Cooperative Extension Service Nelson County 317 S. Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004 (502) 348-9204 Fax: (502) 348-9270 http://nelson.ca.uky.edu
RON’S RUMBLES Kentucky weather is always an adventure. We’ve almost had a repeat of last year as far as rain goes. Depending on where you live in the county you may have had close to 10 inches in the last couple of weeks. We haven’t lost as much crop to pure flooding as last year but it still remains to be seen how much yield will be hurt because of too much water. On the bright side pastures and hay are in great shape if you can get the hay put up between rains. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not complaining about a wet July.
Upcoming Events July 28—Corn, Soybean & Tobacco Field Day, Princeton, KY Aug 11—Forage Field Day, Willisburg, KY Aug 18-28—KY State Fair Sept 13FGC Field Day, Edenshale Farm Sept 22—Beef Bash, Princeton, KY Oct 19—Fall Grazing Conference, Somerset, KY
Be sure and look inside for the County Agriculture Investment Program announcement on page 13. This is your opportunity to participate in this program. Those funds have done a lot of good in the county over the last 15 years. If I can be of help give me a call.
Ron Bowman County Extension Agent for Agriculture/Natural Resources
Dealing with the Effects of Fescue Toxicosis Michelle Arnold, DVM (UK Ruminant Veterinarian) Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.) is a cool season, perennial grass. The KY-31 variety is usually infected with the fungal endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum (also called Epichloë coenophiala) which grows within the intercellular spaces of the leaf sheaths, stems, and seeds. An “endophyte” is a fungus or bacteria that lives entirely within the tissue spaces of plants and is only visible microscopically. The plant and fungus enjoy a symbiotic relationship; mutually beneficial to both organisms. The fungus has free access to the plant’s nutrients and the plant provides a means for the endophyte to reproduce through infected seeds. The fungus, in turn, produces chemicals (ergot alkaloids) that function as chemical defenses, making the plant more vigorous, pest-resistant, drought-resistant, and tolerant of many adverse soil and environmental conditions. Often KY 31 tall fescue is the only grass that can survive and thrive in poor conditions. The endophyte produces a variety of ergot alkaloids, of which ergovaline is the primary concern and accounts for approximately 80-97% of the alkaloids in tall fescue. The highest ergovaline concentrations are found in the stem and seed head. Hay containing infected seed heads can remain high in ergovaline even when stored over several years. “Fescue toxicosis” is the general term used for the clinical diseases that can affect cattle consuming endophyte-infected tall fescue. The most important in KY is a syndrome frequently referred to as “summer slump”. Affected cattle appear hot with labored respiration (open mouth and/or rapid breathing) and excessive salivation. They avoid grazing during the day, and seek shade or mud wallows to find relief from heat. External signs in cattle include poor growth or weight loss due to decreased feed intake, a dull rough hair coat caused by failure to shed the winter coat and excessive growth of hair, and decreased milk production. Internally, the alkaloids cause vasoconstriction or narrowing of the arteries which leads to poor blood supply to many body systems, causing increased body temperature (hyperthermia), decreased prolactin levels and decreased conception rates. Cattle ultimately spend less time grazing and more time hiding in the shade. 2
Economically, producers can expect reduced pregnancy rates, longer breed back intervals and lighter calves at weaning. Clinical signs vary depending on the genetic makeup of the cattle, the environmental conditions, and the level and duration of the exposure. Cattle may show a vasoconstrictive response to the alkaloids in as little as two days after initial exposure and may stay constricted for up to 6-7 weeks after removal of the animal from infected pasture. The clinical signs may be more severe if tall fescue or other grasses have developed black ergot bodies in place of the seed caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea which also causes vasoconstriction. “Fescue foot� is dry gangrene of the extremities (usually hooves) that occurs due to narrowing of the blood vessels supplying blood
Summer Slump-Photo M. Arnold (University of KY) The expected response to hot summer temperatures is an increase in blood flow to the skin and extremities in order to remove heat from the body core to the skin surface. However, with fescue toxicosis, the blood flow to the skin is reduced by the constrictive effects of the ergot alkaloids on the blood vessels, severely limiting the ability of the body to cool itself. 3
to these distant areas. This syndrome is much more prevalent in areas other than KY. It generally occurs in late fall or winter when environmental temperatures are cooler. Vasoconstriction affects the hind limbs first. Signs include shifting hind limb lameness, unthriftiness, and finally necrosis (dry gangrene) of the hooves. The affected portions of the hoof will fall off or “slough”. Tips of the ears and tail may also be affected. A third syndrome, known as “Fat necrosis” or “lipomatosis”, has been observed with chronic fescue toxicosis and is associated with masses of necrotic fat in the abdominal and/or pelvic cavities. These hard areas of fat can obstruct the birth canal and contribute to calving difficulties. Hard fat masses in the abdomen may lead to intestinal blockage. These conditions may be diagnosed with rectal palpation or may be found at necropsy. Several management practices can be used to improve cattle production on toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue. The highly toxic seed heads are selectively grazed when they are immature and moderately digestible. These seed heads can be regularly mowed or chemically suppressed with Chaparral® herbicide (active ingredient: metsulfuran-methyl). Reductions in seed presence can easily reduce toxicity of the overall forage since ergovaline concentrations are 3-10 times greater in the seed heads than the leaf blades or sheaths. Removing seed heads is an effective tool to manage cattle on pasture without having to get rid of an existing stand of tall fescue. Steers grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue treated with Chaparral to suppress the seed head development had a 39% greater average daily gain (ADG), much higher serum prolactin levels and much lower rectal temperatures than steers on untreated fescue. Rotational grazing will be necessary to accommodate the reduction in forage production when seed heads are suppressed. Additionally, stocking rates may need to be re-evaluated since cattle increase forage consumption when fescue toxicosis is mitigated. Careful attention to soil test recommendations for fertilizer and good weed control are necessary to sustain the stand when tall fescue is grazed hard or it will not persist. When application of Chaparral® is timed for seed head suppression (late April to early May), it will also control winter annual weeds and other early season broadleaves. 4
Providing pasture with a diverse mixture of forage species will reduce the impact of fescue as animals will selectively graze other forages. Interseeding legumes into endophyte-infected tall fescue pasture can benefit animal performance mainly through better diet quality and dilution of ergot alkaloids. Legumes can improve grass-based forage programs by increasing yield, improving quality, improving summer production, and converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form the plant can use, reducing the need for applied nitrogen fertilizer. Secondary plant metabolites, such as isoflavones produced by red clover, have been found to help alleviate the constriction of blood vessels. February is the month to frost seed clovers in KY or use a no-till drill when seeding between early March and early April. Supplementation with grain or coproduct feeds has also been found effective in reducing the observed effects of toxic fescue. Five pounds per head per day of soy hulls has been found quite effective, especially when calves have an estradiol implant placed in the ear. Replacement with new grass is a longer term solution to the KY 31 problem. Use of tall fescue varieties artificially infected with novel or “friendly” endophyte strains that do not produce toxic ergot alkaloids result in greater average daily gain (ADG), lower body temperatures, and slick hair coats. These friendly endophyte pastures have slightly decreased carrying capacity but overall greater body weight gain per acre than toxic fescue pastures. In Kentucky, novel endophyte varieties have shown 10+ years of stand survival under good management. A new variety called “Lacefield MaxQ II”, named after Dr. Garry Lacefield (Extension Professor Emeritus at UK), was recently developed and will be marketed soon by Pennington Seed. In university trials, steers grazing Lacefield MaxQ II showed no decrease in serum prolactin levels or increased rectal and skin temperatures as compared to steers grazing KY 31. Careful grazing management is required during periods of slow pasture growth because cattle will continue to graze these fescue stands “into the ground” without the alkaloid present. Endophyte-free varieties are less tolerant to stresses such as drought, low soil fertility and overgrazing and rapidly deteriorate without excellent management. Stand life of endophyte-free varieties is similar to 5
orchardgrass. Regardless of variety, good grazing management practices will be necessary for free and novel endophyte tall fescue to persist when grazed in the late spring or summer. Perhaps the most effective way to avoid fescue toxicosis is to avoid fescue completely during the most Photo by Eldon Cole, University of harmful times. This is accomplished Missouri Extension-Fescue Foot by moving cattle to warm season grass pastures or alfalfa during the late spring and early summer when seed heads are present in the stand and cattle are the most vulnerable to severe heat stress and depression in performance. Summer annual grasses such as sudangrass, sorghum x sudangrass hybrids, pearl millet and teff are warm season forage crop options. Alfalfa can be used for grazing throughout most of the grazing season including summer. This management technique provides grazing during active growth of the warmseason grasses and/or alfalfa when there is a decline in tall fescue growth. In summary, fescue toxicosis is due to a fungal endophyte within the tall fescue plant which produces ergovaline, a compound that causes profound constriction of blood vessels in cattle. The hallmark effect of this vasoconstriction is hyperthermia or elevated body temperature which most often results in poor animal growth and weight loss. Accumulation of the alkaloids in the tissues may cause the vessels to stay constricted for up to 6-7 weeks after removal of the animal from infected pasture. Solutions to the problem may include replanting endophyte-infected pastures with cultivars infected with novel or friendly endophyte or endophytefree seed, diluting infected pastures with other grasses or legumes, suppressing seed head development through mowing or spraying, or using warm season grass pastures or alfalfa in late spring and early summer instead of fescue as the main forage source. Regardless of forage type, it is essential to always provide a complete mineral mix to ensure adequate intake of the trace elements year round.
