Faulkner County Agriculture Update
May 14, 2021
General Conditions
Weather

This past Saturday we had a high of 85 and a low of 54, but by Monday we only had a high of 62 and a low of 52. Our crops and warm season grasses don't know if they should grow or go dormant. Rain was very spotty around the county also this past week. I heard of amounts from 1 inch to 0.25 inches. Hopefully we can get all of the hay up that has been harvested and more planting done before Monday, because the forecast for next week looks very wet.
Arkansas River
Drought Monitor
Pesticide Applicator Training
A Pesticide Applicator Training has been scheduled for May 17, 2021 at the Faulkner County Extension Office located at 844 Faulkner Street in Conway at 3:00. Cost for the training is $20.

I can only have 19 participants per class so please call or email and register. Participants must wear a mask at all times during the meeting and they will be spaced out safely.

To register call the office at 501-329-8344 or email Mindy Beard at rbeard@uada.edu.
Row Crop
Crop Progress

A few more acres went in the ground this week, but progress is still slow.

Wheat Headed - 100%

Rice Planted - 65%

Corn Planted - 85%

Soybeans Planted - 1%
Rice

I got to look at the rice planted around the Cadron this week and it was stretched and laid over. The majority of it was starting to stand back up but some was still stuck to the ground. Of all the places that need a rain this is the one. This field needs to stay just muddy enough to let the rice stand back up without the leaf sticking to the ground. Command is working really good on small grass but we will soon be looking at our next herbicide applications. Water-seeded rice has germinated and the flood is being drained so the seed can peg down.

Below is the link to last weeks Arkansas Rice Update from Dr Jarrod Hardke, the DD50 program link and managing waterseeded rice.
Corn

These temperatures and cloudy days are not good for the corn crop. Heat units ranged from 19.5 to 7 this week and our total heat units accumulated for this week was less than last weeks. The earliest planted fields are from V5 to V3 and look rough. Sulfur deficiency is showing up in several fields due to the recent weather. I would recommend ammonium sulfate be included in sidedress nitrogen even if you applied it preplant. Weeds are starting to grow also so it is time to apply herbicides. 1.5 to 2 quarts of atrazine plus 3.6 pints of Halex GT is a good herbicide option especially if you have morningglories.
What are the Yield Expectations of May Planted Corn?
by Jason Kelley, Professor and Extension Agronomist - Wheat and Feed Grain

This year’s planting season has been a challenge for some to get corn (and other crops) planted due to persistent untimely rains. Areas of East-Central and Northeast Arkansas seem to be the areas lagging behind the most on planting. Statewide we have made good planting progress with an estimated 85% of the anticipated corn acres already planted (NASS report, May 3rd). With the huge increases in corn prices over the last few weeks, the push to get corn planted is greater than in most years, even though we are at the end of the typical planting window. Some producers still anticipate planting the rest of their intended corn acres and are wondering about yield potential and production issues. 
So, what is the yield potential of corn planted in Mid-May or later? I think most realize at this point in May that yield potential is dropping every day. From our planting date studies and other trials that were conducted in past years, yields of irrigated corn start dropping in late April or early May depending on what part of the state you are located in. At Marianna, Arkansas (East-Central), in an 8-year planting date study (2008-2015) corn planted prior to May 1 on average achieved 100% of maximum yield potential most years. Corn yields slowly declined each week when planting was delayed after May 1. Below are average % relative yields for each week in May at Marianna from planting date studies.          
A field with a 200 bu/acre yield history in past years, when planted May 20th would have an approximate 85% yield potential or roughly an estimated 170 bu/acre potential, provided best management practices are implemented timely and everything is adequate for optimum yields (BEST CASE SCENERIO).
In our corn research verification program, we have a limited number of corn fields that have been planted in May (nine fields) in recent years. Planting dates and corresponding yields for those fields are shown below. These yields are from whole field averages and were produced following normal extension recommendations.   
This data highlights that good yields can be realized with late planting with proper management, but also highlights that yield variability can be seen. The importance of timely inputs and proper irrigation with late planted corn is very important to achieve maximum yield potential.  

How Does Late Planting Impact Corn Growth and Development?
In general corn develops at a much faster rate in late plantings than early planting due to rapid accumulation of heat units. Inputs such as herbicides and sidedress nitrogen will occur much quicker after planting compared to a typical March or April planting. Below is how late planted corn developed compared to earlier planting dates in a planting date study at Marianna, Arkansas with a wide range of planting dates. Keep in mind, heat unit accumulation will dictate how rapid corn growth is. 
*Dates of harvest with corn at approximate 18% grain moisture. Days to harvest can vary greatly depending on drying conditions after maturity. Hybrid relative maturity will also have an impact on harvest date.   
 
