This week looks a lot like last. We are expecting rain on Monday with a dip in temperatures middle of the week. Hopefully it doesn't get as cold as it has the last couple of weeks.

Me and Dr. Jason Kelley looked at the field of wheat with stripe rust on Wednesday. The good news is it looks like the variety is trying to fight the disease. I will scout it again next week to see where we are. The flag leaf has emerged so we need to keep that clean as we go into heading.

Scouting another field we found some septoria. This disease can cause some issues, but it was light and we will continue to monitor it.

There could be a few soybeans put in the ground this weekend as it dries up. Normally we shoot for 140,000 seeds per acre with a final plant population of 130,000 plants. If you are planting right now you may want to bump that seeding rate to 160,000 seeds per acre. Table 7.2 comes from the Soybean Production Handbook and shows how many seeds per row foot is needed for 140,000 seeds per acre.

Corn planting has started in the county. The goal for nitrogen on corn is around 220 total units. That goal is for 200 bushel corn. If you are using a tassel application of 100 pounds of Urea (46 units of N) then you need around 174 units before tasseling. The question is how much should you apply preplant. I think we should be around 40-46 units of N preplant. You get much more than that and the plant doesn't establish a root system fast enough to take it up. The problem is that leaves 128 units needed at sidedress. That is around 275 pounds of Urea. I know that is a lot to apply at one time. Some options are applying two applications at sidedress (maybe V2 or V3 then at V4 or V6). Another option is putting out 135 pounds or so per acre and applying at half the distance, so basically you are applying it twice.

The 2024 Corn Quick Facts is now available. This one page fact sheet is has recommendations for producers growing corn in Faulkner County. You can download the Quick Facts by clicking the link.

I established a ryegrass burndown demonstration in Lollie this week. Glyphosate resistant ryegrass has become one of the biggest issues in Faulkner County in the last few years. This demonstration is flagged off west of Lollie road. The plots go from south to north. I will do a follow up demonstration this fall using residuals before ryegrass germination.

An update on the hay verification field and the cold injury we got from the freeze two weeks ago. I should have took a better picture, but this picture shows a sprig of bermudagrass I took from the field. New growth has started. I have talked to a few producers and have made the comparison that this freeze reminds me if you had sprayed glyphosate. It has set the grass back, but it hasn't killed it. Continuing to have warm temperatures helps this situation as we go forward. I think the take home here is we are set back, but not out!

Brucellosis, also known as Bang’s Disease, is a disease caused by the bacteria Brucella abortus. It is a contagious disease of cattle and other ruminant animals that can also affect humans. Infection spreads rapidly by ingestion of the organism and causes many abortions in unvaccinated cattle. The bacteria may enter the body through mucous membranes, conjunctivae, wounds or intact skin in both people and animals. In an effort to control the spread of disease, federal and state programs have been implemented and require vaccinations, testing and strict quarantine. Producers should have all heifer calves between 4 and 12 months of age vaccinated.

We will offer another chance for producers to get heifers vaccinated by the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission free of charge on May 7, 8 and 10th. Please call our office if you would like to be added to the schedule.

The Arkansas River Valley Small Ruminant Conference is coming up April 13, 2024 at Arkansas Tech. The agenda follows and there is a registration link.

Here is this weeks Cattle Market Notes Weekly

The weekly livestock market report is available on the Arkansas Department of Agriculture website.

There are two PAT trainings scheduled for Faulkner County. All trainings will be held at the Extension Office located at 844 Faulkner Street in Conway.

The dates are:

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

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.

Pesticide Applicator Training - May 14, 2024 at 2:00 pm at the Faulkner County Extension Office, 844 Faulkner Street Conway. To register call 501-329-8344 or email Mindy Beard at rbeard@uada.edu.

River Valley Small Ruminant Conference - April 13, 2024 - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

North Central Arkansas Small Ruminant Conference - April 19, 2024 - Damascus Road Cowboy Church in Damascus