A Message from Clint. Sincerely, Outdoor Curing Structure Plastic Recycling

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1 DC Cooperative Extension Service Daviess County 4800A New Hartford Road Owensboro, KY Fax: A Message from Clint Well, here it is! After twelve years of working for the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service in Daviess County, I decided to start preparing my own personal quarterly newsletter. Though over the years I have distributed research based agricultural information with my weekly newspaper column, frequent enterprise specific mailed notices and announcements, as well as departmental newsletters too many each month, but this will allow me be more personal than what I can put in the newspaper. If you have been receiving a departmental newsletter such as Off the Hoof or the Economic and Policy Update they will continue, as well as my weekly newspaper article. The information may periodically overlap but for the most part I will use this simply as an update for the local agriculture scene and as a tool to provide announcements for upcoming meetings. Instead of sending three or four meeting notices at once and expecting you to put them on the desk or magnet to the fridge, the notices will be announced through this newsletter with brief information about each one. One thing that has changed in the past couple of years is that most farmers have gone from checking on the office desktop about once a month to checking from your belt attached smartphone every time the thing beeps. If you prefer to receive this newsletter by , or if you do not read the Monday newspaper and would like to receive an electronic copy of my news article on Tuesday after the subscribers have read the purchased version, let me know. There is some good information in the article each week. I know a lot of you don t read the newspaper copy but would if it made noise upon arrival in your phone. Read on; I hope you enjoy. There are a lot of great things happening in Daviess County. The Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service is proud to serve our community s agriculture informational needs and I always look forward to your calls, visits, and s. Sincerely, Outdoor Curing Structure Plastic Recycling There is a private vender in Owensboro willing to work with tobacco growers in disposal of the plastic used to cover outdoor curing structures. The material will be recycled at no cost to the farmer. Forty thousand (40,000) pounds is necessary in order to make the project possible due to shipping requirements so if you are interested in recycling your plastic instead of paying to dispose of it at the landfill, call the office at to be added to an interest list. Please provide name, phone number and estimated pounds. Anyone with 300 or 3,000 pounds should be interested in this possibility. The material must be dry and mud and organic matter free.

2 Fall 2014 Page 2 New Farm Bill How Are You Going To Sign Up? The rules are final and the crop is in, so it is time to focus on how you are going to sign up for the Farm Bill and develop a strategy for informing your landowners. We are hosting one of several informative farm bill workshops at the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office on November 12 at 6:30 p.m. If you re caught up and have time to attend a day meeting, the same program will be held at 10:00 a.m. on December 1, at the Princeton Research and Education Center and again on December 2 at 10:00 a.m. at the Christian County Cooperative Extension Service Office just south of General Tobacco Warehouse on Hwy 41. This will be the best information gathering session offered this winter on the farm bill, so plan to attend one of these trainings. Items to be discussed include The Farm Bill Decision, by Dr. Todd Davis, Extension Grain Marketing Specialist. This presentation will describe the base reallocation and program yield decisions made by the landowner as well as the ARC-County, ARC- Individual, and PLC decision made by the producer. Working with FSA on this Decision by Marcinda Kesteer, KY Farm Service Agency will describe the information needed, the USDA timeline, and the process of working with the county FSA office throughout this process. Farm Bill Decision Aid Example, by Todd Davis, will demonstrate the decision tool that will help landowners and producers with this decision. Conservation Compliance, by Randy Small and Mark Ferguson with NRCS covers conservation compliance for crop insurance premium subsidies which is an important issue facing some producers. NRCS will talk about what compliance is and how to get back into it. Precision Technology Seminars The Kentucky Corn Growers and Kentucky Small Grain Associations are sponsoring two different precision agriculture technology seminars at the Daviess County Extension Office November 19 and 20. Both days begin at 8:30 a.m. and will end at 4:00 p.m. There is a $15 registration fee each day. Day one is designed for beginning users to help teach them about working with yield data zone management, analyzing soil sample data, prescription map development and getting as-applied application maps. Day two is for more advanced users and will discuss as-applied application accuracy mapping, end of year productivity evaluations, profitability from variable rate applications and considerations for machinery data usage. Space is limited each day and all of Kentucky is invited. If either of these days appeal to you contact Adam Andrews at adam@kycorn.org or to register. Ohio Valley Precision Ag Conference in Evansville, Indiana Farmers and other agricultural professionals wanting to use existing and emerging technology more efficiently will get the information they need at the Ohio Valley Precision Ag Conference. The conference, sponsored by the southwest Indiana Purdue University and the University of Kentucky Green River Area extension offices, will be November 21 from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (CST) at the 4-H Center on the Vanderburgh County Fairgrounds, 201 E. Boonville-New Harmony Road, Evansville. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. More information is in the enclosed brochure. Beef Referendum Kentucky beef and dairy producers have the opportunity to invest in the future of their business. A referendum to support funding of the additional $1/head Kentucky Beef Check-off will take place at local Cooperative Extension offices. Eligible producers may vote in a referendum by ballot at any Kentucky Cooperative Extension Office, November 20, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time. Each person engaged in the production of bovine animals on a commercial basis, including the owners of farms on which bovine animals are produced and tenants sharing in the proceeds of the sale of bovine animals shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote, provided the producer is eighteen (18) years of age or older.

