March 2019 News for Polk County
Director's Focus: Helping Your Fescue Thrive
So far, 2019 has been a very busy year here at Extension, and one major theme that keeps coming up is pasture management--namely, how to grow good grass and manage it properly. Most farms in Polk County have Kentucky 31 fescue as their primary grass. This is a great grass for your animals--even with its endophyte issues. If you do a lot of breeding, you may want to consider other grasses (or keep your animals off the grass while in gestation), but overall it’s the best grass for our area. When managed properly, it is tough and can resist the stresses of the Polk County climate, providing persistent forage.

The question now is: How do I manage fescue so that it will thrive in my field for many years? The first step is to plant in the fall. Also, never mow or graze your K31 fescue below 4 inches high. For the grass to mature and maintain deep roots, it needs to be allowed to grow tall. This will require effort on your part; moving your animals when an area is getting low, for instance, and resisting the temptation to mow your pastures like a golf course. The next step is to apply fertilizers at the proper time. For our area, this means in late February and again in mid-September. These two fertilizations will really make the fescue grow. If you choose to only fertilize once per year, choose the fall application. Also, conduct a soil test to see if your pH level indicates that you need to apply lime. The last task will be to spray your pasture for unwanted or toxic broadleaf weeds. While there are many sprays available, most people in our area choose to utilize Crossbow or Grazonnext.

Have more questions about pasture care? Call me at the Extension office, 828-894-8218.

Scott Welborn is the County Extension Director for Polk County
Home, Lawn, and Garden Tips for March
Fescue
This is the month that cool season grasses really start to grow. If you haven't already, go ahead and apply your fertilizer. A soil test is the preferred method of determining how much to apply, but if you don't plan on soil testing, apply 10 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 1000 square feet of lawn space or 6 pounds of 17-17-17. This will get your lawn off to a good start. Note: anytime you apply a fertilizer with phosphorus in it, you should first aerate your yard so that the nutrient gets into the ground. 
 
Warm-Season Grasses
Grasses such as Bermuda and Zoysia need to be fertilized during the warm months of the year. Now is the time to conduct weed control for broadleaf weeds in your warm season grasses.

Crabgrass
Crabgrass and summer broadleaf weed preventers should be applied around March 1. A second pre-emergent treatment can be applied eight weeks after the first to maintain season-long control of crabgrass. Pre-emergent herbicides should only be used on established lawns. If you seeded your Tall Fescue lawn this spring, definitely wait until at least the second mowing before applying a pre-emergent herbicide. Dimension and Barricade are some good pre- emergent options.

Shrubs
Your shrubbery should be pruned this time of the year. Pruning prior to bud break is the safest pruning method for most shrubs. If you have shrubs that bloom on one-year-old wood (such as Azaleas and Hydrangeas) prune them after they bloom in order to enjoy the flowers. Now is a good time to clean up any fallen leaves and debris in your shrub beds to prevent diseases from last year from reappearing. Also this month, you can apply pre-emergent herbicides in the shrubs to prevent summer weeds. Snapshot, Freehand, Dimension, and Preen are a few name brands that are easily applied as a granular. Surflan is a good liquid option.

Fruit Trees
Fruit trees should be pruned prior to bud break. If you are just getting around to it, then you are late! It is still okay to prune, but you must do it ASAP! As your trees finish blooming, begin spraying with an all-purpose fruit tree spray according the the product label to prevent insects and diseases.

Other Trees
Remove any dead, diseased or crossing branches from your trees prior to bud break. Do NOT top trees!
Pasture
Now is a great time to fertilize your pastures. Apply 260 pounds of 17-17-17 per acre to get your fescue off to a great start. You may also want to spray under fence lines to remove weeds and utilize a broadleaf weed killer such as Crossbow to take out unwanted plants in the grazing grass.

In the Garden
Its time for that spring garden again! In reality, it is best in our area to plant your spring crops as early as March 1st. If you have yet to get around to planting, there is still time to plant cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, beets, onions and basically any crop that can take a frost and that will be harvested within 60 days or so. It is also time to begin turning over your cover crops to prepare for summer planting. In our area, we plant the summer garden around May 1, and you will need the 6-8 weeks between now and then for your cover crops to decompose properly in the soil prior to planting. Now is also a good time to conduct a soil test, as you will get back your results in plenty of time for summer planting.

