Author: Sam McNeill
Major Program: Grains
New EMC calculator for KY grains_sm 2022.doc
Author: Chad Lee
Through the James B Beam Institute, I tought 40 hours of grain crops management and grain quality to employees of James B. Beam Company. These employees were all working in the new Booker distillery. I introduced the cohort to at least four farmers from Kentucky and with help from JBBI personnel, we videoed corn growth and development over time, grain handling and some other activities as well. They are asking for another course. The apprentices in the cohort retained some basic crop management
I facilitated a workshop where three farmers talked about how they are using strip tillage and cover crops to grow corn. This meeting was for farmers and sponsored by the Kentucky Corn Growers. There were several attendees who want to try to use strip tillage as well. This meeting spurred us to consider investigating strip tillage in corn.
Presented information on how Kentucky farmers manage food-grade corn (yellow and white) with irrigation to agriculturalists in Mexico at the Intagri conference. This presentation was by Zoom. Kentucky exports a lot of food grade corn to Mexico. This was my second invitation to this conference.
The Kentucky Ag Water Quality working group visited a farm in western Kentucky where the farmer is using sod waterways, filter strips, cover crops and strip tillage in a crop rotation on his farm. The farmer discussed the costs of building sod waterways and showed us a neighboring farm that uses heavy tillage. Erosion from that farm puts sediment into the sod waterway and caused this farmer to have to re-build the waterways this past fall. This farm visit was helpful to all on the water working
Author: Conner Raymond
One topic that normally comes up in a open discussion with producers is the use of foliar fertilizers. After multiple discussions about yield impacts and ROI of foliar fertilizer use on soybeans, one producer decide to spray 20 acres of "test strips" instead of a blanket application of 1000-1500 acres. This not only allowed this producer to make a more informed decision on inputs but also saved thousands of dollars and several hours of labor.
Author: Daniel Carpenter
The LaRue County Agriculture Extension Agent has worked with the High School Agriculture department with various programs over the years. One of the highlights each year is serving as a “coach” for the crop scouting team and preparing them for state and national crop scouting contest. The team has a history of doing well at the state contest, winning the inaugural competition, placing 2nd in its second year, and winning again in 2021. In 2021, the team also received first place in th
Author: Timothy Stombaugh
Fusarium Head Blight is currently the most economically important wheat disease in the U.S. and Canada. Control of the disease requires complete coverage of fungicides on the maturing wheat head. Collaborative efforts between Plant Pathologists and Biosystems and Agricultural Engineers have identified best management practices for applying fungicides to the crop. They have evaluated the best nozzle technology and application methods to achieve proper chemical coverage and effic
As fertilizer prices continue to increase, application accuracy becomes more important. Unfortunately, granular fertilizer application equipment tends to be very inaccurate and inconsistent in material placement. One of the biggest challenges for operators is understanding proper overlap between passes to achieve uniformity. A national effort has developed a new standard that prescribes proper methodology to evaluate the distribution pattern from granular application equipment
Author: Colette Laurent
The 2022 Wheat Field Day was held on May 10, 2022. Holding this annual event was in question following the destruction caused by the December 10, 2021 tornado. Although the wheat crop survived, the buildings, and equipment were not so fortunate. What also survived was the Wheat Science Group‘s determination to deliver a quality program in spite of having no office to work out of. In the face of these overwhelming circumstances, the Wheat Science Group delivered a qu
Author: Carl Bradley
On December 10, 2021, an EF-4 tornado destroyed the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center (UKREC) located in Princeton, KY. Dr. Carl Bradley runs an applied plant pathology research program on diseases of soybean and small grain crops (barley, rye, and wheat) based out of the UKREC. Unfortunately, the tornado destroyed all facilities (labs, offices, etc.) and equipment (lab equipment, field equipment, vehicles, etc.) associated with Dr. Bradley’s program. This provided sever
Fusarium head blight (also known as “scab”) of wheat is the most damaging disease that regularly occurs in Kentucky and other wheat growing states. Causing both yield and quality losses, this disease caused an estimated annual average loss of over 28 million bushels worth over $147 million in the United States between 2018 and 2021. Dr. Carl Bradley and two colleagues from North Dakota State University (Dr. Andrew Friskop) and the University of Idaho (Dr. Juliet Marshall) led th
Author: Vicki Shadrick
Crop production is a major part of the agriculture economies in Western Kentucky, with Corn, Soybeans, and wheat being the major crops produced in most counties. To meet the needs of producers, Ag agents in Hopkins, McLean, and Webster Counties have worked together to identify the educational needs of Grain Producers and develop programs to meet those needs. In addition to the Tri-County plot work that has been done in the past, agents have worked to provide additional opportunities and del
Author: Teresa Rogers
The Kentucky Agriculture Training School had a 2-day Drone Pilot Certification Workshop scheduled for Dec 20-21, 2021 at UKREC in Princeton, KY. This training took extensive planning to coordinate. The instructor, Mandy Briggs, was scheduled to travel from Illinois, ordering and printing materials was completed, and I was in direct contact with each participant to guide them in scheduling their testing time and place that would follow the class, and also helped coordinate hotel
The Kentucky Agriculture Training School held two successful Drone Pilot Certification Workshops, one in December 2021, and the next on in March 2022. Both of these classes were held in Western KY, however, there was a strong request for one to be held in Eastern KY. With the help of Elliot Co. Extension Agent Jacob Ison, we were able to make that happen in June 2022. I corresponded with the instructor who flew the distance from Champaign Illinois to teach the class in Morehead
Author: Jay Stone
Tri-County Ag Extension Group Educational Series Tri-County Ag Extension Group consists of Agriculture and Natural Resources Agents in Webster, McLean and Hopkins Counties. The counties are not only alike geographically, but also agriculturally. Many producers in the tri-county area farm in all three counties. With specialist demand during the “winter meeting season” coupled with travel constraints, moving toward multi-county educational opportunities just make
Author: Colby Guffey
Grain crop producers continually struggle each season with the decision of whether to apply a fungicide to the corn crop or not. A local producer called the ANR Agent to inquire about setting up a fungicide trial on corn at tassel. A new startup company utilizing a drone to aerial apply fungicides to crops was contacted about participating in the trial. The Clinton and Cumberland Co. ANR Agents cooperated on this project, setting up replicated plots with four reps being treated
Author: John Grove
Received a phone call from a field corn producer, Jerry Peery, in Hickman County. He and his grandson, Jonathan, have a corn crop that has not received rain in several weeks, but is at a growth stage where nitrogen (N) fertilizer must be applied soon. No rain is in the forecast. They apply the N to the soil surface, avoiding soil disturbance in their rolling topography, and are worried about volatilization losses when using the urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) liquid fertilizer they normally dribble-
