Grayson County. Agriculture Extension News Fall Agent Update CAIP Grant Application Dates. Inside this Issue: Dates to Remember 2

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1 Grayson County Agriculture Extension News Fall 2016 Cooperative Extension Service Grayson County 123 Commerce Drive Leitchfield, KY (270) Fax: (270) graysonext.org Agent Update Inside this Issue: Dates to Remember 2 Hay Sampling Dates 2 Prussic Acid Poisoning 2 Resources 3 Sheep & Goat Profit 3 Why a Calving Season 4 Educational Programs 4 Hey everyone! As I write this, it s currently pouring down rain outside the office. Whoever predicted a drought for 2016 really missed the target. This has been a very wet summer which has caused some growing pains for most farmers I have been in contact with. Between June and July we had almost 12 inches of rain, which left many crops, soybeans and tobacco especially, struggling. Then someone turned on the extra heat, so we ve had earlier indications of disease, and fungus on crops, vegetables, and fruit. It s hard to think about harvest in a couple of months, when some of us are just now getting things going! As you read on into this newsletter, I ll have more info throughout the newsletter on different ag topics. I plan to use this newsletter as a means to help spread the word on some projects, programs, and news that is happening at the Grayson County Extension Office. At this point, we are going to send this out quarterly, so if you would rather receive this via , please whitney.carman@uky.edu subject line: newsletter with your address in the body. We want to make sure this will be a viable piece of information for you going forward. Happy dog days! 2016 CAIP Grant Application Dates Master Gardener Schedule 5 Beef Master Marketer 6 Health Bulletin 7-8 Grayson County ANR Extension Agent

2 Dates to Remember: August 2 CEC Meeting Ext Office August Kentucky State Fair, Louisville, KY August 30 - Grayson County September 5 Fair September 8 Pasture Weed ID Session 6 Extension Farm September 8 Cattlemen s Meeting 7 Extension Farm September 13 KY Forage & Grasslands Coun cil Field Eden Shale September 22 Beef 8 a October 4 Beef Herd Health program 6 Extension Office October 6-7 Hay Sampling October 15 Family Farm Fest 10 a -2 Extension Farm November 4 CEC Extension Office Hay Sampling Dates The Grayson County Extension Service will be doing hay sampling for farmers again this year on Thursday October 6, and Friday October 7, We are limiting it to 25 producers and sign up deadline is September 26, If you are Interested, please contact Whitney at the Grayson County Extension Service at Prussic Acid Poisoning & Testing For It Prussic acid poisoning occurs when plants such as sorghum, sudangrass, sorghum-sudan hybrids, Johnsongrass, wild cherry, and others contain cyanide-producing compounds. If large amounts of these forages are consumed, especially after frost or during severe drought, then prussic acid (cyanide) is produced and interferes with oxygen utilization and livestock can die from respiratory paralysis. Symptoms appear quickly after the forage is consumed. These symptoms may include cherry red colored blood, staggering, labored breathing, spasms, foaming at the mouth, falling, thrashing, severe convulsions, and death. If an animal is seen showing these symptoms, seek immediate treatment for these animals by a veterinarian. The Grayson County Extension office has cyanide and nitrate testing kits for testing, and if you would like to test your forages before grazing. To reduce the risk of prussic acid poisoning, consider some of the following management tools: Incorporate forages that do not produce prussic acid into the diet to dilute the concentration of prussic acid. Use test animals if you have not had high risk forages tested, rather than turning the whole herd onto a new field. Cut high risk forages for hay, as prussic acid content decreases significantly during the curing process. A fair amount of prussic acid also escapes as a gas during fermentation when used for silage. However, be sure to delay feeding silage for six to eight weeks following ensiling. Although these practices may reduce the risk of prussic acid poisoning, it is still important to be cautious when feeding forages with possible high prussic acid content. 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., 14th & Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC ( ).

3 RESOURCES The Grayson Co. office has resources for checkout: hay probes soil probes soil penetrometers' hay moisture testers, windrow moisture testers nitrate/cyanide testing kits Testing/Diagnostics Services: Soil samples: $7 a sample Plant, insect, disease ID: FREE Hay/forage sampling: $10-40 Litter/manure testing: FREE DID YOU KNOW? The UK Grain Specialists have a new website? is mobile friendly site that has current events, resources, and important information! Small Ruminant Profit School Designed for beginner farmers in sheep and goats. SRPS will help you learn the basics and how to properly implement sound management practices into your operation. SRPS will have a two year, FREE membership to the Goat Herd Improvement Program (GHIP) which is good for sheep producers, too!

