BURN BAN

Faulkner County is currently under a Burn Ban.

Weather

This week has been hotter than normal. We approached a few record high temperatures this week. I went from the heater being on back to the air conditioner this week. This was another week of no rain. Drought conditions will be touched on later in the newsletter.

We finally have a week with some rain chances. Of course this all could change but it looks like next Thursday and Friday are our best chances of rain in weeks. We should cool off this weekend also.

Arkansas and Mississippi River

This weeks drought update moved most of Faulkner County into the D1 status. I really thought we would see some D2 conditions in the southwest part of the county.

I have a link to the drought monitoring site below, please read the message from Deborah Bolin at FSA and report your conditions to this site!

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

Rice Economic Update

Scott Stiles, Program Associate and Ag Economist, University of Arkansas

This month the USDA made no changes to the U.S. long-grain or medium grain new crop balance sheets. However, there were relatively small adjustments to individual state average yields with Missouri and Texas increasing 100 pounds and 400 pounds respectively. California’s yield was reduced by 150 to 8,650 pounds.

On the supply-side of the U.S. long-grain balance sheet, Production remains at 166.8 million cwt, a four-year high driven by increasing acres. With record Imports of 39 million cwt and Beginning Stocks of 19.3 million, total long-grain supply is record large at 225.1 million cwt for the 24/25 marketing year.

For demand, the estimate of 2024-25 long-grain exports is currently 76 million cwt and the highest since 2016. Domestic and residual use of 122 million cwt is record large. Total long-grain demand of 198 million is also record large.



New Crop Ending Stocks are projected at 27.1 million cwt, up from 19.3 million last year. The USDA projects the 2024-25 marketing year average farm price to be $14.50/cwt or $6.53/bushel for both long-grain and southern medium grain, unchanged from last month’s projection. The average price for the 2023-24 marketing year was $15.90/cwt for long-grain and $17.50 for southern medium grain.

In the World rice estimates, the most notable changes were made to India’s balance sheet with Beginning Stocks, Production and Exports all increased by 3 million metric tons (mmt) and Ending Stocks increasing by 4 mmt to 43 million.  Of note, India’s rice production is expected to be a record 142 mmt. The USDA indicated an above-average monsoon season and more rice planted at the expense of cotton were factors behind India’s record production. India’s exports were increased on the removal of several export restrictions, including its export ban on non-basmati white rice at the end of September. Exports for Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam are all reduced with the removal of India’s export ban.

Soybean Economic Update

Scott Stiles, Program Associate and Ag Economist, University of Arkansas

This month, USDA reduced soybean production by 4 million bushels to 4.582 billion. The average yield was trimmed by .1 bushel per acre, which remains a record at 53.1 bushels. Harvested acres were left unchanged at 86.3 million. Notable state yield reductions this month were Indiana and Ohio, which were both down 3 bushels per acre. Yields were reduced by 1 bushel per acre in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Illinois’ yield was increased 2 bushels and Iowa increased 1 bushel per acre.



Very minor changes to new crop demand resulted in 2024/25 ending stocks holding steady at 550 million bushels, which is a considerable increase over last year’s 342 million. Global stocks were virtually unchanged at 134.65 million metric tons (mmt). The U.S. season-average soybean price for 2024/25 is unchanged at $10.80 per bushel, down from $12.40 last year.

Soybean Variety Trial

The Faulkner County Group IV Enlist Soybean Variety Trial was harvested on Tuesday October 22. The results are listed below.

Corn Economic Update

Scott Stiles, Program Associate and Ag Economist, University of Arkansas

USDA increased U.S. corn production 17 million bushels this month to 15.203 billion. The record yield that has been expected for some time was extended by .2 bushels to 183.8 bushels per acre. Harvested acres were left unchanged at 82.7 million.

