Of Cows and Plowsfranklin.ca.uky.edu/files/ag_newsletter_july_2020_final...The presence of a bat in a house probably causes more alarm than does any other wildlife species. To find

Welcome (Mostly) Back! Extension Update

Here at your Extension Office, we are slowly “re-opening” as the Governor, UK and county allows. It definitely won’t be the old normal for a while, but at least we will be physically “open” again to a certain extent. As of this printing, here are the guidelines we’ve been given:

The office is open for appointments only, call 695-9035 to set up an appointment.

No more than 50% of employees are working on-site simultaneously – so obviously not all agents will be in the building at once.

A log of all visitors to the office will be maintained, with visitor signature required for contact tracing should that become necessary.

For as much as possible, virtual meetings will still be the first communication method. Meetings and events with up to 50 attendees are now allowed, but with social distancing in place our capacity is about 24 people. A revised Attendance Roster has been developed for additional information, again for contact tracing purposes and including waiver of liability.

And when you do visit, I hope you’ll still recognize us – we’ll have our masks on.

Now, as a result, this summer will be different. Our County Fair has already been cancelled, as was 4-H Summer Camp. I’m working with Cattlemen’s board members on ideas for educational meetings as we move forward. They will have a board meeting later this month to discuss and develop options.

The Farm City Field Day likely will not happen, even at a later date for 2020. There are several reasons for this: Attendance is usually between 400-600 people! We cannot serve food yet (now that will affect attendance!). We usually have four portable toilets and one hand washing station, we could not afford the increase to accommodate the current guidelines for restrooms and hand washing. And most importantly, the health and safety of our attendees and volunteers, many of which are in the “vulnerable” groups. Field Day requires MANY volunteers to make it happen and I’ve had quite a few say they wouldn’t help this year for health concerns. Lastly, we have to think of our hosts and sponsoring agencies. The event takes a lot of preparation and work, If we continued the process now and there was a spike

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and the guidelines shut us down, it would be a huge waste of many people’s time and efforts.

The State Fair is still on – kind of. According to their website, “As an annual outdoor attraction, the Kentucky State Fair Board is responding to concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19. All options are being considered to create a safe environment for all those in attendance while keeping true to the Kentucky State Fair and World’s Championship Horse Show. This plan encompasses all expectations and emerging requirements” Read more about the changes at https://kystatefair.org/covid-19-plan/

So, bear with us as we navigate through summer and hopefully, we’ll keep taking baby steps forward.

Plant of the Month This year has been a good year for Black Medic and I have been getting questions about it. It kind of looks like alfalfa with a yellow bloom. Here’s some info from MSU:

Black Medic (Medicago lupulina)

Plant Characteristics: W inter annual w ith stem s grow ing close to the ground and hairy, heart-shaped leaflets with toothed margins. Yellow flowers with coiled seed pods.

Fertilization: Grows well from m oderate acid to calcareous soils. A nitrogen/phosphorus ratio of 2:1 is recommended where black medic has become established. Follow soil test recommendations for fertilizer applications.

Grazing/Hay Management: Black m edic is used for pasture management. Low yields are usually produced from April to early May. Forage yields range from 1 to 1.5 tons/ac.

Forage Quality: Black m edic is palatable to livestock and has fair forage value w ith protein contents ranging from 8 to 12%. However, because black medic is an annual, it is not a good source of pasture forage. It can cause bloat if over-consumed.

Varieties/Cultivars: No cultivars have been developed for the South since m ost black medic is volunteer.

Extension Services Available Drop off your soil samples, plant samples, and water samples at the Extension Office. Place all

samples in the metal filing cabinet outside the main entrance. Please make sure to include your

name and phone number on the sample container. In the top drawer, you will find paperwork for

your sample; please complete as much as you can, including your name and phone number. Place

that paperwork with your sample. The Extension staff will call you to obtain additional information,

and you will receive an invoice for any charges.

Equipment can still be rented. Please set up an appointment to pick up any rental equipment by

contacting the office 24 hours prior to your arrival.

For all other questions, or to schedule an appointment to meet with extension staff, please call 502-

695-9035, or email us at [email protected].

Bats: Information for Kentucky Homeowners By Thomas G. Barnes Few animals are as misunderstood as bats. They are the subject of myths, misunderstandings, and folklore that make them among the most feared animals in Kentucky. Bats are relentlessly persecuted wherever they are found. The presence of a bat in a house probably causes more alarm than does any other wildlife species. To find out more about bat facts such as their biology, benefits, how to identify them, attract them or safely & legally exclude them, ask for publication FOR-48 a the Franklin County Extension Office, or go to http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/for/for48/FOR48.PDF.

