Vol. 140 No.8

AGRICULTURE

Kim Strohmeier
County Agriculture Extension Agent

The success of a farming operation, in large part, is dependant on how a farmer manages his or her soil resources. Because of the importance of this, the extension service is offering a program entitled “Managing Soils on Your Farm.” 
The workshop will be held on three consecutive Tuesday nights, starting at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday and continuing March 6 and March 13 at the extension office. The program is designed to better help a farmer manage the soil fertility and productivity on their farm. We will be covering basic soil science, improving productivity, looking at various fertilizer options, and managing the unique feature of the Eden series of soils. We’ll also be getting into economic and hillside safety considerations, the latest research on soil management, and focusing on the fertility requirements of specific major crops in the county. 
We will provide soil maps of your farm, free soil tests, and some deep discounts on some good soil samplers. The local Phase I board is sponsoring the program. Registration is $20, and pre-registration is needed.
We have a good program planned. Every farmer is invited to attend.
All of these meetings, as well as any other educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
Pasture Weed Control Meeting Scheduled
Pastures make up a vast portion of Owen County’s landscape, and are important to most farmer’s income. One of the questions I most often receive relating to pastures is how to get rid of various weed problems.
A program to discuss ways to control persistent and problem weeds in the county has been scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the extension office. Anyone interested is invited to attend.
Phase I Genetics Program Applications Available
Applications are now available for the Phase I Genetics program, or bull program, as many refer to it. Farmers can pick them up at the extension office. The deadline to turn them in is March 1.
There are some substantial changes in the program this year that you need to be aware of.
First, some state-mandated requirements will not allow the program to be retroactive this next year. That means that you can’t buy a bull early, and expect to be reimbursed for it after the fact.
In the past, there have been three different categories: heifer acceptable, terminal and balanced trait bulls. This year there are additional categories offered. However, the biggest change is that you will have to pre-select what type bull you need during the application process, and cost-share will only be available for bulls that fit within the guidelines of that category.
Training has been offered over the years on how to use EPDs for selecting bulls, but it can be rather confusing, and a number of farmers just let the breeder who supplied bulls decide on a bull for them. This can get you into trouble this year.
The reason for the changes is the perception that many farmers across the state have begun looking at the program as just a subsidy to help them buy bulls, with no thought as to what kind of bull would be best for their herd. This change is an attempt to have a farmer who gets cost-share money focus of what type of bull they need before they buy the bull, and not just try to fit the bull they buy into existing guidelines.
Two training meetings will be held at 5 and 7 p.m. Friday at the extension office to help cattlemen understand the concept of EPDs, and to explain the changes in the program. All who want cost-share must either attend one of the trainings, or sign a waiver stating that they fully understand the new EPD requirements.
This year, the state is requiring all applicants to include a Premise I.D. No. on their cost-share application. Forms for this are also available at the extension office.
The Plain Facts ... About the Agricultural Industry
Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Mechanical, chemical and environmental hazards may increase the risk of accident for agricultural workers. However, most farm and ranch accidents are preventable.
More than 700 U.S. farmers and ranchers die in work-related accidents yearly. Many of these injuries occur when farm tractors roll over on the operator and its passengers. Another 120,000 agricultural workers suffer disabling injuries from work-related accidents.
Farm and ranch women are among those at risk in work-related accidents. Their involvement with livestock and farm equipment puts them at greater risk to work injuries. Power take-offs (PTOs) and the moving parts associated with some farm equipment may entangle loose clothing or catch long hair.
Senior farmers are at increased risk from farm accidents and injuries. Most farmers don’t retire at age 65 — many farm well into their 70s and even their 80s. Senior farmers often take prescribed medications, work with physical disabilities, and/or suffer from hearing loss. All these factors may increase senior farmers’ risk for work-related injuries and death.
Children are at special risk from farm-related accidents. Most of the 200-plus deaths among children on farms result from being innocent bystanders or passengers on farm equipment. Surveys indicate that many farm children are working in dangerous environments by the age of 10.
Famers are not using life-saving rollover seat belts. Only half of the farm tractors used on U.S. farms are equipped with life-saving Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS) with seat belts. Many farm tractors were manufactured prior to the voluntary installation of ROPS with seat belts, while some newer tractors have had their ROPS removed by the owner.
Farmers are not taking advantage of injury-preventing safety equipment. Farm safety audits indicate that many of the farm tractors being used daily do not have safety equipment which could prevent injuries and save lives. Bypass starter covers, PTO master shields, and slow-moving-vehicle emblems are missing on many tractors.
Emergency medical care is not readily accessible to farmers and ranchers. The isolated nature of farms and ranches in our nation’s rural areas creates difficult conditions for emergency medical service providers. Farmers and ranchers often work alone and may become entrapped, entangled or disabled for precious hours before they receive medical attention.

