A message from Ben. Fulton County Agricultural News & Events January 2017

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1 Fulton County Agricultural News & Events January 2017 A message from Ben Cooperative Extension Service Fulton County 2114 S 7th Street Fulton KY Phone: (270) Fax: (270) extension.ca.uky.edu Happy New Year! As we ring in another new year, the thoughts and pressures of the 2017 crop season become more relevant and pressing. I know seed selection and budgets are at the top of everyone s list. Please take time and look at the information provided through the University of Kentucky on variety trials and crop budgets. These files are downloadable Excel files, and you are able to adjust the number to fit your own farming operation. Here is the link to these budgets - I wish everyone a productive 2017 growing season, and hope mother nature cooperates in providing the temperatures and rains as our crops need them. Please remember that the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service is here to provide research-based education to the citizen of Kentucky. Our programming and testing services are mostly free of charge or have a minimal fee. The majority of our winter meeting are set. Please take note of the dates below and meeting flyers. I encourage you to take time and read through this newsletter for current information in the agriculture field and upcoming dates of meetings and field days. Like us on Facebook. Ben Rudy Fulton County Extension Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources UPCOMING EVENTS January 12 Grain Marketing Meeting, 6 pm, Fulton Co. Extension Office 19 KY Commodity Conference, Bowling Green, KY 24 Private Applicator Training, 1 pm, Fulton Co. Extension Office 26 Private Applicator Training, 9 am, Fulton Co. Extension Office February 2 Private Applicator Training, 6 pm, Fulton Co. Extension Office 7 Winter Ag Conference, Lowry Farms, Pilot Oak (Private Applicator Training also) Nation Farm Machinery Show, Louisville, Ky

2 Variety Trial Results Now Available UK Corn Test Results - UK Soybean Test Results - UT Corn Test Results - UT Soybean Test Results - Soon** Testing Services Due to changing in postage the following prices for soil and manure test are effective Jan 1 st, Soil Standard Test (P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn. ph, buffer ph) - $8.00 per sample Manure Samples (Solid or Liquid) - $35.00 per sample 2017 University of Kentucky Winter Wheat Meeting Colette Laurent, Grain Crops Group Coordinator, University of Kentucky The 2017 University of Kentucky Winter Wheat Meeting is slated for Thursday, January 5, 2017 at the James R. Bruce Convention Center in Hopkinsville, KY. Registration begins at 8:30am (CST). The meeting will run from 9am - 3pm. Lunch is sponsored by the Kentucky Small Grains Growers Association. TOPICS AND SPEAKERS: Weed Problems in Winter Wheat - Garrett Montgomery Management of Stripe Rust and Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat - Carl Bradley Economic Tools for Improved Decision Making in Wheat Production - Jordan Shockley Maximizing Kentucky s Wheat and Double-Crop Soybean System - Carrie Knott Growing Barley and Rye in Kentucky - Chad Lee Influence of the 2016 s Warm Fall Season on Wheat s Pest Populations in Raul Villanueva 2017 Crop Condition - Carrie Knott Market Outlook, Profitability Potential, and Risk Management Alternatives - Todd Davis The meeting has been approved for the following educational credits: Pesticide credit: 2 General Hours & 1 Specific Hr (Category 1A, 10, 12) CCA application have been submitted. For more information, please click here or Colette Laurent or call (270) ext 264. Revisions to Worker Protection Standards (WPS) Become Effective in 2017 Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky The 1992 Worker Protection Standards established specific requirements for employers to follow in order to reduce the potential for worker exposure to pesticides. Revisions to these standards

