Faulkner County Agriculture Update
April 19, 2024
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Vacation
I wanted to let everyone know that I will be on vacation from April 29 through May 3. If you need something that can't wait until I get back, please call the office and leave a message and we will get another agent to give you a call. Also there will not be an update on May 3.
Thank you!
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Weather
I feel like a broken record but here I go again. We were predicted to get some rain Monday, but we didn't get any. We did get a little mid week, but then turned around and missed more rain yesterday. This is starting to get concerning. I am glad people are able to get some stuff done, but I sure do hate missing rains. We were in the 60's at night for most of the week, so it is time to start thinking about fertilizing pastures and hay. I will go over that later on in this newsletter.
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The rain chances for tomorrow have drastically went down, so we may miss another rain tomorrow. The next chance is Thursday. We are getting close to needing a rain, it is already starting to get dry. Maybe by the end of this week. Temperatures fall on Sunday but will slowly build up back to where we were this past week.
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Rice
Rice planting continues to go fast and furious in the county. Acres keep going in and levees are starting to be pulled. Some of the first planted rice is starting to emerge, but honestly we could use a rain to get it all up and to help activate the command that has been applied. I hate to say the word, but if we don't get a rain soon we may have to start flushing fields.
Below is Dr. Jarrod Hardke's Arkansas Rice Update for April 12, 2024
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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.
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Arkansas Rice Performance Trial
An Arkansas Rice Performance Trial (ARPT) was established in Faulkner County this week. Last year there were 10 total ARPT's across the state with 4 of those on research stations and 6 in counties across the state. I was excited to get one in the River Valley this year. These trials consist of 29 different varieties replicated three times. We will take certain notes throughout the year and then these varieties will go to yield and be part of the final ARPT report for 2024.
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Corn
Corn stages range from V3 to just emerging across the county. The first planted corn is growing strong and looks good. We got a corn hybrid trial established on April 13 in Lollie. The plots run from the south going north and are 5 rows wide. I have listed the hybrids.
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Halex GT Mixing Issues
There have been some issues in Georgia with growers adding additional glyphosate to their Halex GT mix. I don't know of anyone that is doing this but if you do be aware of what type of glyphosate you are using. Sometimes the different formulations of glyphosate can cause complications. Seems like there is an issue mixing Glyphosate-IPA salt with Halex Gt. Halex GT has Glyphosate-K (potassium salt) in it. I think the take home here is just don't add additional glyphosate to your mix.
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Soybeans
Early planted soybeans are looking good around the county. I talked to Hank Chaney yesterday and the stand counts he has taken look like we have plenty of beans to make a stand. I know there were some soybeans going in a field yesterday, and planting should continue this week. I will be putting in some corn earworm moth traps soon.
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Giant Apple Snail
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) needs the public’s help in preventing the spread of giant apple snails, an invasive aquatic species native to South America, recently found in shipments of live crawfish from Louisiana.
Giant apple snails have not yet been found in the wild in Arkansas but have been established in Louisiana for many years. The AGFC has worked with the state of Louisiana to prevent the spread of this invasive species through many potential pathways of introduction, including aquarium pet releases and educational campaigns on cleaning of boats and recreational equipment. Additional vigilance by Arkansans through inspections of any live crawfish shipments (no matter the source) will help prevent further spread of this invasive species that could affect native wildlife and Arkansas’ rice industry.
In our rice production system in Arkansas, the giant apple snail shouldn’t be a major concern as we don’t practice a great deal of no-till or water-seeding. However, note that fields practicing these techniques would be at the greatest risk of having an issue.
There are no real treatment options for this pest. There are some potentially useful treatment options, but at this time we need to just keep an eye out and scout for them. We will get data on control options for here in Arkansas if the pest is found in rice fields.
