University of Kentucky Agricultural News

Plan now to control vegetable diseases all season long

2012-04-10T09:08:00Z

With many vegetables already in the ground or soon-to-be planted, home gardeners can incorporate a few simple practices into their management programs to minimize diseases this growing season, said Kenny Seebold, extension plant pathologist for the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Growers should consult their seed supplier or catalog for the availability of disease-resistant varieties.

“Resistant varieties can reduce or sometimes completely prevent damage from certain diseases and can allow a gardener to use less fungicide as well,” Seebold said.

When planting vegetables, growers may want to rotate where specific vegetables are planted in the garden. Crop rotation can help slow the build-up of pathogens that might have overwintered in the soil. Ideally, gardeners should do three-year rotations with each vegetable, planting them and similar plants in a different location each year. While this may seem hard to accomplish with limited space, keeping records of where things were planted each year can help.

Vegetable gardeners can also help prevent diseases by creating an environment that is unfavorable for disease development. This includes making sure plants have proper spacing, choosing a site with well-drained soils, only watering when necessary and only wetting the soil, not the leaves.

“Wet foliage can favor disease development and spread,” he said.

Gardeners should also clean and sanitize their tools after each use as plant pathogens can easily spread from tools to other plants. Any diseased plants should be removed from the garden and destroyed.

While UK specialists encourage growers to use preventative measures for disease control, diseases do sometimes develop, and gardeners need to use fungicides to control the disease. Home gardeners do not have as many products available to them as commercial growers. Gardeners should make sure they correctly follow application instructions on the label and get good coverage. For best results, apply fungicides before diseases occur when conditions are favorable for disease development or at the latest, when disease first appears. The UK Cooperative Extension publication ID-128: “Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky” has information related to products home gardeners can use, diseases controlled and use-rates, as well as information on preventative practices. This publication is available online http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id128/id128.pdf or through county extension offices.

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Raptor program to come to UK

2012-04-09T10:31:00Z

As part of the University of Kentucky’s EarthDays in the Bluegrass 2012, the UK Natural Resources and Environmental Science program is offering the public a chance to get an up-close view of birds of prey at 3 p.m. Saturday April 14 in room 106 of UK’s White Hall Classroom Building.

The program, titled INSPIRE: Birds of Prey, will be presented by students from Southwestern High School in Pulaski County. Nearly 100 students in the high school’s conservation club care for the birds and lead educational programs. They are the only raptor rehabilitation and education program in the nation led by high school students on a high school campus.

During the program, the students will handle birds of prey as they fly and do tricks. The raptors are all found in Kentucky and may include screech owls, American kestrels, red-tailed hawks, barred owls, great horned owls and an eagle. The audience will have the opportunity to participate during parts of the program.

At the end of the program, the public will have the opportunity to get closer to the birds, take photos and, possibly, hold a hawk.

Free parking is available on campus in any “E” lot. For more information about the program, view the UK Natural Resources and Environmental Science website http://www2.ca.uky.edu/nres/raptor.

Program sponsors include EarthDays in the Bluegrass, the UK Environmental Science Club and UK Natural Resources and Environmental Science.

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Cattle bloat appearing early

2012-04-05T15:42:00Z

The University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Lab is seeing cases of bloat in cattle 20 days earlier than normal, said Craig Carter, lab director.

“From Jan. 1 through April 3, the UKVDL has confirmed seven cases of bloat in Central Kentucky,” Carter said.

Bloat, or frothy bloat, is a life-threatening disease in cattle that can occur when animals ingest young, vegetative legumes. The most common legume grazed in Kentucky is white clover, but cattle can also get bloat from grazing alfalfa and red clover.

“All forages are about three weeks ahead of schedule due to the warm temperatures we’ve had,” said Ray Smith, UK extension forage specialist. “White clover is growing very strong this spring.”

Legumes, which are high in soluble protein, can cause the formation of a slime-like substance that traps gasses in the cattle’s rumen. Being unable to expel gas can cause the animal’s rumen to stretch. As pressure increases, breathing is affected, which can lead to death from suffocation. Cattle can die from bloat as quickly as an hour after grazing begins, but more commonly, death occurs after two to three days of grazing on a bloat-producing pasture.

The main symptom of bloat is a swollen left abdomen. Other symptoms include repetitive standing up and lying down, kicking at the belly, frequent defecation and urination, grunting and extension of the neck and head. If untreated, the animal will collapse and die within three to four hours after symptoms appear.

UK specialists say producers can reduce the occurrence of bloat by following these practices:

• Grow grass-legume mixtures instead of pure legumes.

• Avoid grazing immature legumes. Research has shown when cattle graze legumes less than 10 inches in height, they had twice the occurrence of bloat compared to those who grazed legumes 19 inches tall.

