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Faulkner County Agriculture Update
April 5, 2024
General Conditions
Weather

Rain was predicted for this past Monday and we may have gotten a tenth of an inch. There was not any recorded at the Conway Regional Airport. This week has seen some very windy conditions. Between the wind and the dry weather some corn and soybean fields that have been planted are starting to crust over. Hopefully a rain that is predicted Tuesday will come through or we could be looking at starting up some pivots to wet the ground. It wasn't in the predictions last week, but we did get down to 33 degrees at the airport this morning. We don't need anymore frosts or freezes so let's hope we stay above that 32.
This week we warm back up with some rain predicted on Tuesday. I have heard some predictions of over 2 inches. I don't mind the rain but we don't need a flood. Temperatures come back down on Wednesday and Thursday but as of right now, no frost.
Arkansas River
Drought Monitor
Row Crop
Arkansas Rice Update

Dr. Jarrod Hardke has put out his first Arkansas Rice Update. His updates usually come on the Saturday after my newsletter so I put in a link to last weeks. I try to share his posts on social media, so follow me on Twitter or Facebook if you want it a little more timely.

Rice planting will probably start in the county this weekend. We are looking at more rice this year just like the rest of the state.
Herbicide Trainings

Anyone that applies Enlist, Dicamba, or Paraquat are required to go through additional education hours. The Enlist and Dicamba training is done online through the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Paraquat is done through the National Pesticide Safety Education Center and there is a $25 charge.

For Enlist and Dicamba follow the link to our Pesticide Training Page. On the left side of the screen there is a menu that links you to Enlist and Dicamba training. I have also added the link to the NPSEC website for the Paraquat training.
Corn

Corn acres are being planted fast and furious. The first planted acres are coming up and are at the V1 stage. Most stands look really good and uniform. Like I said in the weather section, the wind has made some of the ground hard and I am concerned about some emergence issues. It wouldn't take much rain to soften up the ground at this point.
Wheat

Wheat heads are starting to show up. We move into a whole new area of concern for cold weather once the heads move out and start to flower. If it gets to 30 degrees for two hours or more during heading and flowering we could have severe damage. Once we start filling the grain it has to get down to 28 degrees for two hours and the damage isn't as severe but it still will cause damage.
Early Planted Soybean Preemerge Demonstration

I established a preemerge herbicide demonstration on early planted soybeans in Lollie this past week. The treatments are listed in the table. I would like to repeat this on a later planted field and keep up with how long it takes to germinate and cover the rows. Preemerge herbicides are important in soybeans but I think they are more crucial in early planted beans. Each plot including the untreated check had a 1 quart of Roundup Max.
Beef, Small Ruminants, & Forages
Bermudagrass Cold Injury

Here is a picture from the hay verification field that I took today. The grass is finally coming out of the damage that was caused by the freeze. I think the field is back to where it originally was when the freeze happened.

Even though grass is starting to grow again and looking great, we need to hold off on fertilizing. Growing hay and pasture is not a cheap venture and we want to make sure our inputs are used to their maximum value. That being said, if you spread nitrogen right now you will not get full utilization of that nitrogen out of your grass. Also this could lead to more bad freeze damage if it does get cold again. Just hold on a few more weeks. I still think we are looking at the first of May before we should fertilize any warm season grass.
Brucellosis Vaccinations

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 and 8th. The deadline for registration is April 25th. Please call our office if you would like to be added to the schedule or contact Mindy Beard at rbeard@uada.edu.
Arkansas River Valley Small Ruminant Conference

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.

8:15 - Registration, coffee, and doughnuts 
8:50 - Welcome - Arkansas Tech University 
9:00 - Improving small ruminant production in Arkansas - Dr. Dan Quadros, UADA
9:45 - Breeds and genetic improvement - Dr. Jim Morgan, Round Mountain Consulting
10:30 - Break 
10:45 - Gastrointestinal parasites management - Dr. Joan Burke, USDA-ARS
11:30 - Farm loans to finance small ruminant operations - Marshall Rye, Farm Service Agency/USDA
11:40 - Producer panel: Sharing positives and negative experiences 
Amanda Goodwin, Arkansas Goat Association/The Arkansas Traveling Goat Farrier/Goodwin Family Farms
Debbie Taylor, Dairy goat producer
Stacy Kirk, Arkansas State Sheep Council/Kirk Club Lambs
Tanya Feagin, South Central Katahdin Association/Rocking TLC Farms 
12:30 - Lunch with lamb burgers
North Central Arkansas Small Ruminant Conference

