Success Stories By MajorProgram FY2018Jul 1, 2017 - Jun 30, 2018





SOKY Commercial Pesticide Training

Author: Christopher Schalk

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Commercial pesticide applicators are called upon by farmer's, businesses, golf courses, homeowners, and many others to control pests in a number of situations. These applicators are required to obtain continuing education credits to maintain their licenses. In 2017 the ANR and horticulture agents in the east part of district 6 provided applicators an opportunity to continue their education by hosting the SOKY Pesticide Training. This was the third year that this two day training opportunity,

Full Story

SOKY Pesticide Training

Author: Gary Bell

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Commercial pesticide applicators are called upon by farmer's, businesses, golf courses, homeowners, and many others to control pests in a number of situations. These applicators are required to obtain continuing education credits to maintain their licenses. In 2017 the ANR and horticulture agents in the east part of district 6 provided applicators an opportunity to continue their education by hosting the SOKY Pesticide Training. This was the fourth year that this two day training opport

Full Story

2017 Pesticide Applicator Training

Author: David Koester

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

As many as three hundred tri-state Green Industry personnel receive pesticide training updates(CEUs) at the Boone County Extension Service on an annual basis. Trainings have typically been done in the spring with as many threeseparate all day offerings. Attendees at the spring 2017 trainings were surveyed by the Extension Service. We were seeking specific ways to improve these meetings. Many of the respondents requested a fall pesticide training. They stated a fall class after the growing s

Full Story

SOKY Commercial Pesticide Training

Author: Joanna Coles

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Application of crop protection chemicals and lawn/landscapechemicals is an important industry in South Central Kentucky. Professional applicators must receive training to stay current on issues,pests, techniques, and safety for the products they apply.  They need toreceive 12 hours of continuing education during a three year cycle to maintaintheir applicator license.  3 of these hours must address specific topicsthat pertain to their license category.  Many applicators were having

Full Story

Targeting Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

Author: Jonathan Green

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Herbicide resistant weeds have become a significant factor in making weed management decisions for soybean and corn producers. Through surveys of county agents and other clientele and samples submitted to the Weed Science Herbarium, we have been able to document the rapid spread of herbicide-resistant weeds such as Palmer amaranth and waterhemp across Kentucky during the past eight years. To address this concern we continue to be actively engaged in delivery of educational programs and conductin

Full Story

Weed Management in Forage Crops

Author: Jonathan Green

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Weed management issues in pastures, hay fields, and other forage crops continue to be an area of importance to livestock producers. To meet these needs newsletter articles and publications have been developed and presentations made at local and state-wide meetings and field days including sessions for Kentucky Cattlemen's Associations, area Hay Production Schools, KY Farm Bureau annual meeting, and KY Alfalfa Conference. Extension publications such as “Broadleaf Weeds of Kentucky Pastu

Full Story

Local Training Important to Commercial Applicators

Author: Paul Andrew Rideout

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Commercial Pesticide Training In Henderson CountyCommercial pesticide application has many risks; both to the public and to the applicator. Legal risks are also a major concern to enterprises engaged in applying control products as well as environmental concerns with improperly used or over used pesticides.Holding a commercial applicator's license requires continuing education or retesting on a three year cycle. Although CEUs can be obtained from attending numerous trainings across the state

Full Story

VegIPM hotline expands reach of integrated pest management to internet-limited vegetable producers in KY

Author: Emily Pfeufer

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Numerous different commercial producers contribute to Kentucky's overall vegetable production output. At least six produce auctions market vegetables commercially multiple times per week in the state, and the majority of producers contributing to these auctions are limited in their ability to use rapid communication methods, either by choice or through necessity. Most of these are plainclothes producers, comprised of Amish, Mennonite, or other Anabaptist groups, who are quite knowledgeable a

Full Story

Study and Outreach of Food Production Methods in an Amish Community in Western Kentucky

Author: Raul Villanueva

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

In this project there was a collaborative effort between the faculty of the Department of Entomology from Princeton (Villanueva), Lexington (Bessin), County Extension Agents from Trigg two Entomological graduate students (Izabela Gomez and Yaziri Gonzalez), and Amish farmers in Cerulean, Trigg Co. The initial contact was to help in the control of sugarcane aphid, In 2016 and 2017 farmers in this community were successful in controlling this aphid species and obtain good yields. This has became a

Full Story

Effective Control of Sugarcane Aphid by Sorghum growers in 2016 and 2017

Author: Raul Villanueva

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Sweet Sorghum Farmers in Trig Co. and many other areas of KY were able to control the sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari) in 2016 and 2017 following the advice of Drs. Bessin and Villanueva. We supported the sorghum (sweet and grain sorghum) producers in several ways: (a) we facilitated the registration of insecticides to control this pest, (b) conducted studies on small replicated tests in the Research and Education Center in Kentucky (comparing insecticides to control the sugarcane

Full Story

Extension Weed Science Team Responds to Dicamba Injury in Soybean

Author: Travis Legleiter

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

The release of dicamba resistant soybean varieties and newly developed dicamba herbicide formulations has allowed farmers throughout the soybean growing regions to spray dicamba during the growing season to control tough to control weed such as Palmer amaranth and waterhemp. The ability to apply dicamba during the growing season has also lead to an increase in the number of incidences of dicamba injury on sensitive crops. Specifically, there has been an increase in number of incidences of off ta

Full Story

Applicators and Farmers trained on proper use of dicamba to reduce off-site movement

Author: Travis Legleiter

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Following the wide spread injury to soybean and other crops due to off-site movement the EPA mandated that all applicators be trained prior to making dicamba applications. The extension weed science team of University of Kentucky worked with Kentucky Department of Agriculture Environmental Services to develop a structure to trainings in the state of Kentucky. The extension weed science team worked with ANR Agents to schedule 14 trainings across the state from January through March of 2017 to com

Full Story

National corn fungicide efficacy resources coordinated through University of Kentucky

Author: Kiersten Wise

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Foliar fungicide applications have now become common in corn production, often applied in the absence of disease and in contrast to Integrated Pest Management recommendations. Farmers and County Agents need information to help them understand how fungicides should be used, and when they have optimum efficacy against corn diseases. The Extension corn pathologist at the University of Kentucky coordinates with other corn pathologists in the United States to create national corn fungicide efficacy t

Full Story

Improving Postharvest Corn Disease Management

Author: Kiersten Wise

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

Postharvest ear rots of corn are caused by fungi that produce toxic compounds, known as mycotoxins. These ear rots and mycotoxins reduce yield and grain quality and reduce storage viability of grain. A workshop was held in Daviess County in February, 2018 to address postharvest grain storage issues. The Extension corn pathologist worked with the County Agent and other Extension specialists to create a one-day program. The program was well-received by attendees, with Poll Everywhere results indic

Full Story