Marshall County s Agriculture and Natural Resources Update. Top Story 2015 Kentucky Wheat Vomitoxin Survey. UK needs your help!!!!

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1 The May/June Edition of Nikki s News Marshall County s Agriculture and Natural Resources Update Top Story 2015 Kentucky Wheat Vomitoxin Survey UK needs your help!!!! The objectives of the Kentucky Wheat Vomitoxin Survey are to gain an understanding of annual variations in wheat vomitoxins (DON; deoxynivalenol) and the economic impact of wheat vomitoxins for Kentucky producers. County agent, Nikki Bell, is looking for 5 willing producer cooperators. Producer cooperators will agree to share some agronomic and postharvest information. All information will be coded and remain anonymous when presented or discussed at meetings or any other venues. Location of fields will be used only to summarize geographical trends of the data collected. Cooperating producers will request a sub-sample of the grain samples collected by the elevator/mill/or other distribution point that collects samples and tests for DON (vomitoxin). Samples need to be stored in one gallon zip lock bags. Contact Nikki Bell at MCEO, and she will come pick up the samples and the information sheet. All cooperators will receive a copy of their sample results and will have the satisfaction of knowing that they contributed to University research that could help the wheat farmers of Kentucky with this serious issue. See page 8 for a copy of the Survey Form. Cooperative Extension Service Marshall County 1933 Mayfield Hwy. Benton, KY (270) Fax: (270) In this Issue: Crops p. 2-3 Horticulture p. 4 County Fair p. 5 Livestock p. 6-7 Wheat Vomitoxin Study Continued p. 8 Weed Field Day p.9 Recipe of the Month p. 10

2 Cloudy Skies and Striped Corn Chad Lee, Extension Agronomist, University of Kentucky Cloudy skies and cool weather can make corn appear deficient. Crop News all possible. If the soil is test is adequate or above, then wait for the sunshine. While pulling the soil test, dig up a few roots. Sidewall compaction can lead to these symptoms as well. I m sure no one reading this post mudded-in corn. But your neighbors may have! Feel free to pass this along to them to check for sidewall compaction. If they have sidewall compaction, there is not much they can do. Sidewall compaction is a field where they should cut their losses and move on. Visit cloudy-skies-and-striped-corn.html#more for links to more articles on this subject. Thursday, June 4, 2015 Cloudy skies and cool weather can make corn appear deficient. Leaf striping on corn is being reported across the state. The recent cooler, cloudy weather is probably a big factor in many fields. In these cases, the symptoms are temporary or transient. They are cured by ample sunshine and warmer weather. Other fields have a legitimate deficiency. Soil testing will identify those deficiencies. A tissue test will likely show a deficiency, but won t explain why it is occurring. A soil test will explain why. If the soil is deficient, then apply the appropriate fertilizer if at Friday, June 5, 2015 Photos of Corn Nutrient Deficiency from Sidewall Compaction Chad Lee, Extension Professor and Agronomist, University of Kentucky In this classic example, the corn field had numerous plants that were stunted with striped leaves. This field was adequate to high in soil test values and had proper ph. When we dug up some plants, we found that the majority of stunted plants suffered from sidewall compaction. Images of the field, the leaf symptoms and the compacted roots follow. Field where most of the corn appeared yellow with striped leaves. Stunted corn in this field had apparent Zn deficiency. The producer applied zinc sulfate prior to planting.

3 All three plants are from the same field. Same hybrid and planting date. The smaller plants (left and middle) comprised most of the field in the first image. The smallest plant was V5, the middle plant was V6 and the largest plant was V7. Smallest plant (V5). Roots from this angle look fine. Smallest plant (V5). Roots from this angle expose the sidewall compaction. Medium plant (V6). Roots look fine from this angle. Medium plant (V6). Roots going left but not to the right. This implies sidewall compaction on one side of the seed furrow. Largest plant (V7). Roots are growing in all directions. Largest plant (V7) from a different angle. Roots are growing in all directions.