Crossing Through This:

Managing Farm and Family in 2020

Thursdays at 7pm EDT/ 6pm

CDT July 23

rd & 30

th, August 6

th & 13

th

2020 has presented unique challenges in all aspects of life. Managing a farm business in uncertain times can be difficult. Join our host Dr. Steve Isaacs, University of Kentucky, Cooperative Extension Service for a weekly webinar series as we invite a series of speakers to discuss how to come through current issues facing farm families. The 4-week online series will begin on Thursday, July 23rd at 7:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM CDT.

Check out the Franklin County Cooperative

Extension webpage for more articles, back issues

of newsletters, and other great information.

www.Franklin.ca.uky.edu

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) - USDA Adds Digital Options for Farmers and Ranchers to Apply for

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program USDA’s Farm Service Agency announced that it will now accept applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) through an online portal, expanding the options available to producers to apply for this program, which helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic. FSA is also leveraging commercial document storage and e-signature solutions to enable producers to work with local service center staff to complete their applications from home. Through the portal, producers with secure USDA login credentials—known as eAuthentication—can certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center. Producers who do not have an eAuthentication account can learn more and begin the enrollment process at farmers.gov/sign-in. Currently, the digital application is only available to sole proprietors or single-member business entities. USDA Service Centers can also work with producers to complete and securely transmit digitally signed applications through two commercially available tools: Box and OneSpan. Producers who are interested in digitally signing their applications should notify their local service centers when calling to discuss the CFAP application process. You can learn more about these solutions at farmers.gov/mydocs. USDA has several other options for producers to complete and submit their CFAP applications. These include:

Downloading the AD-3114 application form from farmers.gov/cfap and manually completing the form to submit to the local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically or by hand delivery to an office drop box. In some limited cases, the office may be open for in-person business by appointment. Visit farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status to check the status of your local office.

Completing the application form using our CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator found at farmers.gov/cfap. This Excel workbook allows customers to input information specific to their operation to determine estimated payments and populate the application form, which can be printed, and then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center.

Getting Help from FSA

New customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center. All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can be downloaded from farmers.gov/cfap. For existing FSA customers, these documents are likely already on file. Producers self-certify their records when applying for CFAP, and that documentation is not submitted with the application. However, producers may be asked for their documentation to support the certification of eligible commodities, so they should retain the information used to complete their application. More Information

To find the latest information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/cfap or call 877-508-8364.

Tobacco GAP Training Online Training: GAPC is offering an online option for growers. Growers will need to go to

www.gapconnections.com, sign-in using their Grower ID and password, navigate to “Online Training” under Training on their dashboard and follow the instructions. Growers completing online training, must score a 100% on the quiz after viewing the 2 videos. GAPC Staff have been resetting passwords daily for growers. All the grower needs to do is call and ask for a password reset.

Mail Option: If requested, GAPC will mail a Tobacco Information booklet containing

information from GAPC and Extension Tobacco Specialists. To receive credit for 2020 GAP Training by mail, a grower must complete the quiz and return it to GAPC. GAPC mailed out this packet to all growers in the certification program. GAPC has been mailing packets to all other growers on request.

Start weed control for summer weeds like tall ironweed and horse nettle.

Identify fescue pastures for stockpiling.

Soil test fields to be seeded in fall to determine pasture fertilization needs.

Direct-to-Consumer Beef Webinar Series

UK entomologists find invasive paper wasps preying on

monarch butterfly larvae

Written By: Katie Pratt

Lexington, Ky.,- An invasive paper wasp may be stymying the efforts of urban gardeners to rebuild monarch butterfly habitats, according to recent research by University of Kentucky entomologists.

Adam Baker, UK doctoral student, and Daniel Potter, UK entomology professor, found Polistes dominula, more commonly known as the European paper wasp, preying on monarch larvae on milkweed plants in urban pollinator gardens. The wasp was accidentally introduced in the U.S. in the 1970s and is well established throughout the country, particularly in urban areas.

“Only about 5% to 10% of monarchs make it from egg to adulthood. While some of their mortality is due to host plant defenses, far more is likely due to natural enemies preying on them,” Baker said. “In our study, Polistes dominula was the most common wasp seen hunting caterpillars in Central Kentucky gardens. We think it may be a game-changer for urban monarch conservation."

The UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment entomologists observed the outcomes of 120 encounters between the paper wasps and various sizes of monarch larvae. The wasps killed most of the smaller larvae, carrying them off whole or cutting them into pieces before flying off to feed them to their developing young. In contrast, most large monarch caterpillars were able to escape the wasps by thrashing or dropping off the plant.

