Faulkner County Agriculture Update
February 26, 2021
General Conditions
Weather

What a difference a week in Arkansas makes. We went from 10 inches of snow and below 0 degree weather to 60 almost 70 degree weather. The brown soggy soil turned to green weeds and grasses in just a few days. The melting snow left a muddy nasty mess and the rain we are receiving today is not helping the situation. Even though it is raining, we have been lucky so far. It looks like the majority of the rain is south of us. We have more rain in the forecast for the next few days but we really need some dry weather to get some things done.
Arkansas River
Drought Monitor

Domain and Email Change
Just a reminder to change my email in your address book.

My new email is klawson@uada.edu.

The Extension webpage address is uaex.uada.edu.
Row Crop
Deadline for Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program is March 5
by Scott Stiles, Extension Economist

As a reminder, crop producers that had quality losses related to natural disasters in 2018 or 2019 may be eligible for QLA payments. Crops that can be covered by federal crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) are generally considered eligible for QLA.

To qualify for the QLA program, a producer must have sustained at least a 5 percent decline in quality of grain or cotton, which is reflected by quality discounts. Eligible crops may have been sold, fed on-farm to livestock, or may be in storage at the time of application.

Note: All producers receiving QLA payments are required to purchase federal crop insurance or NAP coverage for the next two available crop years at the 60% coverage level or higher in the county for which the producer was issued a QLA payment.

The application deadline for the QLA program is March 5 at FSA offices.

More information on the QLA program is available at: https://www.farmers.gov/quality-loss
Projected Price Loss Coverage Payment Rates for 2020
by Scott Stiles, Extension Economist

The information below includes the latest projected Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payment rates for the 2020 marketing year as of February 2021.

The expected PLC payments for the 2020 marketing year are listed in Table 1. PLC payments are triggered when the Marketing Year Average Price (MYA Price) is less than a commodities’ effective Reference Price. The 2020/21 MYA Prices for all crops shown are USDA’s projected prices as of February 2021. These prices are subject to change.

The PLC payment rate equals the difference between the Reference Price and the higher of the MYA Price or the Loan Rate.

Of the crops listed in the table below, wheat, peanuts, seed cotton, long-grain rice and medium-grain rice are projected to have a PLC payment for the 2020 marketing year.

As a reminder, the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) payments will have a sequestration percentage applied to the payment rate. In recent years the sequestration reduction has been in the range of 6.2 to 6.6 percent. County Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices should be able to provide more details on payment sequestration percentages.

Projected PLC payment rates are updated monthly on the USDA Farm Service Agencies’ ARC/PLC website at this link: ARC/PLC Program Data

Table 1. Expected PLC Payment Rates for 2020 Marketing Year - as of February 2021
Arkansas Dicamba use Regulations for 2021
by Tom Barber, Extension Weed Scientist

I have had several conversations with county agents, consultants, and growers over the last couple of weeks about what changes, if any, were made to the Arkansas State Plant Board dicamba use regulations for the 2021 season. The Arkansas State Plant Board met last December to discuss and vote on potential changes for dicamba application, specifically the May 25th cutoff date. No changes were voted successfully in the meeting and at this time (February, 19th) nothing has changed in terms of dicamba use regulations in Arkansas. Currently, the regulations found on the Arkansas State Plant Board Website (found here) state the following:

From May 26th through October 31st of each year, applications of products labeled for agriculture use that contain dicamba are prohibited except for applications made:
a. For turf, ornamental, direct injection for forestry activities and home use are allowed year around.
b. For pasture and range land are allowed year round. However, such applications must maintain buffers required in Section 2 (see section 2 on the plant board website link above); or
c. Pursuant to a special permit for Arkansas land east of the Mississippi river levee may be allowed if all of the following requirements are met. In no event will a special permit be issued for applications made more than 45 days (soybeans) or 60 days (cotton) after planting.

From April 16 through May 25th all applications for in crop agriculture use:
a. Must maintain a one (1) mile buffer, in all directions, from University and USDA research stations, certified organic crops, and commercially grown specialty crops (defined as a minimum of 1,000 plants or the average annual crop sales for the previous three years exceeding $25,000)
b. Are prohibited from using tank mixes of products containing the active ingredient glyphosate mixed with pesticides containing the active ingredient dicamba labeled for crop use.
c. During application a ½ mile buffer zone in all directions from non dicamba-tolerant crops must be maintained

From April 16th through October 31, applications of pesticides labeled for agricultural use that contain the active ingredient dicamba are prohibited for pre-plant burndown applications except for:
a. From April 16th through May 25th, pesticides labeled for in crop agricultural use, by ground that contain the active ingredient dicamba and allow for the pre-plant (burndown) applications may be applied. However, such applications must maintain the requirements of buffers required in Section B 2 of the regulation guidebook.

