Faulkner County Agriculture Update
April 30, 2021
General Conditions
Weather

Big rains was the story for this past week. We were predicted to get rain on Wednesday and Thursday with some big amounts forecasted. Luckily the rain stayed north of us on Wednesday but we got our fair share on Thursday. I heard amounts from 2.5 inches in the north part of the county down to 1 inch near Conway. I was amazed Friday when I went on a farm call the amount of water that was ponded in fields and running through ditches. As we turn to next week we see more rain events predicted which doesn't help us much with planting or fertilizing.
Arkansas River
The next few days we will see the effects of all of the rain that happened in the west and northwest part of the state. The river was originally predicted to hit 278 but they have come down 3 feet on that prediction and I am hoping the river doesn't even hit the 275 mark. If it will come up and then get off quickly we will be okay. Crops can have water on them for a few days but after 3 days things get difficult. I am also concerned with all of the water that is flowing down the Cadron. There was more rain in the northern part of the county and it will be flowing to the Arkansas with nowhere to go. The predicted rain next week is also a problem if the river doesn't go down. Water that is captured inside the levee won't have anywhere to go if the river stays up causing flooding inside the levee. This will be a tense few days.
Drought Monitor

Row Crop
Crop Progress

Wheat is moving along while planting is progressing in between rains.

Wheat Headed - 90%

Rice Planted - 35%

Corn Planted - 70%

Soybeans Planted - 1%
Rice

Rice that was up made it through the cold snap with no problems. There was some yellowing on the first leaf tip but with warmer weather it is growing out of that. More rice emerged this week, but this rice is located along the Cadron so it will face water for a few days. Rice can take water over the top of it, but if the water is deep and stays on for an extended time, the rice will stretch. As the water falls, that stretched rice will fall over into the mud and stick to the ground as it dries up. This will require a flush of water to unstick the leaf so the plant can stand back up and recover.

Below is the link to last weeks Arkansas Rice Update from Dr Jarrod Hardke.
Wheat Stripe Rust and Bacterial Streak

More fields were treated with fungicide this week for stripe rust. The disease really took off this week and is working over some wheat. These fungicide treatments should do the trick though.

I am also seeing a lot of bacterial streak. Bacterial streak (black chaff), caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas translucens, is a sporadic disease that attacks all aboveground parts of the plant. Initial infections originate from infected seeds. Research in Arkansas has shown that cells of the bacterium on or within seed can be transferred to the first leaf where they multiply to high populations. Splashing rain disperses the bacteria to new leaves and provides favorable conditions for bacterial multiplication and disease development. The bacterium can multiply to high populations on the surface of leaves before the first symptoms appear. Bacterial cells enter the plant through stomata, hydathodes (pores at the tips of leaves that discharge drops of water), and wounds and then multiply inside the plant. Symptoms first appear on leaves as small water­soaked brown spots at the edge of leaves or between the veins that elongate quickly. These elongated lesions are the basis for the name “bacterial streak.” Under Arkansas conditions, symptoms are most conspicuous shortly after flowering when a flush of symptoms appears quickly on upper leaves with little evidence of an upward progression of symptoms. Lesions may grow together to kill large areas of a leaf and soon turn dry and brown. Dried bacterial exudate, usually in the form of thin transparent scales, may be associated with some of the lesions. Under hot, dry conditions the streaks will dry and turn brown in a few days. Saprophytic fungi may sporulate in the old lesions to mask the bacterial streak symptoms. It is important to distinguish bacterial streak from fungal diseases because foliar fungicides will not control bacterial streak.
Corn

What a difference a week makes. Last week we accumulated 52 heat units and this week we jumped to 102, almost double! Corn is responding to the warmer days. Older corn went from that yellow sick look to now being a good green color and growing well. The earliest planted corn in the county is at V2. We progressed in planting this week as we worked around rain showers and wet holes to get in a few more acres. Weeds are starting to emerge in some of the earlier planted fields. Grass, pigweeds and morningglories are starting to pop up and if these warm temperatures hold up we will be looking at weed control in the coming weeks. Flooding is a big concern with corn. It will not be as tolerant as rice. Three days is the maximum that it can be covered with water. After that things start really getting iffy.
Ryegrass Burndown Demonstration

One last update from the ryegrass demonstration. Dr. Tommy Butts came through the county on Wednesday and looked at the plots with me. I was concerned about the Select only treatment not killing enough ryegrass, but he believes that it is probably one of the best treatments. He noted how the ryegrass had not grown any compared to the untreated check since treatment and when you pulled on the leaves they would come out very easily and you could see how black the stems were. Another thing that made that plot hard to rate was with Select only I didn't get any buttercup or curly dock control. The Roundup Powermax plus Select plot gave me control on all three weeds. This made it deceiving when I went to rate the plots.