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Beef, Small Ruminants, & Forages
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Warm Season Pastures and Hay
I have said on here the last several weeks to hold off on fertilizing pastures and hay fields until around the first week of May. Well this week we almost had a whole week with the night time temperatures in the 60's. We will have a few low 40's and high 30's the beginning of this week, but it will get back up to 60 at night. The grass has been transitioning from dormancy to growing for a few weeks now. I think even though it is a little early, it is time to go ahead and hit our forage fields with spring fertilizer.
If you haven't soil sampled, put out 60 pounds of actual nitrogen on pastures and 50 pounds of actual nitrogen on hay fields. Again, without a soil sample and just guessing, I would make sure to add 60 pounds of actual potash with that which is 100 pounds of 0-0-60. A soil test will give you a better estimation of what you need. Try to time this first application of fertilizer with a rain event.
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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.
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Arkansas River Valley and North Central Arkansas Small Ruminant Conferences
We held the Arkansas River Valley Small Ruminant Conference last Saturday, April 13 and the North Central Arkansas Small Ruminant Conference was held today, April 19. Both conferences were well attended and everyone learned a lot about small ruminant production. It has been great to meet all the producers that are wanting to get into small ruminants in Faulkner County and around the region. I will keep everyone updated if we have more meetings in the future.
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Controlling Horn Flies Starts Now!
Dana Zook, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension NW Area Livestock Specialist
Spring is my favorite time of year and I have really enjoyed what seems like an extended season this year. Insects will also take advantage of an early spring. One such insect that impacts on beef production is the horn fly. Horn flies increase stress in beef cattle due to their painful bite. Elevated stress reduces milk production, efficiency, and rate of weight gain. A 2017 collaborative research study between Kansas State and Oklahoma State Universities determined stocker cattle with an insecticidal ear tag gained 0.21 more pounds per day compared to their counterparts with no horn fly control. This weight gain resulted in a $12 net profit over the cost of the ear tag during a 90-day summer grazing period.
How do you identify horn flies? Horn flies are a small black fly that feeds on the back, sides and belly of cattle and are the most common fly in beef cattle. During the summer months, a generation of horn flies can complete their life cycle in as little as 14 days. Economic losses begin to occur when fly populations reach 150-200 insects per animal. Without means of control, horn fly populations commonly exceed 300 flies/animal.
What are the options of control? Very simple control methods such as dust bags or back rubber/oilers can be utilized but placement of these systems is crucial so that every animal makes direct contact with the fly control agent. If cattle are accustomed to gathering for a feed truck, spraying is a good option. Pour-on products are also popular, but cattle will need to be moved through a chute or alley monthly for accurate product application. Depending on the brand, sprays and pour-on’s will provide 7-21 days of control and will need to be repeated throughout the season. Rainfall events can reduce the duration of effectiveness for spray and pour-on products. Each product varies in terms of application rate and number of applications within a season, so as always, be sure to read and follow label instructions.
Ear tags are another proven horn fly control method. For some producers, application of ear tags may coordinate well with timing of spring vaccination and castration measures. Most fly tag labels suggest 4-5 months of efficacy; however, Oklahoma researchers have found that the chemical of most ear tags is effective in our state for approximately 90 days. Tubs and feed products containing an insect growth regulator (IGR) are also a convenient option to control horn flies. This product is effective because horn flies naturally utilize fresh manure piles to lay their eggs and IGR’s work in the manure to prevent fly larvae from maturing to adult flies. These products should be in place in early spring. Local OSU demonstrations found that these products may work best when used in tandem with other horn fly control methods.
Rotation is important with all horn fly controls due to the potential development of resistance. Due to the short lifespan of horn flies (as little 14 days) many generations of flies are produced in one season, potentially allowing chemical resistance to develop quickly. To avoid this, rotate products from different chemical classes each year. Keep in mind, that just because a product has a different name doesn’t necessarily mean it contains chemicals from different chemical classes.
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Here is this weeks Cattle Market Notes Weekly
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Livestock Market Report
The weekly livestock market report is available on the Arkansas Department of Agriculture website.
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Pesticide Applicator Training
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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.
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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.
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