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Picking Apples Off The Grazing Tree: How Far Can We Extend The Grazing Season Profitably?Dr. Greg Halich UK Ag Economist Will grazing more and feeding less hay always increase profitability? There are many cases where cattle farmers could graze more days profitably. I would guess that more than half the cattlemen in Kentucky and the region could find ways to do so. But the statement is not universally correct and we need to evaluate the specific situation to determine if increasing grazing days will pay off. The idea that we can be more profitable by grazing more days and feeding less hay is a powerful one, and at first glance seems reasonable. I have seen figures stating the average cost of a grazing day and then comparing this to the average cost of a hay feeding day. The average hay feeding day is shown to be considerably more expensive (correctly) and thus the argument goes that by each additional day we can graze, we will save the difference. If this difference is $0.50 per grazing day for example, and we have 50 cows, we are saving $25 for each extra day that we graze the herd. Unfortunately, the economics behind this simple math breaks down upon closer examination. The most important reason that this logic doesn’t hold is that as we push the envelope and graze more and more days, those last few days grazing will not be at the same cost as the average cost of grazing – they will be higher, possibly much higher. The most effective way I have found to help farmers understand this phenomenon without using lots of economic jargon is the following analogy: Think about picking apples out of one of those big standard sized trees that used to be popular in orchards, during a banner year when it is loaded with apples. Where do you start picking? You get all the fruit that you can easily reach from the ground, correct? This is where you can pick most efficiently. Pretty easy, what do you do next? Well, you might get on your tippy toes and go around the tree and get a few more. Were you as efficient in terms of apples picked per minute as you were when your feet were firmly planted on the ground? No, not quite.
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Then what? If you grew up picking apples, you will probably know to gently pull down some of the longer, flexible branches to reach more apples, right? Are you as efficient here as on your tippy toes? Again, not quite. The cost to pick those apples has increased again. So you have picked all the apples you can by pulling branches down. What do you do next? Depending on your coordination and dexterity, you either get a ladder or you climb up into the tree to start working on the rest. Are you going to be as efficient in either case as you were previously? Definitely not. The point of this analogy is that you are proverbially and literally picking the low hanging fruit first, and then go on to the apples that are harder and harder to reach. Thus we start by picking the fruit that has the lowest cost, and as we work up into that tree, the cost per Table 1 Profit Change Compared to 150 Hay Feeding Days $75/Ton Net Hay Value (Price Less Nutrient Value) Base Profit over Variable Costs (150 Hay Days) Hay Feeding Days
$0
$50
$100
$250
$500
150
-
-
-
-
-
120
$2,093
$1,733
$1,373
$293
-$1,507
90
$3,538
$2,763
$1,988
-$337
-$4,212
60
$4,340
$3,175
$2,010
-$1,485
-$7,310
30
$4,798
$3,348
$1,898
-$2,452
-$9,702
0
$5,062
$3,392
$1,722
-$3,288
-$11,638
Note: 1300 lb cows spring calving Table 1 shows various base profits for 150 feeding days over variable costs ($0 - $500 per cow) for the situation where net hay cost is $75/ton. For example, if the profit per cow was $250, reducing hay feeding days below 120 days reduces profits as fewer cows are within the system to extend grazing days. As profit per cow falls to $50, increasing grazing days lowers input costs as fewer cows are maintained improving profit margins.
