4-H ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT BANQUET D E - Shelby County · controlled—by choosing healthy foods,...
Transcript of 4-H ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT BANQUET D E - Shelby County · controlled—by choosing healthy foods,...
Cooperative Extension Service Shelby County Newsletter
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1117 Frankfort Road ● Shelbyville, KY 40065 ● (502) 633-4593 ● Fax: (502) 633-6713 ● www.ca.uky.edu
DECEMBER
NOVEMBER
AG
Kentucky Beef Conference
BQA Certification
Hemp Applications
Marketing Local Beef and
Vegetables
Organic Production Seminar
Outdoor Naturalist
Goat Webinar
KY Proud Promo Grant Applications
Fall Wheat Planting Decision
4-H ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT
BANQUET Thursday, December 1 at 7 PM
Healthy Holiday
Cooking & Eating
Program 10 a.m. on Thursday
November 10 (page 2 for information)
HORTICULTURE
Fall Lawn Care
Fall Tree Planting
2017 Classes
Details on pages 4 & 5 4-H is collecting food for the Backpack Program at the Achievement Banquet,
EXTENSION OPEN HOUSE
“Rooted in Shelby”
Tuesday, November 15,
from 3-7 p.m.
See page 10
November is
Diabetes Awareness Month Healthy choices in food and exercise can
help prevent diabetes. Diabetes can be
controlled—by choosing healthy foods, staying
physically active and knowing and managing
blood sugar numbers.
Healthy Holiday Eating with
Diabetes Program As part of November’s National Diabetes
Awareness Month, there will be a special program
at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 10 at your
Shelby County Extension Office. Participants will
learn about healthy lifestyle habits to prevent and/
or manage diabetes. The program will include
cooking demonstrations, food sampling, free
recipes, and answers to your questions. There
will be new recipe food sampling at noon.
The Oldham, Henry, Spencer and Shelby
County Cooperative Extension Services and the
North Central District Health Department are
sponsoring the “Healthy Eating with Diabetes”
Program. To register for this FREE program,
please call 633-4593.
First Saturday Walk Abouts Mark your calendar and join us at the Clear
Creek Park Family Activity Center at 8:30 a.m. on
Saturdays—November 5, December 3, and
January 7 for a walk to de-stress, strengthen your
bones, and improve your overall health. All
participants receive a FREE day pass to the Family
Activity Center. We walk inside on cold, rainy or
snowy days.
Family Fun Night—
Dabbling in the Arts Plan to join us for the next Family Fun
Night from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, November 11.
Artist Stephanie Allison will teach Zentangles art.
Join us to learn and complete this special art
project. Reservations are required because class
size is limited. Call 633-4593 to reserve your and
your family members’ or friends’ seats in this
class. The cost is only $2 per person. A delicious,
nutritious snack will also be served.
Gifts from the Sewing Machine Join us at the monthly Sewing Circle on
Tuesday, November 1 from 3 to 8 p.m. at your
Shelby County Extension Office. You can make
several gifts from the Sewing Machine including
coasters, dinner napkins, table runners, fabric gift
bags and more. Just call 633-4593 or email
[email protected] to request the supplies
list. You can join us anytime from 3 to 8 p.m. at
the Sewing Circle. Dinner is served at 5 p.m.
“Winterizing” Your
Grocery Budget Many families notice that their grocery
bills surge in the winter months. Out-of-season
produce and poor road conditions all contribute to
the rise in food costs. If you are looking for ways
to “winterize” your grocery budget in order to
save, consider the following tips:
Make a grocery list. Know exactly what you
will be buying before you enter the grocery store
so that you can avoid unplanned purchases.
Use pantry staples. Plan your meals around
items that you already have in your pantry. Pantry
staples such as rice, flour and dried beans are all
relatively inexpensive and can be used in many
different dishes.
Use the grocery store flyer. When planning
your list, be sure to use the grocery store flyer to
take advantage of any ongoing sales.
Space out your grocery visits. Plan your
grocery trips carefully with a list and space out
your visits. The less often you go to the grocery
store, the less you will spend overall.