The federal label for Engenia and Xtendimax were renewed in October 2020 for applications to Xtend and XtendFlex (dicamba tolerant) crops. In this renewal, other uses such as applications in corn, grain sorghum or for burndown prior to planting crops other than Xtend were not included on the revised labels. Therefore the only “labeled” uses allowed for these two herbicides are applications made prior-to or following planting of Xtend/XtendFlex-traited crops. This change in the labelling has resulted in several asking what they can use in place of these products for burndown applications and if there are any alternative dicamba formulations legal in corn or grain sorghum crops.

Based on the Arkansas State Plant Board rules mentioned earlier, any labeled dicamba product can be used for controlling winter weeds up until April 15th. From April 15th-May 25th, dicamba products that are labeled for agriculture use either in pre-plant burndown applications or in corn or grain sorghum crops can be used as long as they are labeled for the use and all previously mentioned buffer restrictions are followed. This includes dicamba herbicide formulations such as Status that are labeled for use in corn.  Therefore, dicamba alternatives other than Engenia and Xtendimax will be legal to use for pre-plant burndown and weed control in corn or grain sorghum through May 25th as long as the product used is labeled for that use and buffers are adhered to.

Engenia and Xtendimax are registered for use in dicamba-tolerant soybean and cotton in Arkansas from burndown through May 25th or until soybean plants reach R1, whichever occurs first. Tavium can be applied from burndown through V4 or within 45 days after planting or prior to the May 25th cutoff date, whichever occurs first. Keep in mind all buffer restrictions and application parameters still apply.

Another popular question is: What can I use as a tank-mix alternative to glyphosate (Roundup) for grass control with dicamba applications after April 15? Products containing clethodim (Select) or paraquat (Gramoxone) will have some activity on grasses when tank-mixed with dicamba in a pre-plant burndown situation. Applicators should check for allowable tank-mix partners on Engenia, Tavium and Xtendimax websites for tank-mixes with those products. If the dicamba-tolerant crop is emerged, herbicides containing clethodim or other Group 1 ACCase herbicide can be tank-mixed with dicamba for effective grass control in cotton and soybean as long as it is on the approved tank-mix list.  However, some antagonism may occur resulting in reduced grass control, especially if grass weeds are starting to tiller or are larger. The best alternative to achieve the greatest weed control is to make two separate applications. Glyphosate should be applied approximately 5 days before or after the dicamba application.

Training will be required to make any dicamba applications this season. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture has developed a general dicamba use training module that can be found by clicking here. Producers and applicators may be required to take two dicamba trainings depending on anticipated uses. The next to last training listed is for those producers who plan to use dicamba in their pre-plant burndown, corn or grain sorghum crops, or any other non dicamba-tolerant crop application. The last training listed includes links to dicamba manufacturer trainings that cover applications of approved dicamba formulations in Xtend/XtendFlex crops. If producers/applicators plan on applying dicamba during burndown and in-season on Xtend/XtendFlex crops, both trainings are required. Other trainings are available on the website as well, including restricted use pesticide applicator training and a link to the online paraquat training, which is required for purchase, storage, handling and applications of any herbicide containing the active ingredient paraquat.

The dicamba restrictions mentioned above are in addition to the restrictions on the Federal Label for any dicamba product. Producers or applicators should read all labels prior to making a pesticide application. In the case of dicamba this becomes even more important as there are several other restrictions to follow that are not included in this write-up. Labels for Engenia, Tavium and Xtendimax include detailed rules for spraying conditions, nozzle selection, wind and sprayer speeds, boom height, allowable tank-mixtures and in-field spray buffers to sensitive areas. In addition, a volatility reducing agent (VRA) is required for all dicamba applications to dicamba-tolerant crops in 2021.Contact Us
Training Links

Below are the links to the Enlist and Paraquat Trainings. Enlist training is required every year.
Beef & Forage
Spraying Pastures and Hay Fields

I visited a couple of producers this week and was amazed at how well the weeds were growing. They are really moving along with this warm weather. We really need to be thinking about applying herbicides to kill these winter weeds as soon as we get a chance. Right now rain is keeping us out of the field but it won't be long we will get a good dry spell. We need to have sprayers calibrated and our herbicides purchased ready to spray when the time arrives. Make sure when you spray that we have good warm weather and the weeds are actively growing. As long as we are above 50 degrees the weeds should be growing well. Remember that we need to add surfactant to all these applications. Surfactant is added on a volume basis instead of a per acre basis. So for every 100 gallons of water that you have in a spray tank, add 1 quart of surfactant. Below are a few recommendations for different forage types.