Damascus, AR, April 19th (Friday). No cost.
Address: Damascus Road Cowboy Church, 170 Tindall Ave, Damascus, AR 72039.
Registration at 9:00 am
Welcome 9:30 am
9:35 am Dan Quadros - Vaccinations, nutrition, and weaning of the spring lambs/kids
10:20 am Joan Burke - Latest research at Dale Bumpers Center and parasite control strategy at the Center
11:05 am Break
11:15 am Janeal Yancey - Marketing of lambs and goats through Farm to Table programs
12:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm - Forage production for small ruminants
1:45 pm - Eva Wray - Fecal sampling (how to) and fecal egg counts
2:45 pm Evaluation & Adjourn
Crabgrass: A weed can be a forage.
Mike Trammell, Oklahoma State University Southeast Regional Forage Agronomist

Crabgrass is an annual, warm-season grass that is fast growing, easy to establish, and capable of natural and prolific reseeding, all of which allows it to excel as a “weed.”

Despite its bad reputation, crabgrass was originally used in Europe as fodder before being introduced into the United States, likely around the mid-1800s, as a forage for grazing livestock. During the past 30 years or so, there has been an enormous change in the perception of crabgrass with forage and livestock producers. It is now considered a legitimate forage crop.

In 1988, the Noble Research Institute was the first to publicly release a crabgrass cultivar, which was named Red River. During its history, Red River crabgrass became the main commercial cultivar, promoting the use of crabgrass as an important warm-season annual grass for forage and livestock operations. This initially occurred in the southern Great Plains but now has spread throughout the southern United States. Since then a handful of new forage crabgrass cultivars have been developed and released.

These improved crabgrass varieties are not weeds’ but high-producing, high-quality forages that are broadly adapted. The nutritive value of crabgrass is often superior to other warm-season forage options during summer for both haying and grazing. Forage crabgrass has high crude protein (8-14%) and high digestibility, which promotes average daily gains of livestock that can easily reach 2 pounds per head per day. It is also an excellent choice in many double-cropping systems, especially with winter annual forages like wheat, to extend the grazing period.

Crabgrass is widely adapted and can be used in both till and no-till forage production systems and is often managed in many livestock grazing operations as a reseeding crop, thereby reducing the cost of seed and other annual costs. In addition, crabgrass can also be used as a component in warm-season annual and perennial forage systems. It is particularly productive in dryland situations, but it also performs well under irrigation and across a range of soil pH levels (5 to 7.5). It can be used for silage or hay production and is an excellent choice for conservation purposes. It covers critical areas quickly due to its rapid growth and establishment.

Crabgrass seed is light and fluffy which can interfere with its ability to flow through a seed drill. Crabgrass seeds are rough in texture, resulting in individual seeds sticking together to form large clumps. The clumps not only cause problems when drilling but with the broadcasting of seed as well. To overcome these issues, crabgrass seed is sometimes mixed with a carrier, such as a fertilizer, to aid in seed flow through the machine when planting. Planting coated seed is also an option. Coated seed can also improve establishment results by adding bulk and weight to the seed, allowing it to be easily drilled or broadcast.

For best results, plant crabgrass mid-spring to early summer for the best forage production. Since yield is dependent on rainfall, avoid planting after mid-summer. Seeding rates should range from 4 to 6 pounds of pure live seed (PLS) per acre and planting depth should be 1/4-inch deep. Crabgrass’ excellent ability to reseed makes re-establishment each year easy, which can potentially reduce costs; however, it is recommended to add low rates of additional seed annually to the production system. Adequate fertility must be provided for improved forages to be successful, and crabgrass is no exception. Always soil test and apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium accordingly.

Crabgrass works well when planted following small grains such as cereal rye or wheat. The small grains provide forage for late fall into spring and the crabgrass fills in during the summer and early fall to provide high-quality forage. Light tillage is recommended when the cereal forage is done being grazed or harvested in the spring. This improves seed germination and promotes better volunteer crabgrass stands for the summer.

In the summer, begin grazing crabgrass stands when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall, which typically occurs 30-40 days after seedling emergence. For hay production, cut crabgrass pastures in the boot to heading stage (normally 18 to 24 inches high), which will allow for at least two harvests per year. Regrowth is supported by remaining leaves and not by stored root and crown reserves, so avoid cutting crabgrass pastures lower than 3 inches.

Crabgrass has been building momentum in the last couple of years, and I suspect that it is due to those producers willing enough to try something “off the wall.” Afterall, this weed has great potential to extend the grazing season and provide nutrient-dense forage to grazing livestock.
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.

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