Source: Jennifer Hunter, Family Financial
Management Extension Specialist and
Kristyn Jackson, LMFT, Ph.D. Candidate,
Department of Family Sciences; University of
Kentucky; College of Agriculture, Food and
Environment
Gifting without Destroying
Your Budget The holiday season can be a budget
destroyer! It is very tempting to buy gifts for
everyone – family, friends, teachers and the mail
man. If you have a long list of gift recipients this
year, it may be a good idea to think outside of the
box. Here are some ways that you can give a gift
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F AM I L Y
&
CON S UME R S C I E N C E
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Articles By: Sheila Fawbush Cooperative Extension Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences
F AM I L Y
&
CON S UME R S C I E N C E
S
without destroying your budget:
Bake. If you enjoy baking, consider baking
loaves of bread for gift recipients on your list.
Each loaf will cost a minimal amount of money
and will sure to be meaningful to your gift
recipient.
Create something. If you are ar tistic,
consider using materials that you already have at
home to create something for gift recipients on
your list. For instance, if you knit and have
leftover yarn from several earlier projects,
consider making a multi-color scarf.
Do Something. Providing a service to
someone is a great way to provide a gift. If you
have a gift recipient on your list with young
children, consider offering to babysit for a few
hours!
Source: Jennifer L. Hunter, Extension
Specialist for Family Financial Management and
Kristyn Jackson, LMFT, Ph.D. Candidate,
Department of Family Sciences
University of Kentucky; College of Agriculture,
Food and Environment
Strengthening Family Relationships
during the Holiday Season There is no better time to strengthen the
most important relationships in your life than
during the holiday season. Holidays can be very
busy and stressful, but they can also be
opportunities to celebrate life with the people you
love. Here are some ideas for strengthening
family relationships during the holidays:
Shift your focus from what you have to get
done to what you want to experience with the
people you care about. There are so many
things around the holiday season that we have
to get done. It can make the holidays feel like
one big giant obligation. Shift your attitude
from obligation to your hopes for your family
during the holidays. It may surprise you how
much a shift in focus can do.
Make your goal clear. Let your family know
that your No. 1 goal is to strengthen your
family during the holiday season. Use
language that makes it something everyone
will want to do rather than something people
feel forced to do. Communicate your goals for
how you plan to strengthen relationships with
each member of your family. When you
communicate that you care about people and
tell them they are your No. 1 priority, it can be
amazing how they will respond.
Practice self-care. We are happiest and most
likely to have positive exchanges with our
families when we are taking proper care of
ourselves. Get enough rest and eat regular
meals. Do something you enjoy or have been
wanting to do and take a little “me time.” You
will surprise yourself when you realize how
much more positive your family interactions
can be after you have taken some time to care
for yourself.
Put down the technology and focus on each
other. We all spend too much time on
computers, iPads, smart phones and other
technologies. The best way to strengthen
family relationships is to do something
together and focus on each other. Play a fun
family board game. Volunteer at a food pantry
or nursing home as a family. Bake your
favorite dessert together. Tell jokes together.
It doesn’t matter what you are doing, just do it
together.
Spend time reflecting together as a family.
What are your favorite memories from past
holidays? What traditions are important to
your family? How can we work together as a
family to keep a focus on the positive? How
can we work as a family to reduce stress?
Sharing these reflections can help to reduce
future conflict & help people feel understood.
References: Brain Pathways (2013).
Strengthening Relationships During the Holidays.
Brain Pathways Blog. Available at https://
blog.brainpathways.net/2013/10/22/strengthening-
relationships-during-the-holidays-2/. Source:
Kerri Ashurst, Senior Extension Specialist for
Family and Consumer Sciences, University of
Kentucky; College of Agriculture, Food and
Environment.
Watch for 2017 hort classes
Dates and times are not set yet, but Extension
will offer a large selection of horticulture and
small animal classes next year.
Next year, we will offer
the Food Gardening series
of classes that have been
very popular over the last
four years. We try to offer
one at night and one
during the day to accommodate as many
interested people as possible. Those will likely
start late winter.