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apple keeps increasing and increasing. Would you pick every last apple on that 30 foot tall tree? Probably not. Why? Because the cost of some of the apples, the ones that are hardest to reach, will likely be greater than the value of those apples. But if we used the average cost of picking an apple (when we were picking on the ground) as our guide for what we should do, and not the actual cost to pick those last apples, it would tell us to pick every last apple (i.e. graze 365 days a year). Think of grazing in this same light: The Grazing Tree. What are most livestock farmers going to do first to increase the number of grazing days and reduce the amount of hay they need to feed? The low hanging fruit years ago was simply applying nitrogen to pastures to boost production. Today, with nitrogen costs 4-5 times higher than it was 15-20 years ago, learning how to establish and manage a good clover stand is the new low-hanging fruit. This is probably the lowest cost method of increasing grazing days. What’s next on the Grazing Tree? Realizing that everyone’s Grazing Tree looks a bit different the next lowest hanging fruit is probably learning how to implement effective rotational grazing. These first two areas are where the Cooperative Extension Service in Kentucky has made great strides in my opinion. Both are relatively low cost methods to increase grazing days. But unfortunately, at some point we run out of apples at this level. What next? Well, we could stockpile fescue: Set aside pasture in early August to build up forage reserves, and defer this grazing into late fall and winter. This will buy us additional grazing days. Unfortunately, many cattle farmers won’t have excess pasture production in August to remove a portion of it from the rotation. If they did, they would be understocked for much of the grazing season, which is a cost of its own (foregone profit for the removed animals). So there would also be an indirect cost of reduced stocking rate in addition to the direct costs such as the nitrogen. Thus our cost to graze additional days keeps increasing. To increase grazing days further beyond applying nitrogen and stockpiling we would likely have to reduce stocking rates even further so that our winter forage stockpile will be stretched further 9
with fewer animals. This increases our grazing cost per day due to the foregone profit of the de-stocked animals as well as less total utilization of the total forage base (more will be wasted from the spring surplus with fewer animals keeping up with the heavy growth). Thus the higher we continue to go in the “You are better off having Grazing Tree, the higher and higher the cost a relatively low stocking rate and reducing hay fed of a grazing day becomes. The average per cow when profitability cost of a grazing day from the base pasture is low.� Photo: Austin system (the low hanging fruit) has been long Sexten. passed by. At some point, and that point will be different on every farm in Kentucky, the cost to graze an additional day will be greater than the benefit (reduced hay feeding day). For quite a few years in the cattle cycle, up until about 2010 or 2011, we could have profitably climbed a lot further up into the Grazing Tree than we can today. During that time, profitability for cow-calf farms was low at best, and losing money at worst. In a situation like this, reducing stocking rate is not much of a cost: If you are making next to nothing per animal, less animals will not change overall profit by much. But if at the same time you are significantly reducing cost per animal by feeding less hay, your overall profitability will increase. The last two years, however, with profits of $300-500 per cow, reducing stocking rate comes at a very high cost. If we have to reduce stocking rate by just 10% to implement a particular practice, that is a $50 indirect cost per cow that we need to add to the direct costs of that practice. Thus the same practices, or the degree that we push them, that may have been economically viable for extending the grazing season in 2006 may not be economically viable today. Put another way, you are better off having a relatively low stocking rate and reducing the hay fed per cow when profitability is low, and having a relatively high stocking rate and increasing the hay fed per cow when profitability is high. This, I’m afraid, is a concept that many cattle farmers as well as 10
extension specialists have failed to grasp. *This article was adapted from Dr. Greg Halich’s proceedings from the 2016 Heart of America Grazing Conference. For all of the proceedings from this conference and the complete article from Dr. Halich starting on page 64, follow the link to: http://www.uky.edu/ Ag/Forage/HOA%20Proceedings%20Draft%201.pdf