Parts of the eastern Corn belt saw downward revisions in yields this month, reflecting drought conditions in the region. Indiana’s yield was reduced 8 bushels and Ohio’s 4 bushels per acre. However, these reductions were offset by increases in Iowa, Kansas and Missouri which saw a yield bump of 2, 7, and 4 bushels per acre respectively. The only change to new crop demand was a 25 million bushel increase to exports to 2.325 billion leaving 2024/25 ending stocks at 1.999 billion; up from last year’s 1.76 billion bushels. With a relatively heavy outlook for ending stocks in 24/25, the season-average producer was unchanged this month at $4.10 per bushel compared to $4.55 last year.

Wheat

Hopefully we can get started on wheat next week.

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

Brucellosis Vaccinations

Faulkner County’s Brucellosis (Bang’s) Vaccination Program will be held Thursday, November 14 and Friday November 15. 

Even though it’s no longer a state law, it is highly recommended to have your heifers vaccinated between the ages of 4 and 12 months against Brucellosis to keep brucellosis eradicated in Arkansas. 

A representative from the Livestock & Poultry Commission and the Faulkner County Cooperative Extension Service will offer an on-farm vaccination program at no cost to all Faulkner County cattle producers. If you are interested please CALL the office at 501-329-8344, by Friday, November 8 to be added to the schedule. After the registration deadline, a schedule will be put together and producers will be notified. 

Starting this year, producers must have a premise ID. You can apply for a premise ID at the Livestock & Poultry website. A link is provided below.

The Livestock & Poultry Commission has stated that each farm where cattle are to be vaccinated MUST have a chute or squeeze chute with a head gate where cattle can be subdued. Even with good facilities, the chances of someone getting hurt are possible. If the proper facilities are not available or safe, the vaccinator has the right to refuse to vaccinate your calves. Calves will not be vaccinated unless the owner or someone representing the owner is present.

Estimating Hay Needs

Mark Z. Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist

Some basic rules of thumb to follow when determining the hay supplies you will need to sustain your cow herd over the next few months.

Determine your average mature cow size. This can be done by weighing your 4 – 7 year old cows and calculating the average weight. From mature cow size, we can approximate the amount of forage dry matter cows will need to consume per year or per day. For example: a 1,000 pound cow will consume about 26 pounds of forage dry matter per day. A 1,400 pound cow will consume about 36.4 pounds of forage dry matter per day.

Determine your cow inventory.

Estimate the amount of time you expect to be feeding cows.

From this information you can calculate the total amount of hay needed. For example: 100 cows weighing 1,400 pounds will consume about 3640 pounds of hay per day. We should take into account that a certain amount of the hay fed will be wasted and there will be a certain amount of spoilage of each bale fed that won’t be consumed. With this in mind we will add another 10% to the daily total to bump it up to about 4000 pounds (2 tons) per day.

Remember the amount of hay wasted or spoiled could be higher. If we are feeding hay from last year expect a higher percentage spoiled in each bale.

If we are expecting to feed hay from mid-October to mid-May, that is approximately 200 days of hay feeding. 4000 pounds of hay needed per day x 200 days equals a total of 800,000 pounds (400 ton) of forage dry matter that cows will consume over this time. If we are feeding or buying large rounds with an average weight of 1,250 pounds that equates to 640 (800,000 divided by 1,250) big bales needed to sustain the 100 cows.

If possible, purchase hay by the ton. It leads to less error in securing the amount of hay you will need to purchase or have on inventory. If buying hay by the bale is your only option, make sure to weigh enough of the bales to have an accurate representation of bale weight. Also, take into account the amount of spoilage of each bale. One of the upsides of hay baled this summer (and the drought we are dealing with now) is less spoilage of warm season grass hay baled in the summer of 2024. 

Other factors such as weather, stage of gestation or lactating versus dry cows will obviously impact nutritional requirements of cows from day to day. Provide hay and other nutritional supplementation accordingly.

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

Livestock Market Report

The weekly livestock market report is available on the Arkansas Department of Agriculture website.

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

AFGC Fall Conference - November 1, Conway Cowboy Church