We will also offer the once-a-month series of
gardening classes called Green Thumb
Gardening. Those cover a wide range of topics
and are usually on Thursday
evenings. Some possible topics
this year will be growing fruit
trees, container flower and
vegetable growing, plant disease
diagnostics and lawn care. These
classes are taught by Extension personnel,
specialists and master gardeners. We also
usually include at least one garden tour among
the series.
The Food Gardening and Green Thumb classes
are all free, but we do ask that your register for
the classes. Watch our newsletter or the
Sentinel-News for more information. If you
don’t get our newsletter and would like to, send
an email to [email protected] and we can
get you signed up.
Finally, probably in late spring, we hope to start
another round of master gardener classes. If you
are interested in those, send an email to the
above address and we will put you on the
“interested” list or call, 633-4593.
We will also have a class on keeping poultry,
probably in mid-winter. Stay tuned.
Summer 2016 recap
This past summer was the best of times and the
worst of times to be a gardener in north central
Kentucky. We had plenty of rain; we had too
much rain. We had plenty of heat; we had too
much heat. We had too many insects; we
always have too many insects.
Gardeners who planted trees and shrubs in
spring got lucky because the summer provided
plenty of water to keep them growing well. But
don’t think watering chores are over just
because fall has arrived. Plants need less water
in fall because it’s cooler. But it’s
often dry, and they can be injured if
they go into the winter without
enough water.
Because of the abundant rain, many trees,
shrubs and perennials showed signs of disease.
Spots on leaves, even complete discoloration of
leaves, are usually the result of some type of
fungal or bacterial disease. Diseases that hit
plants later in the season are unsightly but they
rarely harm the plant. Plants should bounce
back next year. Plants that suddenly died over
the summer may very well have succumbed to
poor drainage. Many of our favorite plants –
lilacs, hollies, peonies and many evergreens–
are intolerant of poor drainage. Standing water
rots their roots and when it does turn hot and
dry, the plant suddenly dies because it has lost
most of its roots. Adding compost or planting in
raised beds helps with drainage issues. Another
strategy is to choose plants that can tolerate
heavy clay soils that can hold too much water.
Check with Extension for recommendations.
And then there were weeds. Weeds
that like hot, wet weather had a field
day this past summer: Johnsongrass,
pigweed, morning glories and bindweed,
crabgrass, cocklebur and more. Always try to
keep annual and perennial weeds from going to
seed. Some of the weeds, if they are in the
broadleaf category, can be sprayed with a 2-4D
product that will take them out and leave
desirable grasses alone. Grassy weeds, on the
other hand, are very difficult to control without
doing a “total kill.” But sometimes it’s just best
to kill out everything and start over.
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H O R T I C U L T U R E
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Articles By: Walt Reichert Horticulture Technician
H O R T I C U L T U R E
Finally, bugs. The summer was a breakout year
for many of our plant insect pests, including fall
armyworm, bagworms, Japanese beetles,
harlequin beetles, and sawflies. In places around
the county, these insects did enormous damage
quickly. The best strategy for insect control is to
first be able to identify the pest, then choose the
best control as soon as possible. In many cases,
the insects will do little damage and the best
strategy is to leave them alone. If spraying is
necessary, be sure to read insecticide labels and
always spray when you are least likely to damage
pollinators.
Fall lawn care
According to UK Extension
specialists, fall is the best time
to fertilize lawns, though I
would venture to suggest that
most fertilizing takes place in
spring.
Lawns fertilized in the fall will develop better
root systems than those fertilized in spring and
will be less prone to disease. Most lawns benefit
from 1 pound to 1.5 pounds of actual nitrogen
per 1,000 square feet. That can be applied in
October and December (split the application in
half) or just once, preferably in late October
through mid-November.
Lots of folks stop by the office to talk about their
lawns and brag about how much lime they have
put on their lawns as if they just killed a 12-point
buck with a BB gun. STOP! Most lawns in the
county have plenty of lime in the soil naturally
and need no additional lime. But you won’t know
if you don’t do a soil test. We will do a soil test
for you for free or for $5 if you live out of the
county. If you don’t know how to take a soil test,
stop by or call; we’ll be glad to help you. You
may find you don’t need to lime at all and can
spend that time in the deer stand.