Should you need more information on any of these topics please stop by the Polk County Cooperative Extension office located at 79 Carmel Lane just outside of Columbus, or pop us an email or give us a call at 828-894-8218.
Vegetable Gardening Class
LOCATION
Cooperative Extension of Polk County

DATE AND TIME
04/25/19 10:00am - 04/25/19 12:00pm

Interested in growing quality vegetables in our region? RSVP below, and we'll follow up with info on how to register for this class.
Please Send Class Info
Not Interested at this Time
A Snapshot of Recent 4-H Activity in Polk County
4-H Presentation Program

Gain confidence in public speaking by preparing and presenting a topic in front of a group. PLUS, participants in the 2019 Presentation Program are eligible for a 50% scholarship to 4-H Summer Camp!

4-H Summer Camp

Prepare for the adventure of a lifetime by signing up to attend a one-week 4-H camp experience at the Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Education Center. Polk County students ages 8-17 are eligible to attend the week of June 30-July 5.

Be the first to find out about what's coming up for youth in Polk County by subscribing to the 4-H newsletter !

Helen Blackwell is the 4-H Youth Development Agent for Polk County
Family and Consumer Science News
Two Healthy Living Programs Coming Up in Polk County
It's Time for your Family to Eat Smart and Move More!

This six-week class will help you plan and prepare healthy meals for your family, explore simple ways to be physically active, and make connections between food, physical activity, and your faith. Full meal and child care available. Weekly on Thursdays from 5:30-7 pm. starting March 7.

Take Control of Your Health with this Free 8-session Series

Take Control is an 8-session chronic disease prevention program that provides strategies to help adults manage their health. Each 1-hour session includes easy physical activities, goal setting, planning and tracking, and sampling of recipes. Classes begin April 1.



Jimmi Buell is the Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences in Polk County
News From Our Area Livestock Agent
The North Carolina Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System has diagnosed a significant number of starvation deaths in North Carolina livestock this winter, which unfortunately is an annual problem. This winter, the submissions of starved animals started in November--in all areas of the state--after the first extended cold and wet weather. The frequency of starvation cases has decreased in January in the Eastern third of the state due to warmer weather, however the laboratories in Fletcher and Elkin are continuing to see numerous starved animals of all species due to the continuing cold and wet weather. Gastrointestinal parasitism has also played a role, at least in the November cases.

At necropsy, the vertebrae, the spine of the scapula, and the pelvic bones of these starved animals are very prominent. There is no internal fat--or a scant amount around the kidneys and heart that is in active catabolism (serous atrophy). Serous atrophy of bone marrow fat is also present and it indicates that the animal has reached to its last store of fat to try to stay alive.

It is important to remember that animals have a critical temperature point, and when the ambient temperature (including wind chill) falls below it, animals need to consume additional energy every day to keep from losing weight. For cattle, the critical temperature is 32 F degrees with a dry winter coat. So for every degree below 32 F, 1% more energy (TDN) needs to be consumed to prevent weight loss. That is in addition to gestational or lactational needs. However, when cattle have a wet winter coat the critical temperature is now 60F! So on a wet 35F winter day, cattle need an additional 25% of energy. The ration for most herds diagnosed with starvation is untested hay, free choice minerals, and usually a protein tub. The affected cattle are usually cows heavily pregnant or which had calved in the fall. Older cows (10+ years) in the herd often die first.

Based on conversations with producers, hay was often cut this past summer when it was very mature, which means a higher level of indigestible fiber and poor nutritional quality. The Rollins Laboratory has diagnosed 2 cases of forestomach rupture due to abomasal impaction, which is believed to be due to poorly digested hay.

Laboratory veterinarians are recommending that producers contact their county extension agent to request core sampling of hay and forage analysis at the NC Forage Lab to determine the quality of hay and then work with the extension agent or their veterinarian to determine what additional feed is needed to reverse starvation and reduce the fatalities.
MARCH 30, 2019

Noah Henson is the Area Agent, Agriculture - Livestock, Dairy, Equine, Forages