3 Page 3 Green River Area Best of the Best Bred Heifer Sale This annual event will be held on Saturday, November 22 at the Kentuckiana Livestock Market. For more information visit my webpage at Early Bird Grain Meetings In order to learn to optimize your early bird decisions for next season, a meeting will be held on Monday, December 8 at the Henderson County Cooperative Extension Service Office. The meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m. and go through noon. Lunch will follow and is provided by Kentucky Corn Growers Association, Kentucky Soybean Board, and Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association. The topics to discuss include: Slowing Down Herbicide Resistance Now on a Fast Track in Kentucky by Jim Martin and J.D. Green, Irrigation Options for Corn and Soybean by Carrie Knott and Chad Lee, Maximize N from Manure and Other Fertilizer Topics, by Edwin Ritchey and Josh McGrath, Grain Crop Profitability in 2015 and Beyond by Greg Halich, Commodity Prices, Crop Insurance and the Farm Bill by Todd Davis, Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome Management Begins Now by Don Hershman and Brenda Kennedy. CCA credits and pesticide credits have been requested. CCA Credits: 1.5 PM, 0.5 CM, 1NM, 1PD (sign in and sign out required). Center Pivot Irrigation School There will be an informative meeting at the Daviess County Extension office on Monday December 15, from 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. for center pivot irrigation uses and those interested in learning more about center pivots and water well development. Topics to be discussed include system design and options, estimated cost to construct, operate and maintain an irrigation system including different energy sources, as well as determining if a well is feasible on your land. Speakers will include technicians from Valley Irrigation Systems. Lunch will be provided by Scates Valley Irrigation. Getting Through Low Grain Prices When Everything It Takes To Grow Grain Is Higher Than Ever One of the most important meetings to attend this winter will be held at The Daviess County Cooperative Extension office on Monday, December 22. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and we ll go until we re finished. There is no doubt yields were large enough in 2014 to afford to put out a crop in The question is will you be able to make a profit from it? We are working on a very important workshop for everyone but especially the younger farmers who are wondering if the good times of high profit are really over. Some of the sharpest grain management specialists at the University of Kentucky have the date on their calendar to be here. Please mark your calendar as well and plan to join us for this informative workshop. More information will be announced on this one. Ohio Valley Farm Business Analysis Association Update The Ohio Valley Farm Analysis Group, Inc. is a joint effort of the University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics and farmer members in the counties of Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, McLean, Ohio, Union, and Webster. The group has been serving the agricultural industry by assisting clients track financial performance, determine the profitability of individual enterprises, improve management practices, complete tax returns, set business and personal goals, and make sound management decisions. The group currently serves 90 members. There are two specialists in the Ohio Valley Group: Suzy Martin and Lauren O. Turley. Suzy started with the Ohio Valley Farm Analysis Group in August of She graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science and Agricultural Economics. She has a Masters of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. Lauren started with the