4 Horticulture News Seed Saving Part 2 Ray Tacket, Horticulture Agent In the last Seed Saver article we gave a brief introduction to some of the basic concepts of seed saving. In this edition we will continue our discussion with more information on harvesting and storing seeds that you are saving harvesting seed. Saving tomato seeds is easy. Allow fruits to ripen fully and scoop out the seeds, along with the gel surrounding them, before you eat or cook the tomatoes. Put the seeds and gel in a glass jar with some water. Stir or swirl the mixture twice a day. The mixture will ferment and the seeds should sink to the bottom within five days. Pour off the liquid, rinse the seeds and spread them out to dry on paper towels. Saving pepper seeds is even easier. Allow some fruits to stay on the plants until they become fully ripe and start to wrinkle. Remove the seeds from the peppers and spread them out to dry. Save pea and bean seeds by allowing the pods to ripen on the plants until they re dry and starting to turn brown, with the seeds rattling inside. This may be as long as a month after you would normally harvest the peas or beans to eat. Strip the pods from the plants and spread them out to dry indoors. They should dry at least two weeks before shelling, or you can leave the seeds in the pods until planting time. Storage. Store seeds in tightly-sealed glass containers. You can store different kinds of seeds, each in individual paper packets, together in a large container. Keep seeds dry and cool. A temperature between 32 and 41 F is ideal, so your refrigerator can be a good place to store seeds. A small amount of silica-gel desiccant added to each container will absorb moisture from the air and help keep the seeds dry. Silica gel is sold in bulk for drying flowers at craft supply stores. Powdered milk can also be used as a desiccant. Use one to two tablespoons of milk powder from a freshly opened package. Wrap the powder in a piece of cheesecloth or a facial tissue and place it in the container with the seeds. Powdered milk will absorb excess moisture from the air for about six months. Be sure to label your saved seeds with their name, variety, and the date you collected them. It s too easy to forget the details by the following spring. Soil compaction is hard on a garden John Strang, Extension Horticulture Specialist Gardening season is in full force. It s a good time to think about the soil in your garden plots and beds. Soil compaction creates an unfriendly growing environment for plants and is a serious problem for many home gardeners. But don t worry, it is relatively easy to prevent. Compaction transforms soil into a difficult environment for plant growth by making it harder for roots, water to penetrate the soil. Major causes of compaction are working the soil when it is too wet, foot traffic and excessive rototiller use. To reduce this problem, avoid working in the garden or walking in it when the soil is too wet. Squeeze a handful of soil and if it forms a muddy ball, rather than crumbling when you open your hand, that s a sign the soil is too wet to work. Walk between plants and rows in the garden area to reduce compaction in primary plant growth areas. Excessive rototiller use destroys soil structure and promotes compaction. When compaction takes place in a dense soil structure, it also makes root growth more difficult. A little hand hoeing, rather than a rototiller, may be all you need to do to eliminate a few weeds. It usually causes less soil damage than repeated rototilling and is less harmful to the earthworms that help aerate the soil. You also can use mulch to control weeds instead of tilling. Layering mulch 2 to 3 inches deep relieves the pressure of walking on the soil, reducing the degree of compaction. Contact the Marshall Cooperative Extension Service for more gardening information.

5 Marshall County Fair FARM AND GARDEN PRODUCE Director: Kelly Canfield 1. All exhibits must be entered between 9:00 a.m. and 12 noon on Monday, July 27th at the Marshall County Extension Office. 2. All entries must be removed between 9:00 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29th at the MCEO. Premiums will be paid at this time. 3. All entries are to be grown by the exhibitor. 4. Each person may make only one entry per class. 5. Entries will be ranked by quality, condition, display and description. 6. The judges decisions are final. 7. Each entry needs to arrive and be presented as described above. Entries should be labeled with the class and the variety (ex. Red Tomato, Roma) FIELD, SEED, GRAIN & TOBACCO Best quart jar of yellow corn Best quart jar of popcorn Best quart jar of white corn Best quart jar of soybeans Best quart jar of wheat Best potted burley tobacco plant Best potted dark tobacco plant FRUITS & NUTS Best plate of 3 apples Best plate of 3 peaches Best plate grapes Best plate of 3 pears Best plate of berries Best plate of misc. fruit Largest watermelon Best plate of pecans Best plate of misc. nuts VEGETABLES & MELONS Best plate of beans Best plate of carrots Best plate of 3 cucumbers, pickling Best plate of 3 cucumbers, slicing Best plate of 3 ears of sweet corn Best plate of 3 onions Best plate of okra Best plate of 3 red tomatoes Best plate of cherry tomatoes Best plate of other colored tomatoes VEGETABLES & MELONS CONTINUED Largest tomato Best plate of 3 potatoes Best plate of sweet potatoes Best head of cabbage Best any squash Best plate of zucchini Best bell pepper plate Best sweet pepper plate Best hot pepper plate Biggest watermelon Best pumpkin Best plate of leafy greens Best other vegetable or melon Best herb display Best vegetable garden basket PLANTS & FLOWERS Best potted plant Best single cut rose in water Best hosta leaf on plate Best single cut hydrangea in water Best cut marigold in water Best cut zinnias in water Best cut coleus in water Best other flower in water Biggest sunflower head HONEY Best quart jar comb honey Best quart jar of extracted honey Premiums Awarded: $5 for 1st place blue ribbons, $4 for 2nd place red, and $3 for 3rd place white for all classes except best vegetable garden basket which pays $12 blue/$8 red/$5 white, and best in show is $20.