Management Considerations
Hybrid Maturity and Selection: In past studies, yields of hybrids with a relative maturity of 114-120 days generally provided greater yields than earlier maturity hybrids of 110 day or less. However, keep in mind that the drydown period for late planted corn will be in September and field drying may be slow during this time, especially for full season hybrids. A harvest date for a 114-day maturity hybrid at 18% grain moisture compared to 120-day hybrid would likely be a week or more different if field drying.  Another consideration is plant height and lodging resistance. Late planting generally leads to taller plants compared to early plantings and that can increase lodging potential. Extremely tall hybrids or hybrids that are prone to late-season lodging should be avoided. 

Plant population: A recommended final plant population of approximately 32,000 plants/acre is still desired with late planting, however with late planting a higher percentage of plants may emerge, so the seeding rate may be able to be reduced slightly and still reach the desired population. Planting 36-38K seeds/acre may unnecessarily increase late-season lodging potential for some hybrids.    

Irrigation:  Timely and proper irrigation is needed for successful late planted corn most years. Typically, from past experiences, May planted corn often requires 1 or 2 more furrow irrigations or 2-3 pivot irrigations compared to a normal late March or early April planting date. 

Foliar Fungicide: Foliar diseases such as southern rust will more likely have a potential to be a yield limiting factor in late planted corn. Typically, March or April planted corn may “outrun” southern rust, but with corn maturity pushed back, the risk of southern rust being a yield reducer is real. Budget for a foliar fungicide application for disease control.
Training Links

Below are the links to the Enlist and Paraquat Trainings. Enlist training is required every year.
Beef & Forage
Arkansas Cattle County Estimates

USDA released the Cattle County Estimates this week. The estimates show numbers for January 1 2020 and 2021. Total cattle and calves for the state in 2021 was 1,770,000. I have included the numbers for counties in our district, if you would like to see the whole report click here.
Hay Harvest

I have been around to several hay fields and they all look rough as far as weeds go. I don't know exactly how it happened but through all that cold weather we had ryegrass take a second emergence in the spring. Fields that were sprayed in the fall and shouldn't have any ryegrass are just solid now. We missed the usual spring application of roundup because of the wet conditions and early greenup of bermuda. I have talked to several producers and most are just going to go ahead and cut what is out there and wait to fertilize after this first cutting. With ryegrass going to head, quality isn't going to be the best and I really think that is a good idea. So if you have a lot of ryegrass and other annual grass weeds, go ahead and get this first harvest out of the way if possible and then fertilize. The problem with that recommendation is the weather. We have a week of rain coming and if you cut today it wouldn't be dry enough to bale by Sunday. So I don't know where that puts us, I guess we just wait. 2021 isn't starting very good for hay producers.
Cool Season Forages and Eye Problems

If you are grazing cool season forages like fescue or ryegrass this might be a good time to go ahead and clip the heads off. Unless your goal is to spread seed, the stem and seed heads are useless. If you watch a cow graze, they are putting their head down to get the leafy part of the forages, which leaves their eyes right at the level of seed heads. This will cause irritation to the eyes and could cause some eye issues. Go ahead and clip off that stem and seed head down to the leaf level. Below is a factsheet on Pinkeye.
Cornsalad

An interesting weed with an interesting name that you will see this time of year is cornsalad. I will see it from time to time in pastures and hay fields. It is a warm season annual that gets from 6 to 15 inches tall. The stems and branches divide into y's. It has tiny white flowers at the top of the branches. I got a picture of this one in our IPM hay field in Mount Vernon. It's actually not listed in the MP44 and I have never done a demonstration on just cornsalad control, but I would try Grazon P+D if you need to control it. Most of the time it isn't bad enough to justify control.
In this weeks Cattle Market Notes Weekly:

Saturday Totals and Weekly Cattle Slaughter
By: Josh Maples
Livestock Market Report

The weekly livestock market report is available on the Arkansas Department of Agriculture website.
Faulkner County Extension Volunteer Tax

I would like to thank everyone that supported the Faulkner County Extension Office by contributing to us through the voluntary tax last year. I was excited and moved by how much the clients in our county supported us. Thank you so much!

As we move into 2021 I would like to again ask and encourage everyone to contribute to the voluntary tax. This tax helps us continue to provide quality educational programs to Faulkner County citizens.
Upcoming Events
Pesticide Applicator Training - May 17 at 3:00 at the Extension Office 844 Faulkner St Conway. Register by calling the Extension Office at 501-329-8344 or emailing Mindy Beard at rbeard@uada.edu
Contact Information
Please make sure to change my email in your address book.

My new email is klawson@uada.edu.

The Extension webpage address is uaex.uada.edu.
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