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Faulkner County Agriculture Update
May 10, 2024
Pesticide Applicator Training

The last pesticide applicator training (PAT) for this spring will take place next Tuesday May 14, 2024 at the Extension Office located at 844 Faulkner Street in Conway at 2:00 pm.

If you miss this one, Perry County has one scheduled for June 3, but after that date all certifications will have to be done online until we offer them again this fall.

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.
General Conditions
Weather

Rain continues to hamper field work in Faulkner County. Luckily we missed a few of the rains that were predicted this week and we are finally drying up a little bit. Field work started back today and we have a few good days to get some tasks accomplished.
Rain chances are back in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures stay in the low 80's and high 70's with lows in the high 50's and low 60's.
Arkansas River

The river continues to be the topic of conversation around the county. The river is sitting at 270 feet which isn't far from action level. This has caused the back up of the Cadron and Tucker Creek which is causing some minor flooding of cropland in these areas. The river is predicted to continue to fall but with rain in the forecast we need to keep an eye on these levels.
Drought Monitor
Row Crop
Rice

Rice looks pretty good around the county. There is some rice that is still to be planted. The earlier planted rice will be receiving one more herbicide application followed by preflood nitrogen and then the flood. We still have some rice needing levees pulled. So we are all over the place which isn't unusual but all and all it looks really good.

Below is a link to Dr. Hardke's Arkansas Rice Update from last Friday.
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.
Herbicide Demonstrations Workshop

Thanks to all the producers that came out and went through the ryegrass burndown and soybean pre emerge demonstrations this morning. It was a spur of the moment decision to go through them and we had a great crowd. Thanks to Hank Chaney for coming out and giving a quick rice update. The information from these demonstrations will be available at the end of the year in our demo book.
Corn

Corn is suffering from all of the rain and wet weather. It really needs some sunshine, fertilizer and herbicide. We are finally getting to that today and tomorrow. Hopefully we can get it all out before the rain starts again Monday. Think about splitting your sidedress application into two applications spread a couple weeks apart. Remember the cutoff for atrazine and permit plus is 12 inch corn.

We are ramping up on heat units which shows in the corn. This week we accumulated 160 units which brings us up to 673 total heat units since April 1. That would put corn around V7 which is where we are on most of the fields.
Wheat

Wheat is starting to turn color and starting to get mature. Harvest in Arkansas usually occurs in June which is right around the corner. Now is a good time to go through your combines and other equipment needed for harvest and be ready when the wheat is ready.
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
Fly Control

Looking at cattle this week one thing was very obvious, the flies are out and thick! It seems like it all happened at once. Most producers use pour-ons or ear tags for fly control. That works great, but remember to mix up your fly control ear tag chemicals so you aren't always using the same one. That can lead to resistance. I always get questions about insect growth regulators (IGRs) in minerals. These stop the cycle in the feces of the cattle. This actually does work great if your cattle are isolated. If you are close to another heard that is not using that IGR, then you might as well not use it either because you will get flies from their manure. Below is our fact sheet on horn flies.
USDA Traceability Update
Dr. Maggie Justice, Extension Beef Specialist

Today (April 29) the USDA announced the amendment of their animal traceability regulations for certain classes of cattle and bison. This finale traceability rule updates the existing requirement for animal identification that has been in place since 2013. This update switches from solely visual tags to tags that are both electronically and visually readable for certain classes of cattle moving interstate. This updated rule applies to all sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months of age or older, all dairy cattle, cattle and bison of any age used for rodeo or recreation events, and cattle or bison of any age used for shows or exhibitions. The rule requires official ear tags to be visually and electronically readable for official use for interstate movement of these classes of animals and revises and clarifies certain record requirements related to cattle. 

APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) said that one of the rule's most significant benefits for farmers and ranchers will be the enhanced ability of the US to limit the impact of animal disease outbreaks. This is a step in the USDA's commitment to the implementation of a modern animal disease traceability system that tracks animals from birth to slaughter using affordable technology that allows for quick tracing of sick and exposed animals to stop disease spread. This rule will be effective 180 days after publication in the Federal Register. 

The USDA will continue to provide tags to producers free of charge to jumpstart effort to enable the fastest possible response to a foreign animal disease outbreak. Contact your State Veterinarian to obtain electronic ID tags at no cost. 

Arkansas Forage and Grassland Council Spring Conference

The Arkansas Forage and Grassland Council Spring Conference will be held Friday May 17 in Jonesboro. Registration information is listed in the flyer.
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.
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.
Contact Kevin Lawson, County Extension Agent–Agriculture, Faulkner County | Kevin Lawson