Horticulture
September’s Garden To Do List
- It is time to set out landscaping plants.
- Plants bought in containers should have the plants’ root ball broken apart to prevent roots becoming root bound.
- Set out new chrysanthemums.
- Plant groundcovers.
- Transplant or move evergreen trees or shrubs.
- Plant onions, turnips, mustards, radishes, and other fall veggies now.
- Add color to your landscape. Plant pansies and snapdragons now.
- Sow cool-season grass (fescue) or renovate your lawn.
- Add fertilizer to lawn at a rate of one pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
Landscape Tip - Do not fertilize or prune trees and shrubs. Wait until next year. These plants are gearing down for the winter.
Attention Vinedressers!
Whether you are a vineyard owner or operator, a vineyard manager, a winemaker, or a wine connoisseur, join us October 19 at 6:00 pm for the next Vinedresser meeting. We will be at the Yadkin County Extension Center located at 2051 Agricultural Way in Yadkinville, North Carolina.
Topics to discuss will be:
- Legalities in the Wine Industry with Renee Cowick Metz, Assistant General Counsel with the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission.
- Marketing Techniques for the Wine Industry with Bill Rand, Professor of Marketing and Analytics with North Carolina State University.
Hope to see you there!
Ag Fact…
September is National Honey Month! A single worker honeybee produces about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey her entire lifetime. It takes a lot of bees to fill up a jar of honey - 22,700 honeybees to be exact. (National Honey Board)
Brain Teaser
What is this caterpillar? Young caterpillars are yellow and feed gregariously. They usually feed together and are fond of most oak species. Find the answer in next month’s Extension News.
Livestock
Prussic Acid Poisoning
As warm-season grasses are thriving, it is important to remember that some of these forages may cause damage to livestock. Johnsongrass, sudangrass, sorghum, and sorghum-sudan hybrids are some examples of plants that have the potential to cause prussic acid poisoning. These plants do require certain conditions to be harmful, such as frost or severe drought. If large amounts of forage are consumed under these conditions, the prussic acid, also known as cyanide, is formed in the bloodstream. This impacts oxygen utilization and causes symptoms like staggering, spasms, falling, thrashing, convulsions, labored breathing, foaming at the mouth, and even death. If you see these symptoms, immediate veterinary care is required. If you are looking for ways to decrease this risk, there are some management techniques that can help. Some of these include incorporating other grasses into the existing stand, avoiding applying nitrogen when soils are deficient in phosphorus and potassium, and cutting high risk forages for hay. Forages can also be tested prior to turning animals out on pasture. If you are interested in testing your forages for prussic acid, please contact Bailey Wood, NC Cooperative Extension, Surry County Center at 336-401-8025.
Reference: grazer.ca.uky.edu & uaex.uada.edu
Pregnancy Checking Cows
If you are a spring calver, now is the time to start thinking about pregnancy checking cows! Pregnancy checking cows can give you more information to make management decisions, like to keep or cull animals, and to monitor herd health or reproductive efficiency. This can also be a good way to sort cattle into early or late calving groups. There are a few ways, that pregnancy can be determined in cattle; these include palpation, ultrasound, and blood testing. Palpation is the traditional method and is done by a veterinarian. Pregnancy can be detected as early as 35-45 days and experienced veterinarians can determine the stage of pregnancy, or approximate calving date. Ultrasound can detect pregnancy as early as 13-21 days and provides information like the viability of the fetus, if there are twins, and the sex, if it is between 55 and 90 days of gestation. Another option is a blood test which detects a protein produced by the placenta which can detect pregnancy as early as 25-28 days. Typically, everything needed is included in a kit and the samples are collected by a tail bleed. These can be submitted by producers to a lab with results returned after the test is complete. Deciding, which option to go with, should be considered in relation to your operation and preference.
Reference: drovers.com/news
Field Crops
What Is a Forward Price Contract
A forward price contract for grain is an agreement between both the buyer and seller of a certain grain crop. Within that agreement are specific details that are defined within the agreement including; the crop (corn, soybeans, wheat, etc.), a price (based on dollars per one bushel), an amount (how many bushels), and also the time of delivery. Some other details included in the contract may also factor in the overall quality of the crop, any premiums or penalties, and ultimately, who would be responsible for transportation.
The main advantage of using forward price contracts is to have a certain price locked-in for your crop. Therefore, if the price is locked-in, it cannot decrease due to market trends later on, but it also cannot increase as well. By using forward price contracts, the farmer is transferring any risk of falling grain prices due to market trends to the responsibility of the grain buyer. Production would then be the greatest risk to the farmer, since harvest has not been completed, but it is recommended for farmers to forward contract a maximum of 60% of their anticipated crop. In the situation where a farmer’s crop yield was lower than expected, there should be enough grain to fill the contract, or in another situation, if a farmer does not produce enough grain to fill the contract, the farmer can simply buy the contract back from the grain buyer.
Article has been revised from Jenny Carleo, Area Specialized Extension Agent- Grain Crops, and Dr. Heidi Schweizer, Agricultural & Resource Economics Specialist from North Carolina State University.