• Do not put animals are legume-rich pastures when the pastures have moisture on them from rain or dew.

• Cull animals that have frequent bloat.

• Do not remove animals from a pasture when bloat symptoms first appear. Continuous grazing causes less incidences of bloat.

• Give animals access to water and minerals.

• Watch animals closely after a significant change in the weather.

• Feed bloat-reducing compounds.

For more information on bloat, view UK Cooperative Extension Service’s publication ID-186: Managing Legume-Induced Bloat in Cattle at http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id186/id186.pdf or contact the county extension office.

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UK's Danielle Clore chosen for Leadership Kentucky

2012-04-05T10:46:00Z

Danielle Clore, executive director at the Kentucky Nonprofit Network, an outreach program of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Department of Community & Leadership Development, recently was selected as one of 54 individuals who will be participating in the 2012 class of Leadership Kentucky.

For the entire news release, click here.

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UK club to host discussion with horse racing professionals

2012-04-04T12:40:00Z

The University of Kentucky’s Horse Racing Club will host a panel featuring leaders within Thoroughbred horse racing April 17 at Fasig Tipton in Lexington. The event, “Inside Horse Racing: The Road to the Triple Crown,” will begin at 6 p.m.

Confirmed speakers for the panel-style event include Jimmy Bell, president of Darley USA; jockey Jean Cruguet; Thoroughbred owner Barry Irwin and trainer Dale Romans. Horse Racing Radio Network’s Mike Penna will serve as master of ceremonies.

There will be a silent auction benefitting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Appetizers and beverages will be served. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the general public.

Event sponsors include Churchill Downs, Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers’ Club, UK Student Government Association, The Breeders’ Cup, Fasig Tipton, Thoroughbred Daily News, Horse Racing Radio Network, Kentucky Equine Education Project, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, and UK Ag Equine Programs’ Rood and Riddle Fund.

On-site parking is free. Questions can be directed to the club at ukhorseracingclub@gmail.com or public relations representative Marshall Blevins at marshallblevins@gmail.com.

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Forages nearing critical maturity stages

2012-03-29T09:21:00Z

After an extremely warm winter, many forage grasses and small grains used for forages are quickly nearing the stages where they need to be cut to maintain optimum feed quality, according to Ray Smith, extension forage specialist in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Smith said this is the earliest forages have matured in the seven years he’s been at UK. Depending on the area of the state, this is two to three weeks ahead of schedule.

“Alfalfa and small grains lose nutrient value as they get to the later growth stages,” Smith said. “However, nutrient values in small grains drop much quicker than in alfalfa.”

Small grains, like wheat, rye and barley, are cut for high-quality silage used to feed dairy cattle. Producers should harvest them at the late boot stage to get the highest quality. Much of the wheat used for silage could reach this stage by mid-April.

For optimum quality and yield, alfalfa and should be cut at bud stage, before the blooms are open. Orchardgrass needs to be cut at boot stage before the seed head emerges.

“Alfalfa in many areas of Southern Kentucky is ready to be cut now,” Smith said. “Alfalfa in Central and Northern Kentucky is probably one to two weeks from being ready for its first cutting. Some parts of Kentucky will have orchardgrass at boot stage within one to two weeks.”

Before harvesting, he suggested alfalfa producers scout their fields for damage from the alfalfa weevil. If damage is significant on stands that are ready for harvesting, producers should cut the alfalfa to control the insect. Producers should check their fields about five days after cutting to see if normal regrowth is occurring. If present in high enough numbers, surviving weevil larvae and adults can damage regrowth. If the alfalfa isn’t ready for harvest and there is a significant amount of weevil damage, producers need to spray their fields with an insecticide. UK entomologist Lee Townsend said producers need to check the “days to harvest” section of the label when selecting products to see how long to wait between application and harvest. This interval varies with products and application rates.

In addition, other cool-season forages like tall fescue will be ready for cutting earlier than normal this spring.

“Ideally producers make a first cutting by mid-May to get a good quality feed, but this year, harvesting in late April may be too late to get high quality grass hay,” Smith said. “Because a first cutting is needed earlier than normal, there’s a very good chance for producers to get a high quality second cutting before the hot temperatures of summer set in.”

Since producers are harvesting high quality forages of all types, a lot of nutrients are going to be removed from the soils with the cuttings. Producers will want to follow fertilizer recommendations for replacing the lost nutrients found in UK extension publication AGR 1: Lime and Nutrient Recommendations. It is available online at http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr1/agr1.pdf or at the local office of the UK Cooperative Extension Service.

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Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association establishes research endowment fund at University of Kentucky

2012-03-28T11:02:00Z

The Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association has established a research endowment fund at the University of Kentucky to ensure the advancement of production research crucial to Kentucky’s grain farmers.

