Cooperative Extension Service Breckinridge County 1377 S. Hwy 261 Hardinsburg, KY 40143 (270) 756-2182 Fax: (270) 756-9016 https://breckinridge.ca.uky.edu

Breckinridge County AG Newsletter

Agent’s Corner

I have been told by no telling how many farmers that they quit a good paying job to go home and farm because they wanted to be their own boss. Well, I am going to tell you, Mother Nature is the biggest boss on

the farm and the past two (2) weeks she has been teaching us a lesson. I am not sure what the lesson is or was, but it has made up for the past four years of ‘light’ winters.

I hope everyone fared well, its been miserable trying to feed cattle, breaking ice, and keeping calves alive and the buzzards away.

Please keep in mind, we are here for more meetings and information

than CAIP training. We will get back to the casual meetings soon, but for now, all that I can ask permission to do is: Pesticide Certification, Tobacco GAP, Dicamba and BQA trainings. Once the CAIP approved

list comes out, then I will set up a more rigid schedule for BQA training and IN person CAIP meetings.

But for now if you want to catch up with some great beef, hay and pas-

ture information, please see the ROWLI trainings plus there is a site on the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment website that you can take a training plus a quiz to obtain your hour of training. https://

anr.ca.uky.edu/caip-training

Again, I will be able to do trainings in late March and through July for you to get your CAIP training. Please keep in touch.

We have a garden project bag of forcing bulbs and growing wheat for your cat in the front foyer of the office so come by and pick one up.

Sincerely,

Carol M. Hinton Extension Agent For Agricultural/Natural Resources EducationBreckinridge County

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page

Agent’s Corner 1

Dicamba & Paraquat Training 2

Ways to Improve Hay Quality 3

Virtual Shop Talks for Farmers 4

CAIP Program AD & Infor-mation

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Quality Loss Adjustment Pro-gram

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KY Small Flocks Webinar Series 7

UK Beef webinars Reaching Out While Locked In

8-9

Equipment for Rent 9

PPP Loan Update 9

UK IRM Mineral Update 10-11

Hard Surfaces Can Help Reduce Mud

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From the Woods Today 13

Horticulture Webinar Wednes-days

13-15

Breckinridge County Recycling 16

Almanac Tidbits for February 16

Mark Your Calendars! 16

Like us on Facebook

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Dicamba Training

Training for Kentucky will be handled by the companies as was last year. Dicamba is a yearly

certification. You must take training each year. The majority of trainings will be offered

online. For the online trainings.

This is the link to the BASF trainings on each Tuesday during February thru March 2nd.

https://www.engeniaherbicide.com/training.html. Time: 9 a. m. (ct)

This is the link to the Bayer’s trainings on Wednesdays during February

https://www.roundupreadyxtend.com Time: 9-11 a.m. (ct)

then click on Training & Stewardship tab under the Section Guided

click on Live Webinar Training a calendar will pop up.

If you cannot access the websites, please call and I’ll set up a viewing.

If you need assistance in viewing these trainings, please contact

Carol Hinton at 270-617-3417 or Breckinridge County Extension Service at 270-756-2182

and we will save you a seat.

Requirements for Paraquat Training have been Updated

Effective December 31, 2020, new regulations mandate that any paraquat products under 120 gallons distributed or sold by paraquat registrants require a closed system. This also means that the new requirements do not allow for jar testing when testing for compatibility with other products. However, dealers and distributors are permitted to continue to sell paraquat products that do not meet the closed-system requirement until their stocks run out, and pesticide applicators may continue to use existing stocks according to the directions on the label of the product in their possession.

Paraquat training is required for all users of paraquat and must be completed every 3 years. Your current certification is still valid until 3 years after the date of your training, which is printed on your certificate. So the updated training requirements do not affect existing certifications, and those with certification do not need to re-train until their current certification expires. By Ric Bessin, Entomology Extension Specialist

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WAYS TO IMPROVE HAY QUALITY

Source: Jimmy Henning, UK Extension Forage Specialist

If you raise livestock, you know it is very important to feed your animals nutritious hay to keep them healthy. You can take many practical steps to improve your hay quality.

You must first get and maintain a good forage stand. Making sure your soil has adequate nutrients is key to getting good stands. A soil test is important, because it will let you know the nutrient levels in the soil, so you only apply what is needed.

Your extension agent can help you learn how to effectively test your soil and can submit your samples to one of UK’s soil testing laboratories. Agents can also help you understand the results.

Soil tests with adequate levels of phosphorus and nitrogen but low levels of potassium are becoming com-mon across Kentucky hay fields. Inadequate potassium can increase the amount of broomsedge, a very unde-sirable forage. There may be a couple of reasons for low potassium levels. When you cut hay, potash is re-moved at nearly three times the amount that phosphorus is, and the soil is not able to replenish this nutrient to sufficient levels on its own. Repeatedly using only ‘balanced’ fertilizers like triple-19 (19-19-19) will deplete potassium in hayfields. In tight financial times, producers may skip potash applications to save money.