Finally, don’t stop mowing the
lawn just because it gets a little
cool out. The grass won’t stop
growing until we have had a hard
freeze or two. Often that doesn’t
happen until early December. The last time you
mow, set the mower height down a little; the
shorter grass helps keep down disease problems.
It is also not a bad idea to take the mower in for a
checkup and tune-up after you finish mowing for
the season. Shops will be less busy this time of
year, and you will be glad you did when mowing
season starts up next year.
Avoid ‘rubbish’ on the web
When I get questions from residents about plants
or insects, if I don’t know the answer, I rely on a
bevy of the wonderful specialists at UK. But I
often do some research on the web
as well.
I’ve discovered in my research that
there is a lot of misinformation
out there – about plants, poultry,
anything else you have a mind to look up. You
don’t have to know bread from bean soup, but if
you have a little computer savvy and can set up a
blog you can be an expert on anything – or
so it seems. Here’s news, kids. Just because it’s
on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s accurate. If
you’re searching for plant-related information, I
strongly recommend you use Extension web-
sites, preferably UK’s, but any Extension website
is better than “Granny Hannah’s thoughts on
plants.” Remember that extension websites
offer research-based information – and they
aren’t selling anything! Another good source of
plant information comes from the country’s
botanical gardens. I have found some of the best
information from the Missouri Botanical
Gardens.
Fall is for tree planting
Trees and shrubs planted in fall get a jump start
over those planted in spring. A few trees – such
as peaches, plums, cherries and sweetgums – do
better planted in spring. If you’re in doubt, check
with Extension. Also, we have several good pub-
lications on how to properly plant trees and
shrubs. Send an email to [email protected].
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4 - H
Y O U T H
D E V E L O P M E N T
4-H Achievement Banquet The 2016 4-H Achievement Banquet is
approaching quickly. This year’s banquet will be
at the Shelby County Extension Office at 7 p.m.
on December 1. All 4-H members and their
families are invited to attend. We will be
recognizing each club and project group in
Shelby County 4-H at our event.
We would like to have a slide show of
various club activities and events. If you have
photos you would like to submit for use in the
slide show, please send them to Candice Fulcher.
Email pictures to [email protected] or
they can be downloaded from an SD card. If
you have questions about submitting pictures,
please call us. We would like to have all clubs
and groups included in the slide show. All
pictures need to be in BEFORE November 15.
Award winners for the Outstanding
Senior, “I Dare You Award,” and Matt Edwards
Award will be announced at the banquet.
Nominations by club leaders, parents, or 4-H
members are due to the Shelby County 4-H
office by November 11. If you have questions
about these awards, please contact Candice
Fulcher or Regina Browning
Shelby County 4-H will be providing
fried chicken and drinks. We ask that 4-H
members bring a salad or side dish if they are a
girl, and a dessert if they are a boy to share with
the group.
In addition, all 4-H members are
encouraged to bring food for the Backpack
Project as a community service project. This
program provides food for young people in need
by filling a backpack with food, on weekends
and breaks from school. Food that can be easily
opened by a child without a can opener is
needed. Examples of items that can be donated
include: pop-tarts, cereal bars, granola bars, fruit
cups, fruit snacks, pudding cups, cheese crackers
and canned foods with pop tops. No foods with
peanuts or peanut butter can be accepted.
4-H Country Ham Project
If you are interested in the Country Ham
Project, the contract will be coming out VERY
soon. These contracts, along with fees, are
generally due to the Extension Office the first
week of December. More information will be
provided as we receive it. To receive hams after
the State Fair, youth must complete all
requirements, including attending project
meetings and giving a speech at the State fair.
The 4-H Country Ham Project gives members
two raw hams to take through the curing process.
In August, they give a speech about the project
and if completed, get two country hams to take
home. All project meetings are held at the
Shelby County Extension Office. Adults may
also participate in the Country Ham Project and
will meet at the same time as 4-Hers
Enrollment Forms All 4-H members and volunteers should
complete new enrollment forms each year. The
form for 2016-2017 is now available. Please
submit your form as soon as possible so that you
can continue to receive mailings and updates.