So with that, here are the final ratings on the demonstration.

  1. 1 quart of Roundup Powermax - 45%
  2. 16 ounces of Select Max - 85% (no control of buttercups or dock)
  3. 1.5 ounces of Leadoff - 10%
  4. 64 ounces of 2 lb Gramoxone - 45%
  5. 1 quart of Roundup Powermax + 16 ounces Select Max - 85% (100% control of buttercups and dock)
Training Links

Below are the links to the Enlist and Paraquat Trainings. Enlist training is required every year.
Beef & Forage
Fertilizing Summer Forages

This is a picture of the May forecast from Weather Underground for Conway. As you can see we are finally looking at night time temperatures in the 60's. As a mater of fact the last three night's were in the high 50's and low 60's. I say it is time to get those buggy's rolling and sling out some fertilizer. Looking at this long term forecast I would say our biggest problem is going to be finding a dry time to get it out. When applying a fertilizer mix that has urea in it make sure that there isn't any standing water on the ground. It can be a little wet, but if you put urea in standing water you will just lose it and it is too expensive to be doing that.
FAQ's for Sprayers

Just a few tips for producers that have their own sprayers from frequently asked questions that I get.

  • Sprayer tip size on boom sprayers - It is very important to know what kind of tips that you have on your boom sprayer. I have visited farms before where a producer has several different types of tips on the boom. This makes it impossible to calibrate and have a consistent spray application. The numbers on the tips are important for calibration and spray height. The two nozzles below are a 8004 and a 11004. The first numbers are the angle for that particular nozzle. 80 sprays at an 80 degree angle and a 110 sprays at a 110 degree angle. This will be important when you determine boom height. The last two numbers represent the gallons per minute that the nozzle is applying at a pressure of 40 psi. So for these two nozzles that number is 04 which is a 0.4 gallons per minute nozzle. Changing the gallons per minute will change the gallons per acre of water that you are applying so these need to be consistent across the boom.
  • Nozzle spacing - When I calibrate a sprayer I use a formula that takes into account several factors including speed, gallons per minute and nozzle spacing. The most common nozzle spacing is 20 inches apart on a boom. When making your own boom I would suggest using that spacing and make sure this is consistent across the boom. If those spacings are different it will effect coverage of your spray.
  • Spray boom height - The height of your boom is going to depend on the height of your targeted pest and the type of nozzle that you are using. Optimum spray height for a 80 degree nozzle is 30 inches while for a 110 degree nozzle it is 20 inches above the targeted pest at a nozzle spacing of 20 inches. This is one reason I prefer the 110 degree nozzle, the closer to the ground your boom is the less potential you have for drift. For a boomless sprayer the recommended height is 48 inches above the targeted pest.

Brucellosis Vaccinations

It is time for our spring brucellosis vaccination schedule. The dates for the spring schedule is May 20 and 21. It is highly recommended that if you are keeping heifers that you get them vaccinated for brucellosis. This is a free service from Arkansas Livestock and Poultry. Heifers need to be between 4 to 12 months of age. Mr. Ebert McClure, from the Livestock and Poultry Commission will be giving the vaccinations. Adequate handling facilities and personnel are necessary. You, or someone to represent you, must be present to help the technician.

It is necessary that your heifers be up, separated and ready for the technician to administer the vaccine. Please remember to have these heifers either weaned or being weaned. The vaccine is a modified live virus and exposure to bred cows could cause abortion. 

If you want to be added to the schedule either call the Extension office at 501-329-8344 or email Mindy Beard at rbeard@uada.edu by Wednesday May 12.

We will need the following information:
  • Name
  • Address
  • Address of where the cattle will be
  • Phone Number
  • Number of Head
In this weeks Cattle Market Notes Weekly:

April Cattle on Feed and 2020 Comparisons By: James Mitchell
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
Brucellosis Vaccinations - May 20 and 21. 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