6 Livestock News Planning Checklist for Pasture Fly Control-2015 Written by: Dr. Lee Townsend Face flies can affect daily gain if they are not controlled. Here are a few things to consider as you weight the options for pasture flies: face fly and horn fly control. What is your key pest? A key pest is one that is there every year, and when it is bad, causes significant losses in reduced gains and extra expense in time and effort. In Kentucky it is usually either the horn fly or the face fly, and associated pink eye. Blood feeding by horn flies can reduce summer weight gains of young steers by 12 to 20 pounds. Face flies irritate animals as they lap up secretions around the eyes. It is hard to put a price on that but face flies also can be a factor in the spread of pinkeye. These flies can spread the bacteria within a herd or move it from herd to herd. Face flies and horn flies are around every herd in the state. Consider building your fly control program around the one that consistently causes the greater problem. While most fly control products and approaches are labeled for both pests, there are some differences in effectiveness. The face fly is the more challenging pest because it spends very little time on animals. It feeds on the hard-to-treat face. In contrast, blood-feeding horn flies spend most all of their time on cattle, resting on the more easily treated sides and back of cattle. Select the control strategy that puts the protection where it is needed. Also, consider grazing practices and pasture layout. If cattle are in pastures with controlled access to water and mineral, then forced-used or self-treatment options like dust bags, oilers, or automatic spray devices can be economical and effective.

7 Careful hanging of dust bags or suspending flyflips or other supplemental treatment devices to ensure treatment of the head and face can give very good face fly and horn fly control. Adjusting the nozzles on automatic spray-ers will direct the liquid to the target most effectively. These self-application systems require some maintenance and their insecticide dispensers have to be checked and refilled as needed. If animals are moved regularly in a rotational grazing program, then fixed application stations may be less practical. Insecticidal ear tags provide a portable fly control system that moves with the animal. Tags tend to give very good horn fly control and a reduction in face fly numbers per head. Spray or pour-on insecticides may be practical and very economical for horn fly control if there is a means of gathering up and confining / handling animals about once a month during the fly season. Some like to feed mineral containing an insecticide. These feed-thru put insecticide in the cattle s manure, the only breeding sites for horn flies and face flies. Most treatments are labeled only for horn fly control. Each animal must consume a minimum amount every day to keep the toxic level in manure. Horn flies can fly in from nearby herds so some form of supplemental control may be necessary. Past performance. Were you satisfied with your fly control program in 2014? The satisfaction level can be difficult to judge. Face fly and horn fly populations are affected by general weather conditions, especially rainfall. Consequently, fly numbers on cattle can be due as much to weather conditions as product performance. Resistance management. It s important to consider your long term insecticide use patterns. Continued use of insecticides with the same mode of action can lead to the development of pest populations that are more difficult to control. If you have been using pyrethroid ear tags for several consecutive years, incorporate insecticides with different modes of action into your program. Tags are available with insecticides having one of several ways of attacking the pest, and there are some combination tags that pair insecticides with different modes of action. There are many options for pasture fly control. Matching products and application methods best suited for your key pest and herd management practices will help you pick an effective strategy. For more information on livestock care contact Marshall County Extension Office.

8 Wheat Vomitoxin Survey Sheet

9 Weed News am 0 :0 9 0p 0 : -3 m UK College of Agriculture Food & Environment Weed Science Group Weed Science Training on Resistant Weeds & New Herbicide Traits Field exercises will be conducted to discuss the following topics: Herbicide Resistant Weeds, New Herbicide Tolerant Crop Traits, Application Stewardship, Herbicide Symptomology, Weed Identification Cover Crops in Weed Management JUNE 23, PRINCETON (UK Research & Education Center) JUNE 25, LEXINGTON (UK Spindletop Farm) Lunch Sponsored by Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board and United Soybean Board icide Pest sted & CCA s reque it Cred Please RSVP for lunch count at one of the following locations. UKREC Princeton - claurent@uky.edu or (270) ext 264 UK Spindletop Farm jdgreen@uky.edu or (859) CONTACTS: J.D. Green (859) or Jim Martin (270)

10 Plate It Up Recipe For more information go to Or follow us on Marshall County Agriculture and Natural Resources Facebook Page Marshall County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent