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Rowan County

Agriculture Newsletter

Integrated Reproduction

Management Program Update The goal of this program is to educate cattlemen on using an integrated approach to increasing the reproductive performance of their cow herd. You could make a good case that things like a tight calving season and high calving rates are at the foundation of an efficient and profitable herd. Work with a fall calving herd has included using CIDR’s on 25 heifers, followed by artificial breeding in November 2015. Pregnant checks in March on these females had 23 out of 25 bred.

Benjamin Crites is a Graduate Research Assistant at UK and is the neck turning the head on this demonstration. Ultrasound results for over 100 fall calving cows show most by far are bred back, including 23 out of 25 replacements AI bred. Also thanks to Heath Mineer for helping collect weaning weight data for fall 2015 calves.

Farmers Market Vendors Meeting Local foods is a big push it seems and several vendors from the Rowan and surrounding counties’ Farmers Markets participated in this educational meeting that included presentations on a variety of topics. Another big part of this is vendors talking and learning from each other. I think people had fun and came away with some good information.

Cooperative Extension Service Rowan County 600 West Main Street Morehead, KY 40351 (606) 784-5457 Fax: (606) 784-2407 rmarsh@uky.edu

Spring 2016

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James Cochran with Community Farm Alliance gave a presentation on marketing tips for Farmers Market vendors. Around 50 people attended the meeting that also included information and resources available to markets and food safety related issues.

Animal Shelter Operations Training The purpose of this meeting was to provide professional training to animal care workers and promote animal welfare. This was a joint program with MSU. Although the program doesn’t relate directly to agriculture and natural resources, I have a lot of respect for the fellows and ladies who deal with the realities at animal shelters. Dr. Ralph Derrickson, DVM gave a presentation on aspects of animal health care. Around 40 people attended including animal control workers from at least three counties. Almost all participants reported increasing their knowledge about canine influenza, disaster preparedness, enhancing the adoptability of shelter animals, and laws covering shelter animals.

Tori Crisp and Tracy Fultz set up at the Rowan Farmers Market and helped put the meal on for the Vendors Meeting. Special thanks to local businesses that set up educational displays or provided a donation to cover supper…Hinton Mills, State Farm Insurance, Steve Barker, Southern States – Morehead, and Eastern Region Migrant Education Program.

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Amy Staton, EdD, LVT, Instructor with MSU Vet Tech program gave a presentation on enhancing the adoptability of shelter animals.

Home Lawns

Tips and Recommendations for

Maintaining Home Lawns

Most everyone appreciates a nice yard to look at and play on. The table on page 4 is pretty helpful in determining what to do when to encourage healthy turf. More specific information for each practice is referenced by a publication number and most can be found on line at http://www.uky.edu/Ag/ukturf/lawns.html

Ken Cropper with the University of Kentucky College of Ag Turfgrass Science department gave a presentation on recommended home lawn practices to members of the Painted Hills Garden Club. The Painted Hills Garden Club will be hosting another meeting on May 25. UK Extension Entomologist, Ric Bessin, will be the guest speaker. For more information on activities or joining the club contact Sue Harris at 784- 3552.

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QUESTION & Answer

Your farm and lawn and garden questions are welcome. Here are some that have come in lately.

Q. I traded for a heifer that’s got shipping fever now that I’ve got her. What should I do? A. The fellow was concerned about the health of the heifer and also if she’d be a problem for several other healthy heifers he already had. UK Large Animal Vet Michelle Arnold was a big help on this. She recommended administering a high quality injectable mineral like Multimin to ensure all animals had adequate trace minerals in their system and also giving all animals a long-acting antibiotic like LA 300. Shipping fever is a respiratory disease that can become a problem usually within 2 weeks of a stressful event like weaning and/or transport. It’s contagious and symptoms start showing up 5 to 10 days after infection from another animal. This fellow had already comingled the animals and there’s probably not much need to separate the sick one out now. But for next time he’ll probably keep newly purchased stock separate from his other cattle for at least two weeks and will benefit by getting on a vaccination schedule. Q. What’s the best time to spray for rose bushes in pasture fields? A. Maintaining proper fertility, clipping to prevent seed heads, proper stocking rates to avoid overgrazing, and seeding with desirable forages to thicken pastures along with smart herbicide applications are sound practices. But in answer to this question, for foliar applications spray to actively growing plants when it’s calm to avoid drift and generally when air temperature is between 60 and 80 degrees. Also review the label for any grazing restrictions following application. Remember that the Rowan County Farm Bureau Federation has a pull-behind spray unit available for a reasonable fee for herbicide applications. 784 1140 is the number.

Q. Is this a termite or ant?

A. This homeowner found a winged insect that turned out to be a termite swarmer. Straight antennae, uniform waist, and wings of equal size are characteristics that are used to differentiate termite swarmers from winged ants, but we always send them to UK for a positive identification to make sure. Obviously this isn’t good news, but there’s no need to make hasty decisions on what to do next. For most homeowners, the next step will involve shopping around to find a reliable pest control firm that has the knowledge and experience to treat. Two useful “quality assurance indicators” to perhaps ask about when getting quotes are amount (gallons) of termiticide applied, and spacing between holes into which termiticide is injected. An alternative to this form of barrier treatment that is becoming more popular uses termite bait stations. Here, foraging termites consume bait and in turn share it with the colony, resulting in a gradual decline in termite numbers. Each situation is different, but control could take one form or the other or both. For more information on termite control information, call us to request bulletin ENTFACT-604.

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Spring Harvest Salad

Ingredients:

5 cups torn spring leaf lettuce

2½ cups spinach leaves

1½ cups sliced strawberries

1 cup fresh blueberries

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions:

1. Combine leaf lettuce and spinach leaves with sliced strawberries, blueberries and green onion in a

large salad bowl.

2. Prepare dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard,

honey and salt; pour over lettuce mixture and toss to coat.

3. Sprinkle salad with feta cheese and sliced almonds.

4. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8, 1 cup servings

Nutritional Analysis: 130 calories; 9 g fat; 1.5 g sat fat; 240 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 7 g sugar

3 g protein Source: www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov

Dressing:

4 teaspoons lemon juice

2½ tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Kentucky honey

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup feta cheese crumbles

½ cup unsalted sliced almonds

Great Recipes to Try

Very Berry Salsa

4 cups apples, finely diced 1 cup blackberries, halved 1 cup blueberries 1 tablespoon fruit preserves 1 cup strawberries, diced ½ tablespoon sugar 1 cup raspberries, halved ½ tablespoon brown sugar

Directions: In a large bowl, combine apples and berries. In a small bowl, mix together preserves and sugars until well blended. Pour preserves mixture over fruit and toss to coat. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Yield: 32, 2-ounce servings. Nutritional Analysis: 20 calories, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 5g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 4g sugar, 0g protein. Source: Plate It Up! Recipes developed by County Extension Agents for Family & Consumer Sciences & University of Kentucky Dietetics & Human Nutrition students.

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RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Soil compaction can hurt a crop. These few pictures demonstrate j-shaped roots in soybeans that lead to reduced nutrient uptake and ultimately reduced yields. A soil compaction tester (aka penetrometer) is easy to use and helps determine extent of soil compaction. It should be used before tillage and can determine depth of compaction and if a tillage operation helped break it up. Contact us if you want to try it out. Sincerely,

Bob Marsh County Extension Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources

Cooperative Extension Service University of Kentucky Rowan County Extension Office 600 West Main Street Morehead, KY 40351

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