4 Why Have a Calving Season? Dr. Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Extension Cattle Reproduction Specialist One of the most asked questions in the cattle industry in the Southern United States: If I "pull" the bulls out for part of the year, won't I lose an opportunity to get a few calves? Should I leave the bull out with cows year round? Here is the answer: A research analysis of 394 ranch observations from the Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico SPA (standardized performance analysis) data set provided insight into the age old argument about "leaving the bull out" or having a defined breeding season. Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M Agricultural Economists (Parker, et al) presented a paper at the 2004 Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists. They found a positive relationship between number of days of the breeding season and the production cost per hundredweight of calf weaned. Also they reported a negative relationship between number of days of the breeding season and pounds of calf weaned per cow per year. The data suggested that for each day the breeding season was lengthened, the annual cost of producing a hundred pounds of weaned calf increased by 4.7 cents and pounds of calf weaned per cow per year decreased by pounds. The range of breeding seasons in the data set was from extremely short (less than one month) to 365 days or continuous presence of the bull. The trend lines that resulted from the analysis of the data give us an opportunity to evaluate the economic importance of a defined breeding season. The producer that leaves the bull out year-round (365 days) would sell fewer pounds of calf per cow per year on the average than producers with a 75 day breeding season. That same producer would have $13.63 greater costs per hundredweight of weaned calf than the producer that used a 75 day breeding season. In this era of cost/price squeezes, a well-defined breeding and calving season provides a better opportunity to survive the volatility of cattle prices and input costs. (Source: The Ohio State University Beef Newsletter). Educational Sessions This Fall Summer Forages Field Day: August 30, 6:30 p.m. on Bland Farm on Beachamp Road in Lewsiport, KY (Hancock Co.). Topics are incorporation of summer annuals, summer forage varieties, and viewing crabgrass variety demonstration plots. Call to RSVP. Hands-on Weed ID program & Cattlemen s Meeting: September 8, 6 p.m. at Grayson Co. Extension Farm. Call Whitney at to RSVP. Ky Forage & Grasslands Council Field Day: September 13, 2:30 Eden Shale Farm in Owenton. Note: Extension office is taking a van for those interested in going. Call the Grayson Co. Extension Office to RSVP. Beef Bash: September 9 UK Research & Education Center in Princeton. Note: Extension Office is taking a van for those interested in going. Call the Grayson Co. Office to RSVP. Beef Herd Health: October 4, 6 Grayson County Extension Office. Beef Master Marketer: October 10, 11, 17 and 25th, 6 p.m. First 2 session will be in Grayson County, the last 2 in Breckinridge County. All of these programs qualify for CAIP education credits

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6 Beef Master Marketer Program DATES: October 10 and 11, 2016 Grayson County Cooperative Extension Service October 17 & 25, 2016 Breckinridge County Cooperative Extension Service TIME: 6 pm central time What is the Master Marketer Program? The Master Marketer program is a Kentucky Beef Network Program that is funded by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. It has been developed and is delivered by the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. The Program: Consists of the following 3 hour sessions focusing on beef marketing: Cattle Market Basics Kevin Laurent, UK Animal Sciences Using Futures & Options Dr. Kenny Burdine, UK Ag Economics Specialist Advanced Futures & Options Dr. Kenny Burdine, UK Ag Economics Specialist Decision Making Dr. Greg Halich, UK Ag Economics Specialist Is designed to enhance the profitability of beef operations by equipping producers with vital information Provides participants with a ready reference on the educational sessions and introduces them to several different marketing programs Allows participants to network with specialists, facilitators, and other beef producers Who Can Participate? Any producer or person involved with the beef industry. A MINIMUM of 25 and MAXIMUM of 25 participants per group How Can I Get Involved? Registration fee is determined by the agent group What are the Benefits? A ready reference of materials covered during the sessions and preparation for other educational programs offered through UK What If I Miss A Session? Sessions can be made up in other groups throughout the state. The Master Marketer curriculum is consistent throughout the state. CONTACT THE GRAYSON CO EXTENSION OFFICE FOR MORE INFO! Be sure to LIKE our FACEBOOK to keep up with all the latest information regarding Ag updates and programs here in Grayson County!