4 Fall 2014 Page 4 Kentucky Farm Business Management Program in 2009 working with dairies in the Pennyroyal Farm Analysis office located in Bowling Green. She transferred to the Ohio Valley Farm Analysis Group in Lauren graduated from Murray State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agribusiness. She then pursued her Masters Degree at the University of Tennessee in Agribusiness. For more information about association membership and how to join contact Suzy Martin, 4800A New Hartford Road, Owensboro, KY 42303, Phone , slmartin@uky.edu or Lauren Turley, 3099 Zion Road, Henderson, KY 42420, Phone , lauren.o.turley@uky.edu. University of Kentucky 2015 Winter Wheat Meeting Please mark your calendar for the University of Kentucky s 2015 Winter Wheat Meeting. It will be held on Tuesday, January 6 at the Christian County Cooperative Extension Service Office in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. More information will follow. Welcome Dr. Todd Davis, Crop Marketing/Management Extension Specialist and Dr. Joshua McGrath, UK Soil Management Extension Specialist We would like to welcome Dr. Todd Davis, our new Crop Marketing/Management Extension Specialist located at the University of Kentucky s Research and Education Center in Princeton. Dr. Davis will focus primarily on grains. His extension programming will include assessing various farm bill decisions for grain farms, crop marketing strategies/outlook, and evaluation risk management options. Dr. Davis obtained his PhD and Masters of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. We would also like to welcome Dr. Joshua McGrath, UK Soil Management Extension Specialist, located in Lexington. Dr. McGrath will focus on using precision agriculture tools to improve soil fertility and soil management. Prior to joining UK, Dr. McGrath was an Associate Professor Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management Specialist at the University of Maryland. He earned his PhD in Soil Science from the University of Delaware. Daviess County Extension Holiday Schedule The Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office will be closed on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 for Thanksgiving. We will also be closed Thursday, December 25 through Friday, January 2 for Winter Break. We are excited to once again host Kentucky s Beginning Farmer Program, Kentucky Farm Start. This is a great program for farmers with less than 10 years of farming experience. The details for this upcoming program are still being finalized and will be coming soon. The Cooperative Extension Service prohibits discrimination in its programs and employment on the basis of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. To file a complaint of discrimination, contact Tim West, UK College of Agriculture, ; Terry Allen or Patty Bender, UK Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity, ; or the USDA, Director Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Bldg., 14 th & Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC ( ). For more information please contact: Clint Hardy Daviess County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources 4800A New Hartford Rd, Owensboro, KY Phone: Fax: chardy@uky.edu

5 2014 Dates to Remember November 12 New Farm Bill, How Are You Going to Sign Up?, Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office, 6:30 p.m. November 19 and 20 - Precision Technology Seminars, Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., $15 registration fee each day. November 20 Beef Referendum Voting, any Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Office, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. November 21 Ohio Valley Precision Ag Conference, 4-H Center, Vanderburgh County Fair Grounds, Evansville, Indiana. 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Please see enclosed flyer for more information.) November 22 Green River Area Best of the Best Bred Heifer Sale, Kentuckiana Livestock Market, 5:00 p.m. December 8 Early Bird Grain Meetings, Henderson County Cooperative Extension Service Office, 8:00 a.m. through noon, lunch provided afterwards. December 15 Center Pivot Irrigation School, Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office, 8:30 a.m. December 22 Getting Through Low Grain Prices When Everything it Takes To Grow Grain is Higher than Ever, Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service Office, registration begins at 8:30 a.m Dates to Remember January 6 University of Kentucky Winter Wheat Meeting, Christian County Cooperative Extension Service Office, (more details to come). January Ag Expo, Owensboro Convention Center, registration opens at 7:30 a.m.