Enrollment forms are available on our
website or at the Extension Office. If you have
questions, please give us a call.
4-H Participation Across
County Lines If you do not live in or go to school in
Shelby County, you must meet the qualifications
of the State 4-H Cross County Participation
Policy to participate as a Shelby County 4-H
Member. As a general rule, 4-Hers must
participate in the county in which they reside or
go to school. If a program is not available in
their county of residence or where they go to
school then they may participate in another
county. A request form to participate in another
county must be submitted to the agent in your
county of residence. The request must be
approved by the 4-H Council of your county of
residence and by the county that you want to
participate in. You can not move 4-H
membership because a county has a better
program or to gain a competitive advantage.
Also, you cannot transfer membership based on
the location of your livestock or horse project. It
Donate food for
kids in need at the
Achievement
Banquet.
Items support the
Shelby County
Backpack Project
is based on the location of the youth, not the
animal. If your county offers a Horse Program
or Shooting Sports Program you cannot transfer
participation because of a specific discipline.
Members participating in another county
other than their county of residence will be
responsible for having a copy of their completed
and approved forms in their possession at 4-H
events. Once the Cross County waiver is
granted, a 4-Her does not have to reapply every
year. Forms are available at the Extension
Office or on our website. If you have any
questions, please call or email the office.
Project Books Remember– we have project books to
guide you through your 4-H projects. These
books will provide you with education and a list
of supplies, resources, and
guidelines that you will need to
complete your project. These
books cannot be mailed out but will
be provided free of charge to
interested 4-H members. If you
would like a project book, stop by the Extension
Office and pick them up at your convenience.
New 4-H Project Guidelines There have been several changes to the
Photography and Art categories for entry into the
county and state fairs. There are all new
guidelines and classes to enter items. If you plan
to exhibit items in these categories, please
contact the Extension Office for the new
guidelines.
4-H Camp Dates The dates for Shelby County 4-H Camp
have been set. We will be camping June 6-9,
2017. We will be camping with Henry and
Pulaski counties. Applications for campers will
be available February 1. Camp slots are filled
on a first-come, first-served basis.
Application for 4-H Camp Teen Leaders,
Counselors in Trainings (CIT) and Adult
Leaders will also be available on February 1 at
the Extension Office and on our website.
4-H Teen Club
Shelby County 4-H recently started a new
club for Senior 4-H members. The primary
focus of the club will be leadership development
and community service. All 4-H members that
are 14 and older are invited. The club will meet
on the first Thursday of each month at 4 p.m. at
the Extension Office. It is a great way to meet
other 4-H members, have fun, learn some new
skills and help your community.
The first service project will be adopting a
child in need for Christmas. The club will be
accepting donations if anyone would like to
contribute.
4-H Shooting Sports Shelby County Shooting Sports
completed another successful year at the 2016
State 4-H Competition in September. We had
several 4-Hers perform very well and many
scored their personal best. Congratulations to all
the 4-Hers that competed and special thanks to
all our coaches and volunteers that make this
program so successful. Some highlights from
the State Shoot are listed below. Scores from
the competition can be found at https://4-
h.ca.uky.edu/content/shooting-sports.
Air Rifle (9-11): 1st Place Team Overall,
Emma Kate Lawrence-1st Place, Gracie Pratt-
2nd Place, Luke Colebank-3rd Place
Air Sport Rifle (9-11): Luke Colebank-2nd
Place
.22 Target Rifle (9-11): Emma Kate Lawrence-
1st Place, Luke Colebank-3rd Place
Bowhunter (12-14): Isaac McCants-3rd Place
Recurve (12-14): Kilara Scanlon-3rd Place
Air Pistol (12-14): Kilara Scanlon-2nd Place
BB Rifle (12-14): Meaghan Pratt-2nd Place
Air Rifle (15-18): Macy Colebank-3rd Place
Air Sport Rifle( 15-18): Isaac Crumbacker -
3rd Place
.22 Target Rifle (15-18): Macy Colebank-2nd
Place, Luke Woods-3rd Place
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Articles By: Regina Browning Cooperative Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development
4 - H
Y OU T H
D E V E L O PME N T
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Kentucky Beef Conference We will be taking a van from the
Extension Office to the Kentucky Beef
Conference in Lexington, leaving at 8:30
a.m. on Thursday, November 3.
