Drought Situation

The drought situation that we are in is getting serious. Perry, and parts of Conway, Pope and Yell County have already moved into a D2 (Severe Drought). The southwestern part of Faulkner County is D1 (Moderate Drought) while the majority of the county is in D0 (Abnormally Dry). The D1 section got bigger in the county this week, and the forecast favors further drought conditions. I would expect some of the county to go into D2 next week.

I got this from Deborah Bolin at the FSA office. Please take time to get set up to report to the drought monitor website.

Drought Monitor Reporting

Due to our current weather conditions, it is important to report your conditions using the US Drought Monitor Report. The process is simple, and the first time will take about 5-10 minutes to navigate and set up for reporting. Scroll down below the drought map to the orange banner titled “How is drought affecting you?’ and select the Submit Report button.

After that, it will be easy to continue to report, weekly. I encourage you to continue to report your conditions until your situation improves. Don’t report it just one time and stop, please make a commitment to continue reporting to help us, help you. The button below will take you to the US Drought Monitor but if you have any questions on this process, please call the office and ask a County Program Analyst for assistance. If you have any photos of dried-up water sources, such as ponds, dead livestock due to heat/drought, or burnt pasture or hay fields, please send them to us at one of the emails listed at the bottom of this bulletin. One or two photos will work. You can also upload your photos to the Drought Monitor Report, where you reported your conditions. Again, if you have any questions, please reach out to us at 501-354-2000 Ext 2.

Deborah Bolin

201 Shady Lane, Morrilton, AR 72110

phone: (501) 354-2000 ext. 2

fax: (855) 623-0248

email: deborah.bolin@usda.gov

BURN BAN

Faulkner County is currently in a Burn Ban.

Weather

The fall temperatures have made it! We had a pretty good frost on Thursday morning as the temperatures got down close to freezing. It was a very nice week with temperatures in the mid 70's.

We have a small chance of rain on Thursday, but other than that this weeks forecast looks like the last two or three weeks. Not much change just yet.

Arkansas and Mississippi River

Arkansas Corn and Soybean Cash and Booking Market Reports October 14, 2024

by Brian Deaton Associate Professor - UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, Monticello and Extension Economist, UA Division of Agriculture, Jason Kelley Professor and Extension Agronomist – Wheat & Feed Grains University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Little Rock, and Jeremy Ross Professor and Extension Agronomist – Soybean University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Little Rock

This report is a weekly newsletter summarizing cash market and forward price quotes from selected markets as reported to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service in Arkansas.

Wheat

We are still waiting on that rain to get planting started. We may be looking at planting and running some pivots if we don't get a rain soon.

I have included a link to the 2024 - 2025 Arkansas Wheat Update if you still have questions about what variety to plant.

Homesteading Fall and Winter Edition

On October 24, 2024 starting at 1:00 at the Faulkner County Extension Office, we will hold our Fall and Winter Edition Homesteading meeting. Topics are listed on the flyer and you can use the QR code to register for the meeting.

Turnover in Ponds

With fall comes pond turnover season. This is a period where surface and bottom water layers mix due to cooling temperatures, potentially causing aesthetic and fish health problems for pond owners. While options to minimize turnover risk are limited in the short-term, owners can take steps to significantly reduce turnover risk for next year and beyond.

WHAT IS A TURNOVER

A turnover is when temperature layers within a waterbody equalize and begin to mix. This is a natural process that, in Arkansas, occurs most noticeably each fall around October to November. Waterbodies that commonly freeze over during winter have two turnovers each year, once in spring and once in fall. The density of water changes relative to its temperature. Water is most dense at about 4°C (39°F), and it becomes less dense warmer or cooler from that point. Denser water sinks to the bottom of a waterbody and less dense water floats nearer the surface.

Signs of turnover include a sudden change in the appearance of the water from clear or green to cloudy or tan/brown sometimes with dark gunky-particulates coming to the surface. A sulfurous odor can sometimes be detected during a turnover. You may notice numerous fish near the surface especially in the morning appearing to be slurping air. This latest sign is the most troubling as it indicates insufficient dissolved oxygen levels. The only rapid ways to resolve oxygen issues are activating an aeration system or pumping oxygenated water into the pond. If these mechanisms are not already in-place when the issue is detected, it may already be too late to save many of the fish. Disruptions from turnovers, such as aesthetic appearance, fish catches, and feeding activity usually last about two weeks.

