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Faulkner County Agriculture Update
March 15, 2024
Faulkner County Extension Office Opportunities
Faulkner County Open House

We would like to invite everyone to come to our Open House on March 16, 2024 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Extension office located at 844 Faulkner Street in Conway.

We have lots of activities planned for everyone that comes out. We will be accepting soil samples that day. Just get a sample from your yard, garden or pasture and put it in a Ziplock plastic bag and bring it by and we will get it sent off for you.
General Conditions
Weather

What a night. I have heard of rain amounts from 1.5 inches up to 3 and 4 inches. Luckily we just got rain. I haven't heard of any damage around the county. We have a few nice days ahead of a cold Monday, but then things warm back up as chances for rain comes back into play next Thursday and Friday.
Arkansas River
Drought Monitor
Row Crop
Arkansas Soybean and Corn Cash and Booking Market Reports

The two links below take you to reports by Brian Deaton, Extension Economist with contributions by Jeremy Ross - Soybean Specialist and Jason Kelley - Corn Specialist.
Beef, Small Ruminants, & Forages
Clovers

I have been getting a lot of questions about clover lately. Clovers have their place in forage production, and I have found that they are kind of like bahiagrass, you either love them or you hate them. I think they are good if you can get them established and growing, but sometimes that is hard to do. Another thing to think about is your whole weed control strategies change with clover is added to the mix. If you are interested in adding clovers I would be glad to answer any questions. I have also included our clover fact sheet in the box below.
Hay Verification Field

I will be working with Flying "C" Ranch again this year with our hay verification field. I just got the economic data in from last year and once I go over it I will include it in a future newsletter.

A hay verification field is just a field that I walk weekly and make recommendations on so we can "verify" that our University of Arkansas recommendations work in commercial fields.

This week I wanted to update where we are on the field. We have soil sampled and got a plan together for fertility this year. The field has also been sprayed for winter weeds. We sprayed 24 ounces of a generic glyphosate, 0.33 ounces of metsulfuron and 1 quart of 2,4-D amine. The herbicide is working great. The picture shows where a strip was left close to the fence line and you can really see how it has cleaned up the field. We have a good start on 2024. I will keep everyone updated as we move forward.
2024 AGLC Grazing Conference

The 2024 AGLC Grazing Conferences will be held in Hope on March 28 and Harrison on March 29. They have a great line up scheduled this year. It costs $40 a person to attend.
Novel Endophyte Tall Fescue Renovation Workshop

The University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture is partnering with the Alliance for Grassland Renewal to host an all you need to know workshop about renovating pastures with novel endophyte tall fescues. Speakers from across the southeast will join us to discuss everything from the history to economics of fescue toxicosis and managing tall fescues that have a fungus that helps the plant without the negative side effects on animal production. There will also be a tour of old and newly renovated stands of novel fescues at the research station. The workshop is March 21 at the Livestock and Forestry Research Station located at 70 Experiment Station Drive, Batesville, AR. The workshop begins at 8:15am and will conclude at 4:30pm. For meal and materials planning, everyone is asked to pre-register ($40/person).
Arkansas River Valley Small Ruminant Conference

Save the date for the upcoming River Valley Small Ruminant Conference in April. I will have more information and an agenda soon.
North Central Arkansas Small Ruminant Conference

The North Central Arkansas Small Ruminant Conference will be April 19, 2024 at Damascus at the Damascus Road Cowboy Church.
Here is this weeks Cattle Market Notes Weekly
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 Faulkner County. All trainings will be held at the Extension Office located at 844 Faulkner Street in Conway.

The dates are:
May 14, 2024 - 2:00 pm

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.

If you happen to miss ours, I have a flyer below with the dates and places of the ones in Conway and Perry County also.
Upcoming Events
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.

Extension Office Open House - March 16, 2024 - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm at the Faulkner County Extension Office, 844 Faulkner Street, Conway.

Novel Endophyte Tall Fescue Renovation Workshop - March 21, 2024 - 8:15 am to 4:30 pm at the Batesville Livestock Research Center.

AGLC Grazing Conference - March 28, 2024 in Hope, March 29 in Harrison starting at 8:00 am.

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
Contact Kevin Lawson, County Extension Agent–Agriculture, Faulkner County | Kevin Lawson