Controlling weeds at the right time and using the right herbicide will help you improve hay quality. With many weeds, like buttercup, by the time you see the blooms, they are much harder to control. University of Kentucky has an extension publication, AGR-207: Broadleaf Weeds of Kentucky that contains common pas-ture weeds, when to treat each and which herbicide you can use for effective control. This publication is avail-able online at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/AGR/AGR207/AGR207.pdf. You can also get a paper copy at the Breckinridge County Cooperative Extension office.

The stage of maturity when you cut your hay is the most important factor affecting quality. You must har-vest at the right time, when the plant is switching from a vegetative to a reproductive (flowering) stage. Many times, this means cutting the hay earlier than normal. Of course, the challenge of cutting hay in the spring in Kentucky is our wet weather. However, we often get a string of days with good sun and dry weather in late April and early May. Being ready to cut early when the weather allows is extremely helpful.

Using legumes, especially the tall ones like red clover and alfalfa, provide high yields and will add nitro-gen to the soil over time. They are higher in protein and energy than grasses and continue to yield well in the summer when many of our cool-season grasses are suffering from the heat. Research shows that red clover, in particular, is good at minimizing the adverse effects animals get from consuming too much toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue.

Tedding and raking hay are integral parts of harvesting. But if you ted or rake the hay when it is too dry, it can lead to leaf shatter. This hurts hay quality, because the high-quality nutrients are concentrated in the leaf.

Making good hay means baling at the right moisture content and protecting hay from the weather. Proper moisture at baling will prevent heating and molding of stored hay. Covered storage structures are best for hay storage. If you don’t have covered storage space, breaking the contact between the bale and the ground is im-portant, since most moisture enters the hay from soil contact. You can prevent moisture absorption by using materials, such as old tires and/or crushed rock, to elevate the hay off the ground.

You can also wrap your hay in plastic, which will provide some protection from the rain. Hay should be as dry as possible before covering in plastic and should be fed out in the year it was made.

After you have done a good job harvesting hay, remember to feed it efficiently to minimize losses. There are many methods of feeding hay, but the best ensure that there is minimal waste. Livestock tend to eat high quality hay quickly, which also lowers waste.

More information on producing quality forages is available by contacting the Breckinridge County Coopera-tive Extension office of the UK Cooperative Extension Service.

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Virtual Shop Talks for Farmers

Theme: Resource Stewardship in Hard Times

How can you make soil health and stewardship practices work in times of stress and uncertainty?

This virtual Shop Talk series will be an opportunity to have meaningful conversations with other farmers and experts about practical ideas and programs that can help you weather hard times and have success with stew-ardship practices on your farm.

Dates March 3 & 17, 2021 Time: 9am-10:30am CT / 10am-11:30am ET Place: Zoom (link sent upon registration)

Free and open to farmers across the Midwest and Mid-South. Registration is required.

Full details here: https://northcentralwater.org/farmer-to-farmer-conservation-learning-and-leadership/virtual-farmer-shop-talks/

Register here: https://bit.ly/farmershoptalks

Organized by Extension specialists from Mississippi State University, University of Kentucky, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Arkansas, and University of Illinois.

This is a CAIP approved educational meeting for Breckinridge County.

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These webinars

will qualify as a

CAIP Approved

Educational Meeting

for

Breckinridge County.

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These webinars will qualify as a CAIP Approved Educational Meeting for

Breckinridge County participants.

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Reaching Out While Locked In Resumes in February

The UK Beef Webinar Series Reaching Out While Locked In will resume in February and con-

tinue through May of 2021.

The sessions will be the first and third Tuesday of each month and will start at 8:00 p.m. East-

ern/7:00 p.m. Central. There will be planning sessions on preparing for the calving season, tar-

geted feeding, reproductive management, weed management, forage management, economic

outlook and a special Shooting the Bull session with the Beef Extension Team to address your

questions and discuss current challenges and opportunities.

Website is: https://afs.ca.uky.edu/beef/videos/beef-management-webinar-series

These webinars will qualify as a CAIP Approved Educational Meeting for

Breckinridge County.

EQUIPMENT FOR RENT

The Extension Office has a No-Till Seed Drill and a Hay Wrapper available for rent.

For more information on

renting or set up a date to use call:

Seed Drill — Hobdy Dye & Reed at 270-756-2555

Hay Wrapper — Wright Implement at 270-756-5152

PPP Loan Update

This is the link to an article posted in the Agricultural Economics Extension newsletter Eco-

nomic and Policy Update that summarizes the reauthorized Small Business Administration

(SBA) guidance on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan: https://agecon.ca.uky.edu/

paycheck-protection-program-update

Please contact your banking institution to apply ASAP. Deadline is March 31st.

Requirements: Schedule F tax form for 2019 or 2020 with a positive gross farm income.

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HARD SURFACES CAN HELP REDUCE MUD

Source: Steve Higgins, Director of Environmental Compliance for the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Sta-tion

If you have been farming in Kentucky for any length of time, you know the winter weather can make your farm quite muddy. Feeding livestock during the winter or moving equipment over unfrozen, wet ground can exacerbate the amount of mud on the farm.