3 will go into effect January 2, They will give farm workers health protections similar to those that are already afforded to workers in other industries. Annual mandatory training to inform farm workers regarding required protections afforded to them. Currently, training is only once every 5 years. Expanded training includes instructions to reduce take-home exposure from pesticides on work clothing and other safety topics. First-time ever minimum age requirement: Children under 18 are prohibited from handling pesticides. Expanded mandatory posting of no-entry signs for the most hazardous pesticides. The signs prohibit entry into pesticide-treated fields until residues decline to a safe level. New no-entry application-exclusion zones up to 100 feet surrounding pesticide application equipment will protect workers and others from exposure to pesticide overspray. Requirement to provide more than one way for farm workers and their representatives to gain access to pesticide application information and safety data sheets centrallyposted or by requesting records. Mandatory record-keeping to improve states ability to follow up on pesticide violations and enforce compliance. Records of application-specific pesticide information, as well as farm worker training, must be kept for 2 years. Anti-retaliation provisions are comparable to Department of Labor s (DOL). Changes in personal protective equipment will be consistent with DOL s standards for ensuring respirators are effective, including fit test, medical evaluation, and training. States specific amounts of water to be used for routine washing, emergency eye flushing, and other decontamination, including eye wash systems for handlers at pesticide mixing/loading sites. Continue the exemption for farm owners and their immediate families with an expanded definition of immediate family. A quick reference guide to the revised WPS is available online Corn and Soybean Risk Management Opportunities Todd Davis, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Kentucky As thoughts turn to the Christmas and New Year s holidays and time with family, the prospect of pricing the 2017 corn and soybean crops seems to be of little relevance. However, it is important to keep this important managerial task in the back of your mind to take advantage of price risk management opportunities whenever they become available. Table 9 presents price risk management alternatives for Western Kentucky corn production for Several yield projections are provided to show what yield is needed to find profitable pricing opportunities. Three risk management alternatives are compared. A cash-forwardcontract at $3.63/bushel based on DTN bids for Western Kentucky locations. The second alternative is to hedge with commodity futures that would lock in a cash price at $3.77/bushel assuming a -$0.10/bushel harvest-time basis. The third alternative is to establish a price floor at $3.47/bushel by buying a put option with a $3.90 strike price that costs $0.322.

4 Table 9. Risk Management Alternatives for 2017 Western Kentucky Corn for Various Yield Objectives. Yield TVC+Rent ($/acre) $639 $639 $639 $639 $639 $639 $639 TVC+Rent ($/bu) $4.92 $4.56 $4.26 $3.99 $3.76 $3.55 $3.36 $3.63 -$1.29 -$0.93 -$0.63 -$0.36 -$0.13 +$0.08 +$0.27 $ $0.10 basis = $3.77 -$1.15 -$0.80 -$0.50 -$0.23 +$0.01 +$0.22 +$0.40 Put: $3.90 = $3.47 floor -$1.45 -$1.10 -$0.79 -$0.53 -$0.29 -$0.08 +$0.10 Strategies Evaluated on: December 16, 2016 Table 9 shows there are limited risk management opportunities for 2017 corn unless your average yield is 180 bushels/acre or larger. At this scale of production, managers may be able to find profitable risk management alternatives through CFC or hedging (or hedge-to-arrive contracts). The corn market is not providing positive pricing opportunities if the expected yield is less than 180 bushels/acre (Table 9). Table 10. Risk Management Alternatives for 2017 Western Kentucky Soybeans for Various Yield Objectives. Yield TVC+Rent ($/acre) $486 $486 $486 $486 $486 TVC+Rent ($/bu) $16.20 $12.15 $9.72 $8.10 $6.94 $ $6.16 -$2.11 +$0.32 +$1.94 +$3.10 $ $0.10 basis = $ $6.10 -$2.05 +$0.38 +$2.00 +$3.16 Put: $10.20 = $9.46 floor -$6.75 -$2.70 -$0.27 +$1.36 +$2.51 Strategies Evaluated on: December 16, 2016 Table 10 provides similar analysis for 2017 Western Kentucky Soybean production for yield potential ranging from 30 bushels to 70 bushels per acre. Table 10 shows that the soybean market is currently providing risk management potential if the expected yield is 50 bushels/acre or larger. Hedging may provide a positive return of $0.38/bushel hedged while a CFC at $10.04/bushel may provide a return of $0.32/bushel contracted. Because the premium for soybean put options are expensive, the ability to establish a price floor at profitable levels is limited to those farms that routinely achieve soybean yields greater than 50 bushels/acre (Table 10). While the put option offers the lowest potential return, it is the only strategy evaluated that allows managers to benefit from any increase in the November 2017 futures market price between now and harvest Market fundamentals suggest that corn and soybean prices could be under downward pressure due to building U.S. and global stocks. A weather event in a major production region could alter the market fundamentals in a way that reduces stocks and supports higher prices. Relying on bad weather is not a proactive management strategy. Managers should calculate what their 2017 break-even costs are and consider how pricing a portion of their 2017 expected production could improve their profitability potential for 2017 corn and soybeans.

