or greater is a real gamble. 
As one’s storage capacity gets larger, the gamble is greater and may cost the producer more than the value of the corn. The optimum moisture content for stored grain is 12-13%. Most grain inhabiting insects require 13-15% moisture for maximum feeding and reproduction. In addition to insect problems, high moisture content can result in spoilage and fungal problems.

Before the Corn is Binned:  

• Bin preparation should occur at least two weeks ahead of binning

• All old / leftover grain and associated dust and trash should be removed from the bin.

• Insure that your storage provides sound protection from the outside.Patch, caulk or otherwise cover places in the bin walls, joints and roof that will allow the entrance of water and insects.A ¼“ hole might seem small to you, but it is a mega-tunnel to insects crawling up the outside bin wall.

• Clear spilled grain, weeds and other organic matter from around the exterior of bins, including pits, conveyers and legs.

•  Fumigate under the perforated floor and / or ducts.Treat the inside of the bin with an approved dust or liquid insecticide.

• Labels for these products have recently changed, so be sure that you are making a proper application.

• Treat around the exterior of the bins with an approved insecticide.

•  Inspect and clean every piece of equipment that is used to haul / transfer grain.
•  For example, combine, grain wagons, truck beds, pits, augers & belts, and legs.

 Beyond grain moisture and temperature, thorough sanitation is the single most important preventative control practice. Neglecting to do this can result in your “seeding” your grain stream with insect pests.

• Some storage managers will treat grain with a grain protectant. Although this is more common in wheat than in corn (there are no protectants for soybean), with good management, and if you are only holding through the fall, winter and spring, this is probably not needed.
•  These products are quite expensive

• If using a grain drier, remember to apply the protectant AFTER the grain has cooled. Applying to hot grain will cause the product to deteriorate.

• This cost can be reduced by applying the treatment to only the 1^st and last load. 

Fumigation under perforated floors and in duct systems can be extremely helpful but is quite dangerous and should be completed by trained professionals.

• Considerable specialized training, equipment and supplies are required to perform a safe and effective fumigation, not to mention extensive record keeping.

• If your fumigation is not done properly, it will not reach the areas of need and you will have accomplished nothing, all at a relatively large expense. 

After Corn is Binned: 

 Move air through the corn any time you can. Reducing the grain temperature has a direct effect on the growth of insect populations. This is why we have more troubles in wheat than in corn. Even in a hot Kentucky summer, there are times when outside air is cooler than the grain mass.
I strongly recommend the use of automatic fan controllers. Information on these devices can be found on the UK BioSystems and Agricultural Engineering web site at:

http://www.bae.uky.edu/ext/Grain_Storage default.htm

 -OR- from Dr. Sam McNeill of that department.

 In Kentucky we sometimes have problems with moth pests in addition to the beetles. The caterpillar (young stage) of these pests is the important stage, and is restricted to the grain surface.

•  A “cap out” treatment; applying a layer of one of several products to the top four inches of the grain will provide a barrier. Products containing Bacillus thuringensis (B.t.) are commonly used for this. 

• Deployment of “Insect Shield Strips” in the void above the grain mass may provide control of various grain moths before they can lay their eggs.

Regular checking of your stored grain for insect and storage problems can be of great value. For grain spoilage and for surface infesting caterpillars (for example,Indian meal moth) simply looking in the hatch and using your nose to smell the grain can be of major value.Additionally, pheromone baited traps can be used to capture the moth (adult) stage of the caterpillar pests to provide advanced warning. Pitfall traps are a relatively simple way to detect the presence of stored grain beetles within the grain mass. This takes a little practice, but will be increasingly more useful as one gains experience with them. Though we do not have definitive thresholds for these measures, they will tell you when the insects are present and, by taking samples through time, how the population is changing.After one has used these techniques for several years, they may also provide a measure of increasing or decreasing risk of insect damage.

For fumigants and insecticides that may be used in stored corn, please see;

ENT-47, Insecticides Recommendations for Corn-2014 available at:

http://pest.ca.uky.edu/EXT/Recs/ENT16-Field%20corn.pdf

-OR- from your County Cooperative Extension Office.

 “If you can only do one thing, store clean dry grain in clean dry bins!”

Anticipating 2014 Corn Yields

As harvest time gets closer, I’m sure the anticipation of crop yields is increasing.  With planting dates being later than normal, June being unusually wet, and July & August being dry, we are all anxious to find out what this year’s yields will be.  One way to help alleviate some of that stress from anticipation is to do a yield estimate.

Estimating corn yields can be quite helpful when it comes to making management decisions, such as storage and marketing.  There are a couple of different methods out there to help estimate yields, some more accurate than others.  No matter which equation you choose to use, each method does require you to count kernels per ear.  Simpler methods for estimating corn yield (kernels per ear X ears per acre divided by kernels per bushel) include making assumptions about ears per acre and kernels per bushel.  However, there is also a more complex equation which accounts for kernel size and population, and has proven to be more accurate.  (And after doing the math, I feel like I owe my high school algebra teacher a huge apology for questioning him as to why I had to learn algebra.) 

Crop uniformity greatly influences the accuracy of any yield estimation technique. The less uniform the field, the greater the number of samples that should be taken to estimate yield for the field. There is a fine line between fairly sampling disparate areas of the field and sampling randomly within a field so as not to unfairly bias the yield estimates up or down.

