Lyon County Ag News January, 2019

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1 In this issue: Winter Hay, Nutrition Moldy Feed Grains Winter Classes Flyers/Notices Winter Tips *Feed where mud is less of a problem. *Increase feed supplements when the weather is extremely cold and damp. *Provide windbreaks when temperatures drop to 15 degrees. *Get ready to do pasture improvement with legumes! Good Ag Apps Web Soil Survey is a website and app that is provided by NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service). Using the app on your phone, you can find out the soil type of your current location. With the online version you can see soil types and print maps of your farms. Online Tip: When entering an address, do not use the return key until you are ready to search! Dear Ag Producer, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Cooperative Extension Service Lyon County Extension Service Lyon County Ag News January, 2019 Advertising for the 2019 CAIP Program (County Ag Investment Program) administered by the Lyon County Conservation District is underway. Call Carolyn Fralick at for information. There will be a two week window for accepting applications. There is a new category this year, Innovative Ag Systems, which includes fenceline feeders, gravel paver grids, solar water systems, etc. Program areas and details are available online at funds/pages/program-portal.aspx or just search for Kentucky CAIP. If you are applying for the CAIP Program please make note of programs that will count towards the educational component. For beef related areas, the BQAC Training is required. I will offer this class on Tuesday, March 26 at 6:00 p.m. with a soup and sandwich supper. Calendars are available now. We have Equine Program and Sheep and Goat Calendars. The Beef IRM Calendar will be arriving this week. We also have smaller, pocket calendars available from our office. These are all free of charge. The old-fashioned Farm Record Books are also available free of charge. We have several people that like to use these. There will be an online Soybean Cyst Nematode Training on February 7, 2019 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. You are welcome to listen in with me. On Thursday, February 7, Greg Halich will do two presentations. At 5:30 will be Grain Crop Economics and Strategies including Revenue Support Programs followed by a supper at 6:00. At 6:30 Greg will do a presentation on Cattle Forage Strategies and Economics. I will offer Pesticide Applicator s Trainings on Tuesday, January 22, at 6:30 p.m. or on Tuesday, January 29 at 2:00 p.m. If your license has expired you are welcome to attend on either date. I am also holding a Commercial Pesticide Applicator s Training on Friday, February 1. Grain crop producers are welcome to join us for the morning speakers; see the enclosed flyer/agenda. It is approved for CCA credits. I am hosting the Getting to Know Your Woodlands Series on Thursday nights, February 21 through March 21. There will be logger credits available. See inside for more details. I will pull and test a free forage sample for any farm that wishes to participate in the Advanced Master Cattlemen session being held in Marshall County on January 31. It is on Forage Testing and Ration Balancing. Sincerely, Susan M. Fox Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources RSVP s are always helpful and appreciated! Got kids or grandkids? I have some glow bracelets I am handing out at the office to be used as glow-in-the-dark snowman eyes, assuming we get a good snowfall this winter!

2 Winter Hay Feeding Efficiency, Preventing Silent Malnutrition and Starvation Two articles in the January Off the Hoof discussed winter feeding and hay. The following are some of the points from Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler, UK Extension Beef Specialist, and Dr. Michelle Arnold, UK Extension Veterinarian. The full articles are available online or I will print you a copy of the newsletter we will send you a copy on request. Cows are losing weight now at levels typically seen in late winter. If not addressed, the expectation is for may stillborn and weak calves that do not survive to be born this spring. Hay quality should be checked and a good protein and energy supplement fed through the winter to ensure cow and calf needs are met. Hay supplies may be limited due to weather conditions. It is important to determine your hay needs. Multiply the weight of your cows times 3% and then multiply again by the number of days you plan to feed hay. This will give you the pounds of hay needed. Dividing by 2000 will convert the figure to tons needed per cow. It is important to add on an amount for wastage. Some hay will be bad or trampled into the ground. Add 10-20% more to your total hay needs. Individual Herd Nutrition and Body Condition Score Check Offered! Kevin Laurent and I will come out to individual herds and do a body condition score and run a ration evaluation. I will pull hay samples for participating farmers and have them tested. If you would like to have us visit your farm and evaluate your hay and herd nutritional status call and let me know. I will promise to do 5 herds, more if there is interest and we can work it out. Match hay to animal needs. In early lactation, cows need high quality forages to produce milk for calves. When calves are weaned, the energy needs of the cow decrease. Young, growing animals also have high energy and protein needs. Clean drinking water should be available at all times. You can limit access to hay to 8-12 hours to restrict consumption. See the full Off the Hoof article for a full discussion on how and where limit-access feeding can be used. Low quality forage should not be restricted! Reduce feeding losses by using bale rings with sheeting around the bottom. Feeding on a feeding pad will reduce hay being trampled into the mud. Processed hay should be fed in a bunk or feeder. The record rainfall over the past year has caused excessive muddy conditions. Dealing with wet and mud will increase cattle energy needs. Heat losses are multiplied several times with rain and wind. It is very important for cattle to have adequate energy and protein sources. It is common for the veterinary diagnostic labs to receive older animals that have died of starvation with full bellies. Poor quality hay stays in the rumen a long time as it is hard to digest. So not only is the hay low in nutrients but the animals have a hard time digesting it. This leads to malnutrition and animals dying of starvation, even though hay is available. Protein tubs may make up for protein deficiencies but may not be providing enough additional energy. Inadequate nutrition affects the developing fetus and reduces survival. Calves born to protein deficient dams are less able to generate body heat and are slower to stand and nurse. Colostrum quality and quantity is frequently not adequate for calf survival and performance. Copper and selenium levels in may animals that are sent to the lab are far below acceptable levels. These minerals are vital for the immune system and fighting off diseases. Selenium is needed for reproduction including conception and expelling the placenta. High magnesium mineral supplementation should begin now and continue until the first of May to prevent grass tetany. You can use the UK Beef Cow Forage Supplement Tool at to enter your hay test and cow production stages and determine supplement needs.