Transportation will be available to the first 10 people to
reserve a seat. The conference will be held at the Fayette
County Extension Office from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and topics
include: Current Beef Cattle Situation, Mineral
Supplementation, Profitability in Today’s Market, Proven
Management Strategies for Current Market, Veterinary Feed
Directive and Marketing Strategies for 2016. Please call
633-4593 to reserve your spot in the van.
Beef Quality Assurance Training (BQA) If your BQA certification has expired and you
would like to be recertified before the end of 2016, Traci
Missun, Oldham County CEA for Agriculture, is offering a
session on Tuesday, November 29, 6
pm, at the Oldham County Extension
Office. Call 502-222-9453
with questions or to register.
Remember, if you are
applying for CAIP cost-share funds
for a cattle-related project, you must have current BQA
certification.
Hemp Grower Applications Available The Kentucky Department of
Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Research
Pilot Program applications for 2017 have
been released. The deadline for
application is November 14, 2016 at 4:30
p.m. Email submissions will not be
accepted.
There are significant changes for
the 2017 pilot program, so prospective
applicants should read the policy guide for 2017 carefully.
Policy guide, applications and other information is
available at www.kyagr.com/hemp.
New Local Food Opportunities for 2017 Join us November 14, 6:30 p.m. at the Extension
Office to learn about the current local food economy and
what opportunities are available to
farmers in Shelby County for the 2017
growing season.
FoodRoute is a startup company
based in Shelbyville that is seeking to
partner with dozens of fruit, vegetable
and beef producers in Shelby County to
supply a network of wholesale buyers in
Louisville and Lexington. FoodRoute works with different
types of farms, big or small, to source a wide variety of
locally grown ingredients. Farmers get convenient and
expanded access to local markets at fair prices, without all
the hassle and paperwork.
Topics for the meeting will include:
Local Food Economy in 2016
Fruit & Vegetable Farming Opportunities
Beef Opportunities
Get Started with FoodRoute
FoodRoute is a company founded by a farmer in
Shelby County. Please RSVP for the meeting by calling
502-633-4593.
Organic Production Seminar Shelby and Henry counties will host a joint
Organic Agriculture Update on Saturday, December 10,
2016 from 9 am—3 pm at the Henry County Extension
Office in New Castle. Topics will include: Organic
Certification & Procedures, Organic Dairy & Livestock,
Organic Grain & Horticulture and an open discussion with
an Organic/Natural Producer Panel.
RSVP by December 1 to 633-4593 to reserve your
complimentary lunch.
Outdoor Naturalist Series Outdoor Naturalist is an educational program about
Shelby County’s natural resources and outdoor history. The
class meets on the third Thursday of each month, from 6-8
p.m. at the Extension Office or an on-site location,
depending on the topic. Remaining classes include:
Practical Entomology &
Pollinators
Archaeology
Environmental Ethics &
Philosophy
Reptiles/Amphibians/Fish/Birds
Mammals
Participants may choose to attend any number of
segments, but space for some sessions will be limited, so we
request that you sign up for each one you plan to attend to
help us plan accordingly. Call 633-4593 to register; the
next sessions will be held November 17 and December 15.
November’s topic is Practical Entomology and in December
we will discuss Archaeology in Kentucky.
Goat Webinar Kentucky State University and
Purdue University are collaborating to offer
an educational webinar about meat goat
production. The webinar date is December 8
and topics will include carcass cuts and
products and direct marketing of goat meat.
Details are being finalized, including log-in
information. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Ken
Andries at [email protected].