Individual growers and businesses may donate to the fund, and the association will match those donations up to a total of $50,000. In addition to cash, growers and businesses may make a tax deductible donation of grain.

“To date we have directed nearly $2 million toward small grain research, and we expect that sum will continue to grow in the future,” said Don Halcomb, chairman of the Kentucky Small Grain Promotion Council. “Establishment of this research fund, however, will guarantee that small grain research will continue to be a priority at the University of Kentucky.

“Our leadership has been extremely pleased with the quality of research conducted at UK, and growers have benefited greatly from the results,” he said. “The fund will work only to improve our successful partnership.”

“The college is extremely appreciative of this latest in a long history of support and collaboration we have enjoyed from the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association,” said Scott Smith, dean of the College of Agriculture. “With their support and leadership, we can continue to do innovative research and extension to improve small grain crop production in this state."

Donations should be made directly to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture for the Kentucky Small Grains Growers Association Research Endowment. Mail checks to University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Marci Hicks, Director of Development, E. S. Good Barn, 1451 University Drive, Lexington, KY 40546-0097. For more information on how to make a gift of grain, contact Marci Hicks at 859-257-7200.

For more information, about the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association, contact Executive Director Laura Knoth at 1-800-326-0906 or laura@kysmallgrains.org.

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Keep the brakes on planting a little longer

2012-03-22T11:02:00Z

Record and near record warm temperatures have many corn producers jumping at the chance to get out in the field and plant corn, but it may be best to wait a little longer, said Chad Lee, extension grain crops specialist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Historically, producers in Western Kentucky have started planting corn around April 1, and Central and Eastern Kentucky producers begin to plant between April 10-15.

Because of the warm weather, many farmers have readied their fields for this growing season, spraying burndown herbicides and applying anhydrous ammonia earlier-than-normal. Planting is all that’s left for many producers. In addition to the weather, producers vividly remember spring 2011 when flooding and continuous rain seriously delayed corn and soybean planting and would like to get this crop in the ground in case history repeats itself.

According to data from the National Climate Data Center, the vast majority of the state has a 90 percent chance of experiencing its last freeze after April 1. If this event occurred, young corn seedlings are likely to be severely damaged or killed.

For Lee and others who follow Kentucky weather, this warm weather pattern is reminiscent of 2007 when the state had two weeks in late March with highs above 70 degrees. In early April of that year, low temperatures did not get above 20 degrees for five or six days.

“Corn planted the last two weeks of March 2007 emerged in less than seven days, grew rapidly and was no match for the cold weather,” Lee said. “Farmers replanted 100,000 acres or more of corn that year.”

Producers may want to consult their crop insurance agent to see what their early planting date is, which is the date their full insurance benefits become active. For much of the state, that date is April 1.

"If you plant before the earliest planting date, those acres are not eligible for crop insurance replant payments,” said Cory Walters, UK agricultural economist.

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Early summer could come at a price, UK ag meteorologist cautions

2012-03-22T09:39:00Z

Photo depicts damage to apple trees after the Easter Freeze in 2007.

Without looking at the calendar, Kentuckians might easily be fooled into thinking it is early June; but in fact, spring has just begun. After the warmest winter on the record books in the Bluegrass state, spring has sprung very early causing some University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension specialists to gaze eerily back on a similar weather pattern in 2007.

“Temperatures soared in the second week of March with highs mostly in the 70s and some locations exceeding 80 degrees,” said Tom Priddy, UK agricultural meteorologist. “Rainfall was frequent; everything is turning green much earlier than usual. You can’t help but think back to 2007.”

During that year, spring came early and then a late Easter freeze decimated many horticultural and grain crops throughout the state. So what could growers and gardeners do to prepare for a possible late-season spring freeze?

“This pattern is all too familiar to that Easter freeze a few years ago,” said Patsy Wilson, UK viticulture specialist. “The best safeguard for grapes at this point is to hold off on final pruning as late as possible.”

Wilson said sometimes growers find it difficult to hold off because of vineyard size.

“As of right now, the grapes are still relatively dormant,” she added. “But we should start seeing green tips in the next week or two and that will make many cultivars vulnerable to freeze or frost damage in Central Kentucky.”

Chad Lee is a grain crops specialist at UK, and he believes wheat is the biggest concern right now, but that there’s really nothing growers can do about it. He said in Western and Central Kentucky, the crop has developed to the point where freeze or frost could cause damage.

“Now as for corn—I know farmers are itching to plant corn,” he said. “But in 2007, Kentucky growers had to replant 100,000 acres of corn. So, even though the temperatures are great, we need to wait to plant a bit longer.”