In the study, wasps were far more likely to prey on monarch larvae in urban gardens than in rural habitats bordered by woodlots. The entomologists suspect this is likely due to the urban gardens' close proximity to buildings. The wasp prefers to build its nests under eaves, in cavities or other sheltered places in or around human-built structures.

Their study also showed that ornamental butterfly boxes, which well-meaning gardeners put up in the hopes of providing shelter for butterflies and to add aesthetic interest to gardens, may be inadvertently attracting the wasps.

“We found active wasp nests in 16 of 22 boxes in the six urban gardens we surveyed, but we saw no signs of butterflies using the boxes,” Baker said.

The entomologists also suspect that wasps could be attracted to other wooden structures commonly found in or near gardens, such as birdhouses.

According to UK entomologists, people interested in gardening for monarchs and other butterflies can reduce losses to wasp predation by repairing or securing any structures near gardens that might be attractive nesting sites. If wasp nests are found, gardeners can spot treat them using wasp or hornet spray or have a professional do so.

The study was recently published in the academic journal, Scientific Reports. It is available for free, online at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-66621-6.

A European paper wasp attacks a monarch butterfly caterpillar. Photo by Daniel Potter, UK entomologist.

If you spend a significant amount of time outdoors in the summer, chances are you have had a few tick encounters. Ticks are parasites that must have three blood meals during their lifetime to develop and reproduce. Kentucky is an ideal environment for ticks as we have forests, humidity and a large deer population.

The three most common ticks in Kentucky are the lone star tick, American dog tick and the blacklegged tick. The vast majority of bites from these ticks are just itchy nuisances that last between seven to 10

days, but a small percentage of bites can cause serious allergic reactions and illnesses.

Lone star ticks are the most common tick in the state. You can identify female lone star ticks by the white spot on their backs. Males are reddish brown. Lone star ticks are vectors of human ehrlichiosis, a bacterial disease, and alpha-gal syndrome, known as the “red meat allergy.” All developmental stages of the tick will feed on humans, and unlike other tick species that lay in wait for a host, lone star ticks actively seek out a blood meal.

The blacklegged tick is the only species that tends to be active year-round in Kentucky, and it is the only vector of Lyme disease. Blacklegged ticks have a reddish-brown body, a dark head, long mouthparts and dark legs. Males have a dark plate that covers their whole body, while females have a dark plate that covers half of their body.

The American dog tick is the primary vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. It is reddish brown with mottled white markings on its back. Only adult American dog ticks feed on humans.

You can minimize your chances of getting a tick bite by not walking through or brushing up against high grass, brush or other tick-prone areas. You can wear a tick repellent that contains between 20% to 30% DEET on exposed skin and use a repellent containing permethrin on your clothing and gear. Wear light-colored clothing, as this makes ticks easier to see. Tuck long pants into your socks or boots to minimize the chances of ticks attaching to your pantleg.

Many times, ticks find their way indoors through our pets. Reduce your pet’s chances of attracting ticks by using a tick collar, spray or shampoo or a monthly “top spot” medication.

Promptly finding and removing ticks is key to reducing your chances of contracting Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. Ticks must be attached to humans for several hours before they transmit these diseases. While outdoors, you should check yourself and your friends, family members and pets for ticks every two to three hours and again after you return home. Some of the most common places to find them are behind your ears, hair, neck, legs and around your waist. If ticks are found, the best way to remove them is by using a fine-tipped tweezer.

More information on ticks is available at the Franklin County office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

Engorged American dog tick

Female lone star tick

REMINDER! ALL CAIP PAPERWORK MUST BE TURNED IN AT THE EXTENSION

OFFICE NO LATER THAN 4:00 PM ON FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2020.

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBPAGE, FRANKLIN.CA.UKY.EDU AND CLICK ON THE

AG & NATURAL RESOURCES TAB, THEN ON CAIP FOR THE PRODUCERS REPORT,

AND ALL THINGS CAIP. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL 502-695-9035

OR EMAIL [email protected].

Ways to protect yourself from ticks Source: Jonathan Larson, extension entomologist

Spontaneous combustion hay fires have caused loss of life and valuable nutrition for livestock, but you can prevent them if you keep a watchful eye and know the signs of a problem.

Baling hay at appropriate moistures and monitoring the temperature of recently baled hay are your best tools. Generally, hay will go through a heating phase within one to two weeks after baling. During this time, monitor the hay to make sure it doesn’t reach temperatures that can damage the hay or lead to spontaneous combustion.

It is not unusual for the temperature within a bale of hay to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and it may go as high as 130 degrees before beginning to decline. If the temperature peaks below 130 degrees, you may lose some quality but you won’t have a danger of fire. With free air circulation around a bale, both heat and moisture can dissipate. A single bale rarely heats enough to catch on fire, but when you place bales close together or stack with other bales that are also heating, it is much more difficult for the heat to escape. A good practice is to leave bales scattered in the barn for three to four weeks before placing them in a stack.