Tips for Stockpiling Fescue Select field(s) to stockpile by early August Select the field that you are going to use for stockpiling fescue. Selecting the field or area to be allocated for stockpiling fescue in early August allows one to adjust grazing rotations or management as needed ahead of time. Calculate the number of grazing days expected. Grazing days are determined by the number of cattle grazed and length of time you wish to graze using some general assumptions for forage availability. Remember, if you wish to move fences on weekends only, a larger area will be required. During the fall months (August-October), cattle will need to be kept off the field that is being stockpiled. Many options are available during this time, such as grazing corn, cereal grains, annual ryegrass, alfalfa, and warm-season forages. Some may even consider feeding hay during this time instead of waiting until the winter months. It will not be as muddy and cold when setting out hay bales. Also, hay will have less exposure to weather when stored outside, which will lower hay losses. When selecting the field be sure that cattle will have readily available access to water, especially during cold periods when open water sources could freeze. Prepare field(s) for stockpiling in August: Graze, harvest for hay, clip or mow the pasture in early August to 11
remove previous forage growth to a height of 3 to 4 inches. This field will not be placed into the grazing rotation until November or December after all other fields have been grazed. Apply nitrogen in mid-August to pastures after they have been grazed, harvested for hay, or mowed, assuming adequate moisture is available. Recommended nitrogen rates range from 40 to 100 pounds of actual nitrogen per acre. Other nutrients (i.e. P & K) and lime should be added based on soil test recommendations. Plan on beginning to graze in November or December: As alternative forages are being grazed, begin thinking about the date to begin using the stockpiled fescue. Don’t wait too late to begin grazing stockpiled fescue. Stockpiled fescue will decline in quality over time due to weather conditions, so grazing should begin during November or December. Stockpiled fescue is generally higher quality than the average stored hay, and should be used before that quality declines. Use it or lose it! Once a killing frost occurs, fescue goes dormant until the next spring. Use the forage that is there because it will only be wasted if you don’t. Stockpiled fescue should be strip grazed or rotationally grazed. Strip grazing is achieved by fencing off a small portion of the pasture using temporary fencing supplies and forcing cattle to be less selective. Once this area is grazed, the fence is then moved to include more of the ungrazed pasture. Plan your movements to your schedule while ensuring sufficient forage is available to maintain cattle (i.e. moving fence every day or two for maximum efficiently, or you may only wish to move the fence on weekends only). Remember that providing mineral while cattle are grazing stockpiled fescue is still important, and the use of a portable mineral feeder may be needed depending on field design. Always have hay in reserve. Ice and deep snow can limit or prevent grazing of stockpiled forages and hay will be required to supplement the grazing. 12
County Agricultural Investment Program Cost Share Signups The Nelson County Conservation District has been approved Nelson County Agricultural Development funds for the County Agricultural Investment Program (CAIP). CAIP is designed to provide farmers with incentives to allow them to improve and diversity their current production practices. Selected participants can receive up to $2,000 if they spend $4,000. The County Agricultural Investment Program covers a wide variety of agricultural enterprises in its ten investment areas, including Agricultural Diversity (horticulture, aquaculture, timber); Large Animal (beef, dairy, equine); Small Animal (goats, sheep, swine, bees, rabbits); Farm Infrastructure (hay, straw & commodity storage, greenhouses, livestock, equine & poultry facilities, on farm composting); Fencing & On-Farm Water; Forage & Grain Improvement; On-Farm Energy; Poultry and Other Fowl; Technology & Leadership Development and Value-Added & Marketing. Starting July 18, you can call to make an appointment to apply. Applications will be taken July 25th thru August 12th. For more information, please call 502-348-3363 for Gale Hundley at extension 104 and Mike Hahn at extension 107.
UK CORN, SOYBEAN AND TOBACCO FIELD DAY JULY 28, 2016 Registration begins at 7:00 am CDT UKREC PRINCETON, KY CORN & SOYBEAN 
New Weed Control Technologies – Are We Prepared? JD Green
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Corn And Soybean Disease Update
Carl Bradley
ID Stink Bugs
Border Management, Population, Seed Treatment Hannah Penn
Cover Crops for Weed Management Haramoto
New Soybean Planting Date Recommendations For KY Carrie Knott
Really High Populations And Really High Yields Irrigation Chad Lee
Soil Water, Crop And Remote Sensing Measurements For Irrigation Management Ole Wendroth, Javier Reyes, and Xi Zhang
Managing Manure Nutrients
Determining The Economic Value Of Poultry Litter Jordon Shockley
Corn And Soybean Outlook
Raul Villanueva
Erin
Josh McGrath
Todd Davis
TOBACCO
2016 Tobacco Overview And Research Update Andy Bailey and Members of the Tobacco Research Team
Field day concludes with Lunch CCA & Pesticide credits will be applied for
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