A few things to remember when doing yield estimates is that estimates are only as accurate as the field area that was sampled.  Yield estimate calculations mean very little if only the best or worst area in the field was sampled.  Repeating yield estimates in several areas of each field will greatly improve accuracy.   Also remember that water availability, insects, weeds, diseases and other factors can affect seed fill and final yields, which will cause estimates and actual yields to vary greatly.

I have only had the opportunity to do yield estimates in three corn fields so far, which ranged from 175 to 217.  So if I had to make a prediction for 2014 yields based on those three, I feel certain that McLean County will have a “good year”.  However, I am anxious to get out and do several more yield estimates so that I can say that with a smile and with a lot more certainty.

For more information on estimating corn yields, 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, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Converting From Year-Round Calving to a Controlled Breeding Season

Being new to beef production has made for a fun year of learning at our house.  We have learned several lessons by trial and error; however we would prefer not to learn lessons about successful beef breeding by the same method.  Our first breeding season has been very nerve-racking to say least and we can’t wait to see calves on ground this fall. 

Maintaining a controlled breeding and calving season can be one of the most important management tools for cow-calf producers. Uniform, heavier and more valuable calves are key reasons to keep the breeding season short. Plus, more efficient cow supplementation and cow herd health programs are products of a short breeding season. However, you should not convert from yearlong breeding to a shortened breeding season without a lot of planning.

According to UK Extension Beef Specialist Les Anderson, a system for converting from year-round to a 75-day controlled calving season over a period of two years presents less loss and fewer problems than to trying to convert in one year. Here are some suggestions for getting on a controlled breeding system:

1.         Determine the ideal time of year and the length of your new calving season. For example, decide you want your cows to calve from Feb. 15 to April 30 (74 days).

2.         Determine the reproductive status of each cow in your herd. First, go to your record book to determine the last date each cow calved. If you don’t keep records, try to match the cows and calves up and estimate their age.

3.         Based on the reproductive status of your herd, determine if you would like one or two controlled calving seasons.

4.         Build a good strong bull pen or well-fenced bull pasture. You may need an electric fence in addition to the regular fence.

5.         Remove your bulls from the herd. Select the removal date to coincide with an approximate 120-day season for your spring-calving cows.

6.         Sixty days after removing the bulls from the herd (or at a convenient time near this date), pregnancy check all cows and cull all non-pregnant, dry, breeding-age females that have been running with the bull and all non-pregnant cows with calves 5 months of age or older. Your fall-calving cows have likely either calved or are very close to calving.

7.         You may want to consider starting the breeding season of your replacement heifers 20 to 30 days ahead of the final breeding date for your herd. Most extended calving seasons are the result of failure of young cows to rebreed in a timely fashion. The additional 20 to 30 days enhances the opportunity for these young cows to rebreed next season. So, if you have spring-calving cows, replacement heifer breeding season would start around April 10, and these females would begin calving around Jan. 20. This may be a bit early for calving, and you might experience 1 to 2 percent higher calf loss. Financially, 1 to 2 percent loss is easier to swallow than a 25 percent decrease in pregnancy rate the following year.

8.         The second year, follow the same system as outlined above except remove the bull on the week of July 20. If you have fall and spring-calving cows, then put the bull in for the fall cows around Nov. 20 and remove him around Jan. 20.

For more information on calving management and other beef topics, contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Service at (270)273-3690.  Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Palmer Pigweed and Waterhemp Becoming a Wide Spread Problem

Palmer Pigweed and Waterhemp are becoming a huge problem on farms across the Commonwealth.  Until recently, we did not have a wide infestation of these two weeds in Kentucky.  However, both are showing up more and more, and both of these invasive weeds are showing a strong resistance to glyphosate and ALS chemistries, creating a huge problem when trying to control the two.

Waterhemp and Palmer Pigweed are both members of the Amaranthus family.  Waterhemp has an egg shaped cotyledon with a slightly longer petiole than the other Amaranthus species. As waterhemp matures, the leaves average 2 to 12 centimeters in length while maintaining a slender 1 to 8 centimeter width giving a lanceolate appearance. Waterhemp has glabrous stems and leaves giving it a smooth surface and a shiny appearance. Stem and branch colors range from green to a deep purple. Plant height and width varies from 0.5 to 3 meters tall with erect to prostrate branching. Flowering structures are mainly located at the ends of the branches, but often appear from the node to the tip of the branch.  Young Palmer Pigweed plants can look similar to other pigweed species. This species has smooth stems and longer leaf petioles than other types of pigweeds.  Unlike other common pigweeds, Palmer does not have any tiny hairs.  Also, its petioles, especially on older leaves, will be as long, if not longer than the leaf blade itself. 

How these weed specifically arrived on all these farms is yet to be determined. However, it is known that the seed of Palmer can be introduced when cotton hulls are fed to livestock and the subsequent manure spread on crop fields. Other possible routes for introduction can be from transport of farm equipment and trucks hauling supplies from the southern regions of the US where these weeds are widespread. 

After these weeds become established it can be difficult to control. Many populations of this plant are known to be resistant to glyphosate and ALS chemistries. Crop producers across Kentucky need to be on the lookout for this weed in both soybean and corn fields.  UK Weed Specialist Jim Martin suggests these tips for helping to manage these weeds: start clean, plant liberty link soybeans, use a soil-applied herbicide, be timely with postemergence herbicide, include residual products with post herbicides, follow up with a post herbicide if needed and rotate crops.

If you suspect these weeds are on your farm or if you would like more information about weed control recommendations, please contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Service 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.