Kentucky Proud Promotional Grant The 2016 Promotional Grant for Kentucky Proud
members is now available. This grant
reimburses up to half of eligible
expenses for advertising, marketing and
reaching consumers at the point of
purchase to promote Kentucky Proud
products with direct Kentucky Farm Impact.
The application can be found at www.kyagr.com/
marketing/documents/KYP_GrantApplication.pdf.
A G R I CUL TURE
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Articles By: Corinne F. Belton Cooperative Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources
A G R I CUL TURE
Fall 2016 Wheat Planting Decision Kentucky grain farmers are harvesting corn and
are getting to the point where they will decide if and how
much wheat they will plant this fall. In Kentucky, wheat
is almost always planted in the fall following the harvest
on corn ground, and then double-cropped with soybeans in
early summer after the wheat harvest. This allows for two
crops in one year. However, soybeans planted after the
wheat harvest are more susceptible to summer drought,
which means on average yields are lower for these double-
cropped soybeans. In Kentucky, this yield reduction
typically averages around 20% and needs to be factored
into the overall decision along with grain prices to
determine if double-cropping makes sense in a particular
year.
A major change this year is a continued drop in
wheat prices while soybean prices have actually increased
slightly. This will make planting wheat less attractive this
fall. The following analysis attempts to quantify the
extent of the relative change in profitability for 2016. The
analysis includes estimated returns comparing double-
cropped wheat/soybeans with full-season soybeans for the
2016 crop, and the likely implications for Kentucky grain
farmers.
Additional costs associated with the double-
cropping are accounted for, including fuel, machinery
repairs and depreciation, labor, hauling, etc. 2016 new
crop CME future’s prices in early October, 2016 are used
as the base, and are adjusted for a basis of -$.20 for
soybeans and -$.15 for wheat. This results in new crop
prices of $9.50/bu for soybeans and $4.25/bu for wheat.
Two regions with different agronomic characteristics are
evaluated. The first region is along the southwest tier of
counties near Hopkinsville, which traditionally does a lot
of double-cropping. The second region is along the
northwest tier of counties (Ohio Valley region) that has
some of the best yields for corn and soybeans, but
traditionally plants less wheat. Cash rent is assumed to be
$175/acre for both these regions (note: this will vary
substantially, but is done here for illustrative purposes
only). Net profit is estimated after subtracting out all
variable and fixed costs represented by an efficient
operation. Major assumptions are: $2.00/gallon fuel, 25
mile one-way grain hauling, $.35/unit N, $.30/unit P, and
$.25/unit K.
Southwest Tier Assumptions (Average Ground):
70 bu wheat
35 bu double-cropped soybeans
44 bu full-season soybeans
Resulting net profits:
-$99 double-crop
-$31 full-season soybeans
This results in a $68 difference in favor of the full
season soybeans. The double-cropped soybean yield
would have to increase to 42 bu before wheat/double-crop
soybeans were as profitable. This would amount to only a
two-bushel yield reduction over full-season soybeans.
Southwest Tier Assumptions (Best Ground):
90 bu wheat
44 bu double-cropped soybeans
55 bu full-season soybeans
Resulting net profits:
+$72 double-crop
+$71 full-season soybeans
This results in basically the same profitability as full
season soybeans.
Northwest Tier Assumptions:
65 bu wheat
38 bu double-cropped soybeans
50 bu full-season soybeans
Resulting net profits:
-$91 double-crop
+$25 full-season soybeans
This results in a $116 difference in favor of the
full season soybeans. The double-cropped soybean yield
would have to increase to 50 bu in this case before the
wheat/double-crop soybeans were as profitable. This
would equate to the same yield as full-season soybeans.
Given the current market conditions, double-
cropping doesn’t look remotely attractive in 2016-2017 for
the majority of Kentucky. On the very best wheat ground
in the state it looks to be a breakeven situation compared
to full-season soybeans.
This analysis doesn’t account for potential
payments from the ARC and PLC Farm Bill programs.
However, these programs would pay on base acre crop
allocation and not planted acres, so there would be no
effect on the planting decision.
To change the assumptions above to your specific
conditions and evaluate your expected profitability, go to
the grain budget site at: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AgEcon/
halich_greg_rowcropbudgets.php
The Corn-Soybean Budgets and Wheat Budgets
can be downloaded or opened directly from this page.
