Faulkner County Agriculture Update
October 2, 2020
General Conditions
Weather

This week has been mostly sunny with mild fall like temperatures. We had a rain shower move through Sunday night that dropped about a 1/2 inch of rain. But since then we have had good weather for harvest. For the month of September we had 5.50 inches of rain and for the year we are up to 50.73 inches total. There is a chance for some rain Saturday night but other than that we are looking at much of the same next week. There are some more disturbances brewing in the gulf that we will keep an eye on.
Arkansas River
Row Crop
Harvest

Harvest took a big jump this week as grain moisture finally dropped some and the sun came out. Rice is 35% harvested and corn is 55% done. There could be a few early soybeans harvested this weekend.
Wheat

Wheat should be planted between October 10 and November 10 for central Arkansas. Below is a 3 year average of varieties that have been tested by the University of Arkansas Variety Testing. Dixie Brown, Delta Grow 1000 and Hilliard are good varieties for Faulkner County. Try and plant late maturing varieties first and early maturing varieties last. Planting an early maturing variety early could result in early heading that is prone to freeze damage. Recommended seeding rate is 26 seeds per square foot, which averages out to 80 to 100 pounds of seed per acre depending on seed size. In most cases, wheat doesn't need any preplant nitrogen, but make sure you get out adequate phosphorous and potassium at planting.
Soybeans

The latest planted beans that I know of have hit R6.5 which is cutoff for irrigation and insects. The majority of the soybeans in Faulkner County are turning color and getting ready for harvest. We pulled the moisture sensors out of the soybean verification field this week and are now just waiting on harvest.
Beef & Forage
Preconditioning Programs for Beef Calves

The demand for preconditioned feeder calves continues to surge in the beef industry as value-based marketing and information streams increase. The goals of a preconditioning program are to utilize available resources to efficiently and cost effectively increase the value of weaned calves and decrease the costs associated with calf illness.

When implemented successfully, cattle buyers spend less resources treating sick cattle, sale barns provide healthier calves that, in turn, attract new buyers, and sellers often receive market incentives that compensate for vaccine costs. Furthermore, retaining ownership of the calves in the short term may lead to increased market weights and total sale dollars.

Preconditioning programs offer the opportunity for producers to initiate health management procedures that can serve as a foundation for maximal response of calves to procedures commonly performed at weaning. This allows for additional enhancement to immune system function while minimizing stress. 

Our fact sheet on preconditioning calves has some great information for producers that are interested in adding value to their cattle.
Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Training

Arkansas BQA programming focuses on educating and training beef producers and veterinarians on the issues in cattle food safety and quality. Instruction is based on information gained by the National Cattlemen's Association and includes common sense management techniques along with accepted scientific knowledge on how to raise cattle under optimum herd health management and handling conditions. Once BQA certified, producers are equipped with knowledge that will help them obtain the goal of producing a safe and wholesome product. Anyone that is interested in the GOGreen preconditioning program must be BQA certified.

The next BQA training will be held on October 29, 2020 at 2:30 at the Greenbrier Events Center located at 5 Lois Lane in Greenbrier. This training is open to 20 participants so you will have to pre-register. To register you can call the office at 501-329-8344 or email my administrative assistant Mindy Beard at rbeard@uaex.edu.

There is no cost for this training.

Participants must wear a mask into the room, but once seated you may take off the mask. If you decide to get up and leave you will have to put your mask back on. This is a requirement to be able to hold this meeting.  
Winter Forages Links

Here are links to information about winter forages including planting rates and dates.
Hay and Pasture Update

As I drove around the county this week I noticed a lot of hay on the ground. I know a few producers are talking about cutting some this weekend. It should be a good week to get the last of this years hay crop put up. This fall will be a good time to think about spraying some bermudagrass fields with glyphosate and metsulfuron for foxtail and dallisgrass control. You can spray 10 to 12 ounces of glyphosate plus 1 ounce of metsulfuron now or wait until a frost and increase the glyphosate rate to 16 ounces. That is a good option to start working on foxtail for next year. If you have fescue pasture now is a good time to apply fertilizer.
Livestock Market Report

The weekly livestock market report is available on the Arkansas Department of Agriculture website.
Pesticide Applicator Training
There are two PAT trainings scheduled for October and November. Both trainings will be held in the community room of the Greenbrier Events Center located at 5 Lois Lane in Greenbrier.

The two dates are:
October 22, 2020 - 2:30 pm
November 19, 2020 - 2:30 pm

Both of these trainings are limited to 30 people. If you want to attend these trainings you MUST pre-register. I will only take the first 30 people.

To register you can call the office at 501-329-8344 or email my administrative assistant Mindy Beard at rbeard@uaex.edu.

Participants must wear a mask into the room, but once seated you may take off the mask. If you decide to get up and leave you will have to put your mask back on. This is a requirement to be able to hold these meetings.

The training will cost $20. If you bring a check please make it out to Faulkner County Extension Office.

The online course is still an option also. If you want to use the online options, the link is below. 
2020 Arkansas Ballot Issues
This year we have the opportunity to vote on 3 ballot issues. There were originally 6 issues but issues 4, 5 and 6 have been taken off the ballot. It is important to be an informed voter and one of the best sources of information on ballot issues is our voters guide. We have these guides at our office, the judge and clerks office and most of the city halls.

You can also download a copy. Click on the button below to download your copy of the 2020 Arkansas Ballot Issue Voter Guide.
Upcoming Events
Pesticide Applicator Training - October 22 and November 19 at 2:30 pm at the Greenbrier Events Center, 5 Lois Lane Greenbrier. Open to the first 30 participants that register. To register call 501-329-8344 or email Mindy Beard at rbeard@uaex.edu.

Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Training - October 29 at 2:30 pm at the Greenbrier Events Center, 5 Lois Lane Greenbrier. Open to the first 20 participants that register. To register call 501-329-8344 or email Mindy Beard at rbeard@uaex.edu.
Contact Kevin Lawson, County Extension Agent–Staff Chair, Faulkner County | www.uaex.edu/faulkner