UK horticultural specialist John Strang reported many horticultural crops are running three to four weeks ahead of schedule with fruit crop bloom because of unseasonably warm weather.

“Temperatures of 25 to 26 now would cause serious damage to peach, plum and pear crops,” he said. “Temperatures of 24 to 25 would cause serious damage to the apple crop. As bloom development progresses, the flowers will continue to lose hardiness. I usually do not begin to feel like we have avoided most of our frost chances until late April, so we have a long way to go.”

Strang said commercial strawberry growers can use floating row covers to provide a few degrees of frost protection, and they may use overhead sprinkling to protect tender blooms if the predicted temperature drop is not too low and wind is minimal.

“Home strawberry growers can rake the straw back over the blooms for protection or cover the strawberries with a blanket,” he said. “Anchoring the edges of the blanket down will help retain the long wave radiation or heat radiating from the soil and prevent frost injury. Covering with plastic provides little protection, and the practice of hosing the frost off of fruit crops early in the morning is not helpful.”

He added that fruit growers should concentrate on applying their early fungicide and insecticide sprays as the crops are moving through floral developmental stages very rapidly.

Priddy said temperatures have been averaging about 20 degrees warmer than normal across the state, with precipitation also a bit over the average. So after a winter that wasn’t and a spring that seems to be fleeting, Priddy suggested that growers stay alert and not get too comfortable in the warm days.

“There’s still plenty of time for a damaging freeze or frost,” he said. “We just want our Kentucky growers to be prepared.”

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The Arboretum gears up to host a Party for the Planet

2012-03-21T12:04:00Z

The Arboretum, on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, is partnering with LG&E and KU Energy LLC to offer a month-long celebration called Party for the Planet 2012, with activities for all ages March 22 through the Arbor Day celebration, April 28.

Festivities begin with Tammy Horn’s lecture “Native Flowers, Shrubs and Trees Attractive to Honey Bees.”Horn is an apiculturist and professor at Eastern Kentucky University. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. March 22 at UK’s Gluck Equine Research Center Auditorium, 1400 Nicholasville Road in Lexington.

The fun continues with a weeklong spring break camp for ages 7 through 11 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. April 2-6. Campers will uncover mysteries of The Arboretum with fun, hands-on activities. Lessons will focus on plants and animals with an emphasis on water quality, waste reduction and renewable energy resources.

On April 13- and 14, The Arboretum will host Project Learning Tree training. Project Learning Tree is a program of the American Forest Foundation. It is an environmental education program for educators of students from pre-K through 12^th grade, providing educators with tools, training and resources to bring the environment into their classrooms and their students into the environment.

Family Tree Day is April 14 at 11 a.m. in the Kentucky Children’s Garden at The Arboretum, where children and adults can learn about the complexities of trees and how to plant one and even take home a sapling to watch grow.

On April 15, docent Karen Miner and Tim Query, urban forester with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, will lead a free walk at The Arboretum featuring native trees of Kentucky.

Esther Moberly of Lexington’s waste management department will present a Composting at Home workshop on April 17 at 6 p.m. where she will show visitors how to build, maintain and operate a home composting system. Registration is free and participants will get a green kitchen compost bin.

Pruning is important to keep trees and shrubs healthy. On April 18 at 5:30 p.m. David Leonard and Todd Rounsaville will conduct a free, hands-on workshop about the do’s and don’ts of pruning.

April 21 is the date for this year’s Spring Plant Sale. Special perennials and native plants will be offered for sale. Experts in the field will be present to give advice on gardening topics.

The month’s events will culminate with the Arbor Day celebration April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The theme of Arbor Day 2012 is Trees: Environmental Champions. The celebration will include a reading of the Arbor Day proclamation presentation of the Tree Campus to UK, a tree planting with KU representatives, more than 40 exhibitors in a tent, guided native tree hikes, a tree seedling adoption and free admission to the Kentucky Children’s Garden from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Also planned is a presentation of the Tree Campus to UK. As of Jan. 1, UK is recognized as a Tree Campus. Tree Campus USA is a new program sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation and funded by Toyota, which works in cooperation with state programs and universities to ensure that campus trees are being properly cared and managed. UK is one of fewer than 300 universities in the nation recognized as a Tree Campus.

With a special passport attendees can visit four tree stations manned by UK College of Agriculture forestry students to learn about roots, leaf transpiration, habitats and tree products.

Children can enjoy a puppet show, live animals and craft activities. Look for guests Smokey Bear, Rosie Recycler and KU’s Louie Lightning Bug. The event is free thanks to presenting sponsor KU, sponsors Lexmark and Kentucky American Water and supporters Big Beaver Tree Service, LFUCG Tree Board, LFUCG Environmental Commission and Dave Leonard, tree specialist.

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