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2nd Quarter 2017

County Agent Comment

“A TIME TO PLAN” As we enter into Spring and Summer with our farm operations, I think of the verse that says “A Time to Sow, A Time to Reap”. I encourage you to find and take “Time to Plan”. Plan so that you are prepared to take advantage of market highs and lows. No one is pleased with current market prices, but a quality animal or quality timber still brings the top price, what-ever that is at the time. So plan to manage to produce a quality product. Plan to manage pest competition reducing pest pressure (insect, weed, or disease) produces the greatest return for dollar invested. Unless you take time to scout Fields, sample soil, vaccinate livestock, or walk the woods, you are just “Shooting In the Dark” with your management and your quality product will be negatively impacted as will your time and money. Plan for potential weather extremes. The current long range forecast says we may be in for another extended drought period. We learned from the last one that having an extra pasture or dividing pastures we have, so that rotation is possible during weather stress, will maintain grass cover and save your soil I have included information in this newsletter that I hope will assist you in your time of planning. Remember that no matter the weather, or the markets, “Management Is Still The Key to Success”. I wish you nothing but success. Please call the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Extension office in Union County (870) 864-1916, if our research based information can assist you in any way.

Sincerely,

Robin D. Bridges CEA/Staff Chair Union County

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 10 Bangs Vaccinations April 11 PAT Training—5:30—8:30—County Ext. Office April 12 Bangs Vaccinations (If needed) May 20 TBA—Place and Time to be announced

PASTURE TOUR

Please make plans to attend this Years “Pasture Tour” on Saturday, May 20th. Time and Place to be announced at a

later date.

BANGS VACCINATIONS DATE: April 10, 2017 April 12, 2017 (If Needed) All female cattle between the ages of 4 to 12 months of age should be vaccinated against the reproductive system disease known as Brucellosis (Bangs). Our office has made arrangements with the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commis-sion to conduct an on-farm vaccination program, free of charge, for any Union County producer needing assistance. Call the office at 870-864-1916 to make your reservations by Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 12:00 noon.

PESTICIDE APPLICATOR TRAINING

LAST CHANCE FOR 2017

TUESDAY, APRIL 11th 5:30—7:30

County Extension Office

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Solutions for Your Forest Health

First, look down. In an urban forest (that's your yard trees), be aware of things you might do that will impact the roots of the trees. A tree's roots are its lifeline. Without good roots, the tree will die. Ninety percent of a tree's roots are in the top 18 - 24 inches of soil, extending out well beyond the crown of the tree. Trenching or excavating close to a tree, within its root zone, will damage a tree's roots. Imagine a circle centered at the tree and extending out a distance equal to the height of the tree. The part of that circle you cut off with trenching or excavation is the amount of root system that tree will lose. Compacting the soil by driving over it repeatedly, covering the soil with a driveway, or covering the soil with a house can do just as much damage to the root system as trenching. Keep trenches, driveways, and foundations as far from trees as practical.

Second, look at the trees. If you see a tree that is showing evidence of pest or disease problems, find out what is going on. In some cases, insect or disease problems may be treatable. In other cases, it may be possible to contain the insect or disease problem by removing the infected tree.

Third, look at the forest. One of the most common causes of stress in forests is overcrowding. Trees and forests continu-ally grow; and as the trees get larger, the forest becomes more crowded. As the forest, and demand on resources, grows; the supply of critical resources such as sunlight and water is stretched thin. When the supply of water is limited, no tree gets enough water to remain healthy and the trees become stressed and more susceptible to insect or disease prob-lems. Thinning the forest removes enough damaged, diseased, or excess trees to spread limited resources among fewer trees. That will relieve stress on remaining trees and help them ward off insect and disease problems.