Tobacco Harvest Mechanization
I am sure that either you, or even someone you know, can remember the time when harvesting a crop of tobacco was a time consuming, and also labor-intensive process. This could potentially be back in time to when the first day of school was planned, to allow most farms to be almost wrapped up with the end of priming. It was estimated that back during the 1950’s it could take a farm upwards of 450 man-hours per one acre to produce a flue-cured tobacco crop, whereas today the most efficient farms only take an estimated 50 man-hours per one acre to produce a flue-cured tobacco crop. Due to advancements within the tobacco industry, and also with tobacco harvesting equipment, growers nowadays have the option to implement mechanized systems to make the harvesting, handling, and curing processes more efficient.
There are different types of green and cured leaf handling systems available for growers to incorporate in their farming operations, which as a result, the green leaf handling systems have contributed to decreased time and labor required during the loading process. These systems ultimately allow growers to fill their barns with the same quantity of tobacco uniformly to help minimize problems during curing. More growers nowadays also utilize automatic controls, especially with ventilation systems, to help improve the curing process and decrease overall energy usage, as long as the grower is proactively managing the curing process within their operation.
Article has been revised from Dr. Grant Ellington, Biological and Agricultural Engineering Specialist from North Carolina State University.
EFNEP
Benefits of Family Meals
For many of us, sitting down as a family to enjoy regular meals is becoming less and less common. This is concerning, since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends shared dinnertimes as often as possible, in order to strengthen families and support our children’s development.
Research has shown that when we eat with our children, we reap many benefits:
- Communication improves between family members.
- Children have less behavior problems.
- Children tend to eat healthier, more nutritious meals. Teenagers are less likely to use drugs or alcohol.
In order to enjoy these benefits, we need to remember the importance of following these suggestions:
- Turn off TV, phone, and other electronics.
- Keep conversations fun and positive.
- Keeping meals simple avoids stress and time.
- Encourage all to participate in meal planning and preparation.
Start by fixing this quick pizza recipe!
EFNEP Youth
Healthful Lunches
It's that time of year again!! With the kids off to school, they are again faced with the important question: What’s for lunch? With childhood obesity on the rise, having a nutritious lunch is an important part of an overall healthful diet. Since most kids, consume one-third of their daily total calories at lunch, here are tips to help them eat more super-nutritious foods.
Pack it Yourself:
- Plan ahead!! It helps to have all the right ingredients on hand for making the best lunch. You might even consider coming up with a weekly menu. Involve the kids in planning whenever possible.
- Avoid last-minute rushing by preparing all or part of lunch the night before.
- Make sure you include at least one fruit and vegetable- fresh would be even better!!!
- Best beverage includes- milk, water or 100% fruit juice.
- Remember food safety. It is best, you keep foods chilled in insulated lunch boxes with either an ice pack or frozen juice box.
The School Lunch Line
- Obtain a school lunch menu and help your child make better decisions at home. Stress the importance of the basic.
- Eating enough fruits and vegetables.
- Choosing items that are low in fat.
- Keeping sugary foods a treat, not a mainstay.
- Having a variety of grains, fruits and vegetables, low-fat protein and low-fat dairy items each day.
- Practice making better choices everywhere you go, so your child is better equipped in the lunch line.
Source: Iowa State University- University Extension
4-H
Surry County 4-H Clubs
Summer Fun has ended, and school is back in session. That means, it’s time to think about joining a 4-H Club! We currently have 5 active clubs in Surry County. The Beulah Club is a general club, which focuses on various 4-H topics throughout the year. They meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Beulah Community Center. The Pilot Club is also a general club, covering a different topic each month. They meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Pilot Center. Our 4-H County Council is a group of teens who are interested in developing leadership skills and helping to plan and implement activities and projects for our Surry County 4-H program. They meet on the 3rd Monday of each month from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Surry County Extension Center. We are excited to have a new Horse Club in our county! They will be meeting in two sessions, on the 2nd Tuesday and 4th Tuesday of each month, at a farm in Ararat from 6:00-7:30 pm. We also have a new club for our homeschool families in Surry County. We will learn about a 4-H topic each month. The Elementary Club will meet on the 1st Thursday of each month from 2:00-4:00 pm. The Middle & High School Club will usually meet on the 1st Friday of each month from 2:00-4:00 pm. On the 3rd Thursday of each month, both groups will meet together for a combined field trip or community service project. If you would like more information about any of our clubs, or would like to join, contact Amanda Gann, NC Cooperative Extension, Surry County Center at (336)-401-8025 or agann@ncsu.edu.
Volunteers and Meeting Facilities Needed
We would love to see 4-H Clubs serving youth in all areas of our county! We are currently looking to start a club in the Dobson/White Plains area. We are also looking to start a club for our families in the Elkin/State Road area. To be able to start these clubs, we need adult volunteers to serve as leaders and a facility for the youth to hold their meetings. If you love working with youth and would like to share your time and talent for a great cause, please consider becoming a volunteer! Clubs can meet a minimum of once per month, so it only takes a bit of your time. The impact that you can make in the lives of our youth outweighs the sacrifice of your time! If you don’t think you can commit to being a volunteer, but you have a facility that would work well for meetings to be held, please consider hosting a 4-H club. For more information on becoming a volunteer or hosting a 4-H Club, contact Amanda Gann, NC Cooperative Extension, Surry County Center at (336)-401-8025 or agann@ncsu.edu.