Source: Greg Halich
Fall is a Great Time to Sample Soils Fall is actually the optimum time to take soil samples
for fertility analyses.
Fall sampling gives you plenty of time to follow
fertility recommendations before planting season. As soon
as you receive the soil test results, look at the
recommendations for lime and pH. Applying limestone
neutralizes soil acidity. Because agricultural lime takes
about six months to break down and react with the soil, it
should be applied in the fall to be fully effective in the
spring. Unlike fertilizer, lime is needed every three to five
years, depending on your crop rotation and nitrogen
fertilizer history.
If you’re interested in collecting fall soil samples,
stop by the Extension office. We can give you more
information including details on how to take accurate soil
samples and where to send the collected cores.
PAGE 10
Tuesday, November 15, 2016, 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Everyone is invited to join us for this
Open House Celebration!
Shelby County Cooperative Extension Service
1117 Frankfort Road
Shelbyville, KY 40065
(502) 633-4593
Enjoy refreshments, share in educational displays, win door prizes,
hands-on learning and see fascinating demonstrations from four
programming areas.
C A L E N D A R
O F E V E N T S
PAGE 11
Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social
status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion,
political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic
information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.
KEY:
4-H 4-H Youth Development AG Agriculture HORT Horticulture FCS Family and Consumer Science
FCS Family & Consumer Sciences EFNEP Expanded Food & Nutr ition Ed. Program
NOVEMBER 1 4-H Zappy Zippers 4-H Sewing club, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Extension Office
1 FCS Sewing Circle, 3-8 p.m. Extension Office
3 4-H 4-H Teen Club, 4 p.m. Extension Office
3 AG KY Beef Conference 10 a.m.—3 p.m. Fayette CES
5 4-H 4-H Equus Horse Club, 10 a.m. Club Leader’s Farm
5 FCS First Saturday Walk About, 8:30 a.m. Clear Creek Park
10 4-H 4-H Saddles-N-Spurs, 7 p.m. Extension Office
10 FCS Healthy Holiday Cooking & Eating, 10 a.m. Extension Office
11 FCS Family Fun Night—Dabbling in the Arts, 6 p.m. Extension Office
14 4-H 4-H Livestock Club, 7 p.m. Extension Office
14 4-H 4-H Fur & Feathers Club, 7 p.m. Extension Office
14 AG Local Food Opportunities, 6:30 p.m. Extension Office
14 AG Hemp Grower Application Deadline KY Dept. of Ag
15 ALL OPEN HOUSE, 3-7 p.m. Extension Office
16 FCS Cooking Club, noon Extension Office
17 AG/HO Outdoor Naturalist, 6—8 p.m. Extension Office
19 4-H 4-H Equus Horse Club, 10 a.m. Club Leader’s Farm
21 4-H 4-H Dairy Club, 6:30 p.m. Extension Office
DECEMBER 1 4-H 4-H Achievement Banquet, 7 p.m. Extension Office
3 FCS First Saturday Walk About, 8:30 a.m. Clear Creek Park
6 FCS Shelby County Homemaker Council, 10 a.m. Extension Office
6 AG/HO Hort & Ag Advisory Council, 6:30 p.m. Extension Office
7 Hort Master Gardener Christmas Party, 6 p.m. Extension Office
8 AG KSU/Purdue Goat Webinar
10 AG/HO Organic Production Seminar, 9 a.m.—3 p.m. Henry Co. CES
11 FCS Holiday Cookie Exchange, 10 a.m. Extension Office
15 AG/HO Outdoor Naturalist, 6-8 p.m. TBA
19 4-H 4-H Dairy Club, 6:30 p.m. Extension Office
JANUARY
7 FCS First Saturday Walk About, 8:30 a.m. Clear Creek Park
25 FCS Soup Sharing, noon Extension Office
27 AG Tobacco GAP Training, 9 a.m.—Noon Extension Office
30 FCS Shelby County Extension Council, 6 p.m. Extension Office