5 Timely Tips Dr. Roy Burris, Beef Extension Professor, University of Kentucky Spring Calving Herd Divide the herd into groups for winter feeding -- weaned heifer calves first-calf heifers, second-calvers and thin mature cows the remainder of the dry cows which are in good body condition herd sires Body condition is important, plan an adequate winter program for cows to be at least body condition score 5 (carrying enough flesh to cover the ribs) before the calving and breeding season. This will help them to breed early in the spring. Thin cows should be fed to regain body condition prior to winter. Don t let cows lose weight/condition. Begin feeding the lowest quality forage to dry cows which are in good condition during early winter and save the best hay for calving time or for weaned calves. Be sure that weaned heifer calves are on a feeding program which will enable them be at 65% of their mature weight before the start of the breeding season. Rations should be balanced to achieve gains sufficient to get heifers from their current weight to that target weight. Order and number eartags for next year s calf crop this winter. It is also a good time to catch up on freeze branding and replacing lost eartags. Fall Calving Herd Have Breeding Soundness Evaluation (BSE) performed on bulls (even if you used them this spring). Get breeding supplies together, if using estrous synchronization and/or A.I. The fall breeding season starts. Breeding can best be accomplished on stockpiled fescue pasture; otherwise, cows with calves should be fed pounds of good quality hay or its equivalent. Supplement with grain, if needed, and minimize hay waste. DON T ALLOW THESE COWS TO LOSE BODY CONDITION PRIOR TO OR DURING THE BREEDING SEASON. It is easy to wait too long to start winter feeding. Don t do it unless you have stockpiled fescue. Observe performance of bulls during breeding season. Watch cows for return to estrus, if you see several in heat, try to determine the cause and consider changing bulls. General Monitor body condition and increase feed, if needed, for all classes of cattle. Complete soil testing pasture to check for fertility and ph. Consider putting down geotextile fabric and covering with gravel in feeding areas before you begin hay feeding to minimize waste of expensive hay. Or, perhaps, construct concrete feeding pads for winter feeding areas. If you would like to receive this newsletter electronically, please me at ben.rudy@uky.edu

6 Complaint Procedure Annual Notice 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 Jim Lawson, 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 ( ).

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10 Grain Marketing & Marketing Strategies Speaker: Katie Hancock, Marketing Advisor, Brock Associates Join us at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 12th, 2017 at the Fulton County Extension Office Meal Sponsored by: Please RSVP by January 9th by calling the Fulton County Extension Service (Note our office will be closed December 26 January 2) or ben.rudy@uky.edu

11 January 24 1:00 PM January 26 9:00 AM February 2 6:00 PM (Fulton Co Extension Office) & Winter Ag Conference (Hear some updated ag info & get your Private Applicator Certification) Feb. 7 8:00 AM 1:00 PM Lowry Farms, Pilot Oak, Ky For more information contact the Fulton County Extension Service

12 Annual Winter Ag Conference February 7, 2017 Registration and Trade Show begin at 8:00 a.m. Presentations begin at 9:00 a.m. Topics to be Presented: Application Technology & Proper Use of Adjuvants Darren Holder Winfield Solutions Weed Resistance & Dicamba Tolerant Soybean Herbicide Technology Rocky Napier - BASF Spray Programs, Sprayer Tips & Drift Control Bob Montgomery - Monsanto Coordinated by: University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and Young Farmer Advisors serving Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall and McCracken Counties. Donuts and Coffee available Sponsored lunch will be provided CCA CEUs KY & TN Pesticide CEUs Thank you to all of our sponsors! Meal Catered by Southern Reds For more information call your County Extension Office! Calloway Carlisle Fulton Graves Hickman Marshall McCracken