AERATION

One of the best methods to reduce or even prevent turnovers is diffused aeration. These systems make streams of bubbles rising to the surface, creating vertical circulation and giving off oxygen at the same time. This helps prevent stratification from developing and keeps dissolved oxygen levels up even near the bottom.

Circulating dissolved oxygen throughout the pond helps your microbes continue processing organic waste year-long and can all but eliminate the risk of turnovers if a large enough system is installed.

Prussic Acid and Nitrates

I was worried about prussic acid with the dry conditions, now we have added the possibility of frost stress. Be very cautious around johnsongrass right now.

Best management practices and opportunities during times of drought:

• Monitoring access to water as well as the quality and quantity of water.
• Pond cleanout. Many ponds are low or dry. If your budget permits, now is a good time to clean out ponds to improve capacity and water quality in the future.
• Pregnancy check cows to eliminate open cows (as well as old and unproductive cows) in order reduce inventory
• Weaning calves to reduce nutritional needs of cows and maintain body condition of cows.
• Rotating pastures/Dry lotting cows/Grazing crop residues if available.
• Supplemental feeding, mineral, vitamin and/or protein supplementation to stretch feed resources, maintain health and growth.

2024 Faulkner County Hay Quality Summary

I have went through and summarized all of the hay samples that came through our office this past year and put them in chart where they would fall as far as being sufficient to feed a grown cow this winter. When we test for hay, the two numbers I look at are the crude protein and the TDN (energy).

The first chart is the nutrient requirements for a lactating cow. I used a mark of 11% protein and 59% TDN. Hay that has that quality should not need supplementation and would allow a cow to nurse a calf and maintain body condition score.

Out of the 30 samples, only 3 had high enough quality that it would not need to be supplemented. 24 of the 30 samples or 80% of the hay tested would not meet either requirement. The last 3 samples would meet protein requirements but not TDN.

I think the take home message here is make sure you know what you are feeding and make sure if your hay quality is poor that you supplement for what you are lacking. Don't just put out a tub thinking that is all you need. If you happen to have higher protein hay, you could be lacking in energy also.

Now when we talk about a dry cow with no calf by her side, those conditions really change. She only needs about 7% protein and 51% TDN. Well now we have changed how good our hay really is.

Now 13 of the 30 samples are good enough and don't need supplementation. 6 samples have the TDN but lack the protein, and 10 samples are still low in both protein and TDN.

AFGC Fall Forage Conference "Forages, Financials, and Feeds" November 1, 2024 Conway Cowboy Church

Kenny Simon, UADA Forages Instructor

The end of the growing season is a time to reflect on forage supply, animal demand, and the economics of running a profitable operation. However, the end of the growing season does not have to mean that the grazing season ends as well. Preparation for winter grazing starts in the fall. “Forages, Financials, and Feeds” is the theme of the 2024 AFGC Fall Forage Conference with presentations on financial outlooks as well as strategic hay feeding for the soil, plant, and animal. The afternoon will include field demonstrations and discussions on stockpiling bahiagrass, planting cool-season annuals, and identifying nutritional needs beyond the growing season. Anyone wanting to strengthen their off-season forage program should attend this conference. Registration starts at 8:30 am and the conference kicks off at 9 am. Registration can be paid at the door by cash, credit or debit card, or check. The conference fee is $35 per person and $15 for students. Pre-registration is encouraged to help with conference and lunch planning. To pre-register, scan the QR code or contact Jake Cartwright 501-912-1602 or jake.cartwright@arfb.com.

The Conway Cowboy Church is located at 12 AR-36, Conway, AR 72032. To reach the church take Hwy 64 from Conway or Beebe and turn north on Hwy 36 across from the Eight Mile Store.

Cool Season Grass Planting Fact Sheets

Pesticide Applicator Training

Please call or email and register for the class. You can call and talk to Mindy Beard at the office at 501-329-8344 or email at rbeard@uada.edu

All of these will be held at the Faulkner County Extension Office at 844 Faulkner St, Conway.

November 7 - 6:00 PM

December 6 - 2:00 PM

You can still take the training online if you would like. The link is below.

Sign up for Text Alerts

You can now sign up for text alerts from me throughout the year. I have two areas you can sign up for which includes Faulkner Livestock or Faulkner Ag (Row Crop Updates). To sign up you can follow one of these links or use the QR Codes below.

Pesticide Applicator Trainings - Faulkner County Extension Office

November 7 - 6:00 PM

December 6 - 2:00 PM

Homesteading Meeting - October 24 - 1:00, Faulkner County Extension Office

AFGC Fall Conference - November 1, Conway Cowboy Church