If the bales are wetter than they should be, the temperatures can easily rise above 130 degrees. At 140 to 150 degrees, more microbial growth and chemical reactions within the hay cause it to generate heat at an increasingly rapid rate.

If hay temperatures reach 150 degrees, you need to move bales to allow for better air circulation and frequently check the temperature. At 180 degrees, fire is imminent, and at 200 degrees, it is likely present. In either case, you need to notify the fire department. It is best to wait for them to arrive before removing the hay from the stack in case of a flare up.

Smoke from hay treated with an acid preservative may contain toxic fumes, so keep people away from the smoke and inform the firefighters of any treatments you applied.

To check hay temperature, you may use several types of thermometers. Find one that is durable, easy to use and will measure up to 200 degrees.

Attaching a string or a thin wire and lowering or pushing it into a probe that has been inserted into the hay is one way to use a simple glass thermometer. Do not insert them directly into the hay because they easily break. It is best to use only spirit-filled glass thermometers to prevent accidentally contaminating hay with mercury from a broken thermometer.

You can use electronic thermometers with remote sensors and a digital readout. Avoid LED displays as they are often hard to read in bright light. An LCD is a better choice. Some electronic moisture meters also measure temperature.

Long-stem thermometers, commonly called compost thermometers, are probably the most

rugged and reliable. With these types, the price increases with the dial size and length of the stem. It may be tempting to stick these directly into a hay bale, but the stem can be easily bent and the accuracy or operation of the thermometer could be destroyed.

It is best and necessary in most cases to use some kind of hay probe. You can make one for yourself using steel pipe or electrical conduit or you can purchase commercial probes.

Measure the wettest hay first. Probe square bales from the side, round bales from the end. Insert the probe near the center of the bale. In round bales, if the core is loosely formed, probe 6 to 12 inches away from the center where the hay will be more tightly packed.

In large stacks, it may be difficult to reach the center, but it is important to get at least 5 to 10 feet down from the top or in from the side. The most critical factor is to reach where the wettest hay is stored. It is best to probe at several locations and at different depths within a stack to locate the warmest spot.

For more information on hay production contact the Franklin County Extension office.

Preventing spontaneous hay fires Source: Ray Smith, UK forage specialist

Over 200 extension publications produced by

the University of Kentucky are available online at

www.uky.edu/ag/forage.

Potato Leaf Hopper By Ric Bessin, Extension Entomologist

While potato leafhopper is pest of alfalfa in general, it is more problematic in spring-seeded alfalfa. Potato leafhopper is tiny and easily overlooked, but size has little to do with importance as a pest. Spring-seeded alfalfa needs to be monitored regularly for this pest until the first cutting. The extended 70 to 90 day growth period before first harvest allows time for damaging numbers of leafhopper numbers to build and damage stands. The more frequent cutting of established alfalfa helps to manage potato leafhopper numbers. Significant numbers of leafhoppers often find their way into spring-seeded fields in spring with a rapid increase during June and a peak in early July, but usually disappear from Kentucky alfalfa fields in late July.

Damage

Potato leafhopper can impact alfalfa in several ways. Insertion of their piecing sucking mouthparts to feed on sap physically damages vascular tissues of stems and leaves, and it blocks the phloem. The characteristic symptom is called hopperburn and results from the accumulation of photosynthates in leaves near the blockage. It begins as a V-shaped wedge of yellow extending

from about the middle of the leaf to the tip. This damage can result in stunted growth, premature leaf-drop, reduced root carbohydrate reserves, and drastic reductions in protein content of hay. PLH can reduce yields up to 25%, as well as lower crude protein, vitamin A, carotene, calcium, phosphorus, and digestible dry matter content.

Monitoring for Potato Leafhopper

Regular monitoring of spring-seeded fields alerts us to potentially damaging potato leafhopper populations before they damage fields. Fields are samples with a 15-inch diameter sweep net. Five sets of 20 sweeps are taken from randomly selected areas representing the

entire. These leafhopper numbers coupled with the average plant stem height, is used to determine if a leafhopper treatment is needed. For more information, read ENTFACT-115 ‘Potato Leafhoppers’. Insecticide recommendations for forage crops can be found in ENT-17.

Figure 2. Figure 1. Potato leafhopper damage results in a V-shaped area and is referred to as hopperburn (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK)

Figure 1 Potato leafhopper feeds with piecing-sucking mouthparts (blue arrow) and physically damages vascular tissues of stems and leaves, by blocking the phloem.

Keenan Bishop, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Education

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