Orchard care starts now

Tips from the Weekend Gardener

Jeneen Wiche

ipen, or should I say rot, the calls start coming in. Home orchardists in Kentuckiana are at wits’ end as they watch their apples, peaches and pears do little more then fall from the tree in a spotted, bruised or petrified state. Managing orchard trees isn’t for the hands-off gardener; it takes effort to have healthy, productive trees and that effort starts now.
Fruit trees need pruning, fertilization and some protection from a myriad of insect and disease problems that can cause leaf-spotting, poor fruit set, malformed fruit or rotten fruit when it is all said and done. February is all about pruning and fertilization. Get the trees fed and in shape before they break dormancy.
Pruning styles evolved out of the need to keep trees a manageable size while maximizing the harvest. Today most commercially produced fruit trees are grafted onto dwarf rootstock so the job of pruning is not as overwhelming. Dwarf is a relative term, of course, but dwarf rootstock is advantageous if you will be working with your trees with the goal of a quality harvest. Other pruning techniques address the issue of pest control: better air circulation and light penetrations helps to reduce many insect, fungal and bacterial problems common in the orchard.
Peach trees take on a vase shape with the center pruned out; apples take on a whorled, scaffolding of three to four main branches; pears are similar to apples but you allow 6 to 8 main branches. Pears and apples can have their main leader headed-off (cut back to the next lateral branch) when the trees reach about 10 feet.
To fine-tune the pruning of apples and pears you must thin the spurs. The spurs are the little stubs on main branches that grow about one-fourth of an inch each year. Foliage and flower emerge from these spurs, in alternating years. Thin these spurs and you get better spacing and larger fruit.
I have a mostly organic philosophy for the food I grow to eat, so that means we have transitioned from fertilizing the orchard with the standard ammonium nitrate to using something that packs a little less of a punch, but will still continue to provide nutrients to the trees. Instead of using one-eighth (pears), one-sixth (tart cherries), or one-fourth (apples) of a pound of ammonium nitrate per year of growth (not to exceed three pounds) we are using cottonseed meal (it delivers nitrogen quickly) and fish meal (it delivers trace nutrients and nitrogen slowly). Fertilize your fruit trees now for the added energy needed to break dormancy, push leaves and bloom.
Also, before your trees break dormancy an application of dormant oil will go far in controlling certain insect pests. The time is ripe in late February or early March. We need to watch the progress of the trees, the outside temperature and chances of rain when planning an application: trees must be dormant if you are using “dormant” oil, temperatures must remain above 40 degrees, with no rain in sight for at least 48 hours.
The spray regime gets more complicated as the season progresses because fungal, bacterial and insect pests show up as the leaves unfurl and the fruit begins to form. Contact your county extension service and request more detailed information about caring for your home orchard. The timing, type, and application of pesticides is quite exacting for it to work properly and safely.
Another important consideration when selecting varieties is disease resistance and length of the growing season. Most fruiting trees require a minimum of days considered “frost-free” and a minimum of days where temperatures are between 32 and 45 degrees. The chilling period allows for required dormant period and thus affects bud set; the minimum frost-free day requirement relates to the length of time needed to reach maturity.
These variables are why you should purchase fruit trees from people who know what they are talking about. For example, apple varieties that are recommended by the University of Kentucky because they show good disease resistance and are suitable to our climate include Pristine, Redfree, Dayton, Liberty, Spartan, Jonafree, Pixie Crunch, Priscilla, SirPrize, Enterprise, GoldRush and Sundance. Cross pollination is necessary so get two different varieties (SirPrize is not a pollinator, good fruit but sterile pollen).
The easiest of all the fruit to grow and to enjoy remain, in my experience, the Asian pear including the varieties Hosui, Shinseiki and Chojuro. One dormant oil application is all these trees get and the fruit is typically clean as a whistle.
The bottom line with fruit trees is this: get disease resistant varieties, use dormant oil if nothing else and harvest fruit with a paring knife near by. One blemish does not make fruit inedible: cut it out or eat around it.

Market Report

Owenton Livestock Exchange, Feb. 14
This week: 198. Compared to last Wednesday: No comparison available. Icy weather hampering movement of livestock.
Slaughter cows:
Boners: 80 percent lean; 1,390, 43.00.
Lean: 85-90 percent lean; 869-925, 27.00-32.00.
Slaughter Bulls:
#2: 1,435-2,190 77-78 carcass boning percent; 52.00-55.00.
Feeder Steers:
Medium and Large #1-#2: 400-500, 107.00; 500-600, 104.00-105.00; 600-700, 93.00; 700-800, 88.00; groups: 37 head, 684 lb., 93.00 mixed.
Medium and Large #2: 400-500, 99.00; 500-600, 90.00-103.00; 600-700, 93.00-94.00; 700-800, 80.25-81.00.
Feeder Heifers:
Medium and Large #1-#2: 200-300, 114.00; 400-500, 102.50-111.50; 500-600, 87.50-92.50; 600-700, 85.00-86.00; groups: 27 head, 667 lb., 85.00 mixed.
Large #1-#2: 500-600, 93.00; 600-700, 86.50; 700-800, 75.00.
Small and Medium #1-#2: 400-500, 91.50.
Feeder Bulls:
Medium and Large #1-#2: 300-400, 113.50-118.00; 600-700, 82.00.