Mud is not good for several reasons. It can cause topsoil erosion and increase soil compaction. Livestock that have to walk through mud require more feed for energy but actually eat and drink less because they expel so much energy getting to feed and water. Therefore, mud reduces daily average gains. Mud on animal’s coats makes it harder for them to regulate their body temperature−increasing the amount of energy they need to generate heat for warmth in the winter and cool themselves in the summer. For horses, mud can increase the risk of slipping and falling and can make walking or standing difficult.

Fortunately, you can reduce the amount of mud on your farm by installing hard traffic pads on areas of your farm that tend to get the most traffic.

You have many choices for materials to use for heavy-use pads. Some of these include concrete, plastic traffic grid and geotextile fabric and rock. The material you use depends on many factors, including material availability, installation costs and the size of your operation.

With the exception of horses which require softer surfaces, concrete pads are by far the strongest, easiest to clean and lowest maintenance material for most livestock producers to use. Concrete pads should be placed in areas that receive heavy animal traffic, such as around waterers, adjacent to feed bunks, in holding areas and near gates. While the installation costs of concrete pads may be higher than other materials, you are going to save money in the long term, because you reduce the amount of wasted feed and get better gains on your livestock.

The thickness of the pad will depend on the type of livestock you have, stocking density and whether the area also gets a lot of equipment traffic. Areas with livestock traffic require a pad that is at least 4 inches thick placed on several inches of gravel. Trucks, tractors and other heavy equipment need concrete pads at least 5 to 6 inches thick.

A hilltop or sloped surface is often the best location for a hard surface pad, as they tend to be away from most waterways and will allow nearby vegetation to filter storm water runoff. Make sure the location also drains away from feed bunkers, waterers and roads.

Concrete pads need to have a solid foundation to be successful. Prepare the site by removing topsoil until you reach soil that is easily compacted and make sure the area is level. Use at least 6 inches of compacted dense grade aggregate to provide a solid base for a concrete pad. Inadequate foundation preparation can cause a concrete pad to fail or freeze or damage water pipes.

Horse owners should similarly prepare their sites but should construct their pads using geotextile fabrics followed by 6-inch layer of crushed limestone and finished with 2-to-3 inches of dense grade aggregate. Cre-ate a more durable surface by compacting the dense grade aggregate using a small, smooth-drum roller like those used for asphalt projects.

More information about installing hard surfaces on your farm is available in the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service publications AEN 115: Appropriate all-weather surfaces for livestock and ID-164: High traffic area pads for horses. They are available online at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/aen/aen115/aen115.pdf and http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id164/id164.pdf or you can get a hard copy from the Breckinridge County Cooperative Extension office.

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These webinars will qualify as a CAIP Approved Educational Meeting for

Breckinridge County.

From the Woods Today

University of Kentucky Forestry and Natural Resources Extension is offering relevant information about

woodlands in a weekly, live video. “From the Woods Today,” will be available each Wednesday at

11 a.m. EDT using Zoom and now streamed to Facebook Live.

The link to the Zoom sessions and previous shows can be seen by visiting:

www.FromTheWoodsToday.com

CAIP Approved Educational Meeting for Breckinridge County.

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These webinars will qualify as a CAIP Approved Educational Meeting for

Breckinridge County.

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These webinars will qualify as a CAIP Approved Educational Meeting for

Breckinridge County.

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Stop by one of the following recycling centers near you:

Breckinridge County High School Cloverport Fire Department Auggie Doggie’s, Garfield

St. Romuald Gym, Hardinsburg McQuady Firehouse

Breckinridge County Extension Office Rough River Corp of Engineers Office

McDaniels Community Center Frederick Fraize High School, Cloverport

Hardinsburg Elementary School Union Star

All recycling sites are accessible 24 hours a day,

seven days a week.

The Cooperative Extension Service prohibits discrimination in its programs and employment on the basis of race, color, age, sex, religion, disabil-

ity, or national origin.

To file a complaint of discrimination, contact Tim West, UK College of Agriculture, 859-257-3879; Terry Allen or Patty Bender, UK Office of

Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity, 859-257-8927; or the USDA, Director Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Bldg., 14th & Inde-

pendence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 (202-720-5964).

Mark your calendars!

If you are interested in any of these events, call the Extension Office at 270-756-2182 for more

information.

Horticulture Webinar Wednesdays

March to May 11:30 a.m. (ct)

2021Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference—Virtual

March 2-4, 2021 5:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m. (ct)

UK Wheat Field Day

Tuesday, May 11, 2021 8:00 a.m. (ct)

Almanac Tidbits for: February

Plant above ground crops -— 12-13, 16-18, 21-23

Plant Below ground crops — 1-4, 7-8, 28

Seed Beds——————— 3-4, 21-23

Kill plant pests:————— 5-6, 9-11, 14-15, 19-20, 24-27