For a bermudagrass pasture or hay field
1 quart of glyphosate + 0.5 ounces metsulfuron + 1 pint 2,4-D

For a pasture or hay field that has white clover
2 pints 2,4-D

For a bahiagrass pasture or hay field
1 quart of glyphosate + 2 pint 2,4-D

If anyone needs help calibrating your sprayer just let me know. I would be glad to come out and help. It doesn't take very long to calibrate a sprayer if we can do a few things before I come out to your farm.
  • You will need to determine your driving speed in MPH before I come out. Find a gear and RPM that you will be spraying at. Remember that RPM because I will use that when collecting water from the sprayer.
  • Have the sprayer on the tractor and ready to go.
  • Have 5 to 10 gallons of water only in the tank.
  • Have the tank cleaned out if it had 2,4-D in it. 2,4-D will make a foam when I am collecting water which makes it hard to get an accurate measurement.
Fertilizing Winter Annuals

Ryegrass, oats, rye and wheat should start growing with this warm weather. We need to get some nitrogen out there as soon as we can to get it growing. We are already behind on this year's crop and with hay supplies getting tight we need all the forage we can get. As soon as it dries up plan on applying 130-150 pounds of Urea. If weather conditions remain good we may apply another 130 pounds on ryegrass sometime in March. For the small grains, we will probably only get one application. Once the small grains start to joint you won't get much more leaf growth.
Freeze damage to Arkansas forages??
John Jennings, Professor and Forage Specialist

A question being asked is “what effect will the record cold temperatures and snow in February have on winter injury of forages across the state”? Temperatures were certainly cold enough to cause damage to sensitive forages such as oats and certain varieties of bermudagrass. Temperatures dropped to zero in central Arkansas and plunged to 20 below zero in northwest Arkansas. Oats, even if cold acclimated, can suffer cold injury at temperatures lower than 20 F. Some varieties of Bermuda can be damaged at temperatures in the teens and single digits and others are safe to sub-zero temperatures for short periods. Tall fescue and white clover are very cold tolerant and should be ok. Severe cold during dry conditions is much more damaging to forages than when soils are moist. The moderating factor in this winter storm event is snow cover. A significant blanket of snow can have an insulating effect to reduce cold injury to plants. The entire state received snow cover ranging from 6-18” which should have some positive effect on forage survival. Field observations will be helpful in determining actual freeze damage. Cool-season forages such as ryegrass, small grains, and fescue should still have green vegetative material in the crown even though leaves may appear “freeze-burned”. Bermudagrass and bahiagrass injury won’t be evident until normal greenup time. Observe fields closely and dig down into the plant residue to check for the green leaf tips that normally emerge in March. Cold injury may range from delayed greenup to significant stand loss. For information on potential cold tolerance of Bermuda varieties see FSA 3142 Forage Bermudagrass Variety Selection.
Arkansas Cattleman's Association Area 7 Conference

The ACA Area 7 Conference will be held March 23 at the Conway Expo Center at 6 pm. This is a good chance to get out for an in person meeting. Come out and visit the Extension Booth and say hi to me and pick up some educational material. Check with the ACA magazine or Facebook page to RSVP.
This edition of Cattle Market Notes Weekly has information about the Livestock Indemnity Program. If you experienced loss of cattle due to the winter storm please read this weeks notes!
Livestock Market Report

The weekly livestock market report is available on the Arkansas Department of Agriculture website.
Upcoming Events
ACA Area 7 Conference - March 23, 2021 at 6:00 pm at the Conway Expo Center
Social Media

For more updates on upcoming events and to keep up with what's going on in agriculture in Faulkner County follow me on Facebook and Twitter


Contact Kevin Lawson, County Extension Agent–Staff Chair, Faulkner County | www.uaex.uada.edu/faulkner