3 Points on Feeding Moldy Corn or Soybeans to Cattle Jeff Lehmkuhler, UK Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Several have asked about the moldy corn and soybeans with the potential to feed these to cattle. A few points. 1. Test for mycotoxins We don t know what we are dealing with unless it is tested. VDL, DairyOne and other commercial labs can test. 2. Mycotoxin contaminated feed may be fed diluted once we know the levels 3. Fungal growth could continue during storage increasing mycotoxin levels over time = RETEST 4. Discount at the elevator will need to be significant for beans Example would be to use the FeedVal or similar approach of putting a value on the beans using other feedstuffs. I roughly priced beans at $6/bu or less before they begin to work in the rations. The bean price that places them into the diet will vary depending on the alternative feed prices and should be looked at regularly. 5. Nasty looking may not mean mycotoxins are present. Some moldy looking grains are not containing mycotoxins. Test. However, excess mold consumption could lead to other disorders. Mold spore counts can be done at some commercial labs 6. Roasting research has shown that heat can lower some mycotoxin levels while other mycotoxins are not affected by heat. Levels may be reduced but not eliminated. Test again after roasting and before feeding. 7. Other mycotoxin sources be sure to consider hay, silage, and other feedstuffs besides grains, consider testing all feedstuffs to ensure total diet levels are safe 8. Screenings Cleaning corn and lower mycotoxin levels of corn. Corn screenings / cleanings can have high levels of mycotoxins if contaminated corn was cleaned. Be sure to test. 9. Binders and other products may help lower the risk of mycotoxin impact on ruminants. 10. Other concerns crops that were flooded and contaminated by soil may have increased risk to soilborne pathogens such as botulinum 11. Some mycotoxins have limits of inclusion set by FDA. Be aware of these limits. For more info Testing is key! The College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the bases of race, color, ethnic 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. Inquiries regarding compliance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and other related matter should be directed to Equal Opportunity Office, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Room S-105, Agriculture Science Building, North Lexington, Kentucky

4 Winter Educational Opportunities Thursday, January 17 & 18 Tuesday, January 22 Tuesday, January 29 Thursday, January 31 Friday, February 1 Thursday, February 7 Thursday, February 7 Thursday, February 7 Thursday, February 14 Tuesday, February 26 Tuesday, March 26 KY Cattlemen s Convention, January 17 & 18, Owensboro. Beef Efficiency Conference at KCA is 8:30-11:30 a.m. on the 17th. Pesticide Applicator s License, Lyon County Extension Office, 6:30 p.m. Pesticide Applicator s License, Lyon County Extension Office, 2:00 p.m. Applied Master Cattlemen, Forage Testing and Ration Balancing, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Marshall County Extension Office, 1933 Mayfield Hwy, Benton. Commercial Pesticide Training, Lyon County Public Library Soybean Cyst Nematode Webinar, 1:00 3:00 p.m., Extension Office Grain Crop Economics and Revenue Support Program 5:30 p.m., Extension Office. Followed by a meal. Speaker: Dr. Greg Halich. Cattle Forage Strategies and Economics, 6:00 p.m. with a meal. Speaker: Dr. Greg Halich. Less Common Fruits for the Garden, 6:00 p.m. Extension Office Cool Season Forages, Dr. Chris Teustch, 6:00 p.m., Extension Office, with Soup & Sandwich meal. BQAC Class, 6:00 p.m. with Soup & Sandwich meal. Extension Office 2019 UK GRAIN CROPS EVENT DATES JAN 08 UK Winter Wheat Meeting Hopkinsville, KY JAN KY Commodity Conference Bowling Green, MARCH 06 MARCH IPM Training KATS (KY Agriculture Training School) Hopkinsville, KY Wheat Management at Green Up/ Pre-plant Decisions for Corn & Soybean MAY 14 UK Wheat Field Day MAY 21 KATS - Field Crop Scouting Clinic JUNE 13 KATS - Mid-season Corn & Soybean Considerations/ Preparing for Wheat Harvest & Storage JULY 18 KATS - Spray Clinic JULY 23 UK Corn, Soybean & Tobacco Field day AUG 22 KATS - Disease ID & Management/ Harvest & Storage/Cover Crops SEPT 19 KATS - Late-season Management of Corn & Soybeans / Successful Wheat Establishment

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