Getting Help for Your Forest Your Cooperative Extension Service has produced many fact sheets about forest insect and disease problems and about managing forests. You can search our web site for fact sheets about a particular problem or ask your county extension agent to help you identify the problem and find solutions to it. In addition to the county extension agent, the Cooperative Extension Service has experts in tree health and forest management who can help the county agent provide answers to your questions. Remember, your county extension agent is your access to tree care and forest management experts.

Arkansas Forestry Resources The US Forest Service is the leading agency responsible for tracking the Nation's forest health. You can find information about our forest health on their Forest Sustainability Reporting website. The Arkansas Forestry Commission also provides information about forest health.

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Weed Control, Weed Control, Weed Control… Dirk Philipp, Associate Professor - Forages

Weed control is something many landowners do not consider important, yet it is crucial for pasture productivity, forage growth and animal gains. I have heard the following arguments several times: “These weeds will complete their life cycle very soon anyway…, there are actually not that many weeds out there…, those weeds can easily be controlled with grazing….” Arguments like these are not helpful in keeping forages and pastures in optimal condition. Everything that has been known and practiced in a row crop situation for years seems to be completely elusive in grassland agriculture. Maybe it’s be-cause we deal with multispecies ecosystems in pastures that the occurrence of undesired plants doesn’t strike us as unusual. Managing perennial forages, such as fescue and bermudagrass, will invari-ably require a fair amount of tolerance, as maintaining these forages over the course of the growing season is challenging. It’s important to keep an eye on winter annual weeds, especially in the off-grazing season. Many farmers seem to believe since it’s not grazing season, weeds won’t do any harm. We should be reminded that undesired plants such as weeds are fierce competitors for the scarce re-sources we actually have out there. Weeds will take up fertilizer and water that won’t be available to forage crops. In the worst-case scenario, weeds are poisonous to livestock. Some weeds are potentially lethal, like those that accumulate nitrates or prussic acid. Other weeds ap-pear to be benign under regular grazing, but at some point, livestock may be forced to eat them, per-haps in hay, with disastrous consequences. Here are few rules I learned over the years from experts and colleagues on how to tackle weeds in pas-tures. Go out and spray on time! If you walk out into your pasture and notice an abundance of weeds, it’s probably too late to get a good kill. As with any other plants, weeds are likely most vulnerable when they are small and rapidly growing. Case in point: pigweed should be treated when it’s smaller than about 4 inches high. At that growth stage, you won’t see it in your pasture as readily, but it’s already there. So go out and spray your pastures as early as you can. It’s rarely too cold to spray! Unless it’s freezing, herbicides work. Yes, weeds won’t grow as much in temperatures below 50 de-grees,but winter annual weeds grow during the winter for obvious reasons. In fact, producers should take advantage of those days when not much else can be done and tackle weed control. In bermudagrass, weeds should ideally be sprayed in February or early March. Spraying is less expensive than you think! I understand that every penny counts and we are all frugal. But this is skimping on the wrong thing. Weed control can be as cheap as a few bucks per acre, so there’s no excuse for not investing a bit of money in a decent sprayer and regular weed control. There are many products on the market so cost-effectiveness is not a problem. Be consistent with your weed control over the years! Did I just mention being consistent over time? Yes, this is probably the most important strategy to get a handle on any weed problem. When you start, record the day and month of your application, amount and product, and carefully observe your success. Adjust according to the weather, but apply herbicide to a particular group of weeds consistently over the years. This goes back to the first observation that you should treat weeds on time. Be persistent and consistent with regard to weed control. Apply as

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Robin D. Bridges County Extension Agent Staff Chair Union County UofA Cooperative Extension Service 307 American Road Suite 101 El Dorado, AR 71730 Ph: 870-864-1916 Fax: 870-864-1919

All meetings and activi-ties announced in this newsletter are open to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, na-tional origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally pro-tected status. Persons with disabilities who re-quire alternative means for communication of program information (large print, audiotapes, etc.) should notify the county Extension Office as soon as possible prior to the activity.

NON-PROFIT ORG. PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID El Dorado, AR 71730

PERMIT NO. 8