Estill County Farm Scoop December 2022
December 2022 Edition
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Estill County Farm Scoop - Agriculture & Natural Resources
December 2022
Happy December everyone!
Here are some reminders for this holiday season if you are keeping a live Christmas tree indoors:
· Place any real tree in a spot where it is away from a heat source
· Limit the hours that electric lights are lit on the tree
· Keep a cut tree watered and a living tree damp
· Live trees should be inside no more than one week
Be sure to return living trees to a sheltered, but unheated location as you did before it went into the house and dispose of cut trees in a responsible manner. Live trees can add more fun and excitement to holiday traditions, but it important to take appropriate care of them as well.
There are quite a few exciting educational programs coming up soon that you will want to mark on your calendars:
· Grafting Rootstock Orders—Once again we will be taking orders for apple and pear rootstock for grafting. I’ve included an order form in this months newsletter on page 9. Deadline for orders will be January 27, 2023.
· Centerpiece Workshop: Join instructor Mike Reed on December 19th at 6 p.m. at the Estill County Extension Office as he teaches us how to create a live holiday centerpiece. You will need to bring your own dinner plate to serve as a base for your centerpieces. All other supplies are included. This class is $15 and pre-pay only. The deadline to pay is December 8th. Call 606-723-4557 to pre-register and pay (cash or check only) to secure your spot!
· Grafting Workshop: On March 6th at 6 p.m., UK Horticulture Specialist Shawn Wright will be teaching participants how to graft using rootstock. Watch for signup dates!
· Farmer Tax Seminar: Due to lack of signups, this seminar will be rescheduled for after the new year. Once a date has been picked we will get that information out to the public. This tax seminar satisfies CAIP education requirements.
· 2023 Fruit & Vegetable Conference will take place January 2nd through the 4th in Bowling Green, Kentucky. You may pre-register by mail or online (https://2023KYFruitVegConference.eventbrite.com).
If you would like more information on any of these upcoming programs, don’t hesitate to contact the Estill County Extension Office at (606) 723-4557.
Emma Lee, County Extension Agent for Agriculture & Natural Resources
Backgrounding course for feeder cattle producers is Dec. 15-16
By Aimee Nielson
The beef cattle industry’s backgrounding sector manages calves through the transition period between weaning and feedlot placement. Cattle producers rely heavily on forages and grains to increase cattle weights and immunity before they enter the feedlot. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment will offer a two-day program aimed at background producers who want to gain knowledge through classroom and hands-on learning experiences.
The 2022 Backgrounding Short Course is Dec. 15-16 at the UK C. Oran Little Research Center in Versailles. It will focus on the post-weaning management of feeder cattle.
“Because of the number of beef-calf operations in the region, the backgrounding industry is a good fit for Kentucky cattle producers,” said Jeff Lehmkuhler, UK Extension Beef Specialist for the UK Department of Animal and Food Sciences. “We are cramming a lot into this two-day course and believe that producers will be able to put the information to use now and in the future in their operations.”
The course will begin with registration at 7:30 a.m. EST Dec. 15 and will include topics such as bunk management, health risk management, vaccination protocols, cattle processing, confinement consideration, feeds and feeding, feed program development, ration balancing, ruminant digestion, health diagnostic tools and best management practices. Additional sessions include feed mixing and management, cattle handling equipment, heifer development, disposition impact on performance, technology tools and enterprise budgets. The course concludes at 4 p.m. Dec. 16.
Registration is limited to the first 30 individuals, is $25 per person and ends Dec. 10. Participants may register online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/469124111847 or send payment to Jeff Lehmkuhler, 810 W.P. Garrigus Bldg., University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546. Additional course sponsors include the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund and the Kentucky Beef Network.
Think ahead to meet winter hay needs
Source: Tom Keene, UK Plant and Soil Sciences Hay Specialist
Hay availability in Kentucky may be short this winter because of multiple, compounded issues. The variability of yield, quality and number of cuttings indicate the hay supply could get tight. It is important to protect the hay crop you have and use it wisely—that smart conservation and planning will help make hay last longer through the winter.
Due to weather events—droughts and floods—both hay quality and yield are down. To ensure an adequate amount of hay, farmers should enact several measures. Store hay inside a barn, where it will remain dry. Remember to store hay in barns that have access in all types of weather. If that is not feasible, cover with a tarp to protect from the elements. Buy hay by the ton if possible and require certified stamped weight.
Testing is the first step to knowing how much will be necessary to meet the nutritional needs of the animals they feed, from horses to cattle to goats. Hay is tested primarily for crude protein, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, total digestible nutrients and relative feed value. Get your hay tested by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to determine if you need to buy additional hay. For more information, refer to University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service publication “Interpreting Forage Quality Reports,” at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id101/id101.pdf.
Farmers typically feed hay from mid-December until mid-March, approximately 110 days, though that will vary due to weather, pasture conditions and the needs of different animals. To reduce waste, you should get hay, whether round or square bales, off the ground, either by using pallets, feeders or hay carts. Doing this will help you reduce wasted hay by almost half. If that is not possible, feed in long rows so hay is immediately consumed, rather than leaving a round bale out for animals to pick at over time. They will consume the center of the round bale, which has remained dry and protected, first, and that judicious eating will greatly increase waste.
To determine hay needs:
· Calculate the number of days animals will need feed.
· Weigh a random sample of bales using scales at feed mills or truck stops so you know the average weight of your bales.
· With the results of a hay test, calculate how many pounds each animal will need daily.
· Determine the total amount of hay the herd will require over the winter.
Forward planning and good management practices will help ensure an adequate hay supply during the winter. Because hay is a commodity, with a price that relies on supply and demand, it is unlikely that prices decrease in the coming winter months. So, if you do not have enough, you should buy it now, before more buyers move into the market. A tight supply, plus possible hay purchases from bordering states, may possibly elevate what are already high prices. Straw is also likely to be expensive.
For more information, review University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service publication “Quality Hay Production,” http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr62/agr62.pdf, or contact the Estill County Cooperative Extension Service.
The Winter Outlook
Derrick Snyder - National Weather Service, Paducah, KY
As the leaves change colors and fall to the ground, crops are harvested, and tendrils of frost form on plants, conversation often turns to what the coming winter will bring. As we have seen, winter in Kentucky can bring a bit of everything, from ice and snow to flooding to bitter cold - even severe weather. Given how variable the weather during the winter can be, is it possible to predict what will happen? Many of us have heard homespun wisdom about ways to predict what an upcoming winter will bring. Some of the more popular ones include how dark the hair of a wooly worm is in the fall, the shape of the seed inside of a persimmon, and counting the number of morning fogs in August. An office of the National Weather Service called the Climate Prediction Center also releases an outlook for the upcoming winter during autumn.
The winter outlook made by the Climate Prediction Center covers the months of December, January, and February. It is not possible to give a day by day forecast of what will happen, but it is possible to forecast whether a region will see a greater chance of above or below normal temperatures and precipitation (rain and melted snow and ice). If there is not a strong signal either way, the outlook will say that a region will have an equal chance of seeing above, below, or near normal temperatures and precipitation. It is important to remember that these outlooks cover a three month period. Periods of cold weather can occur when above normal temperatures are favored, and the opposite can happen when below normal temperatures are favored. The same rule also applies for precipitation.
Make winter green-thumb friendly with an indoor garden
Source: Rick Durham, UK extension horticulture professor
Gardening is often thought of as a spring and summer pastime, but you don’t have to give up your gardening hobby just because winter is approaching. Continue working your green thumb this winter with an indoor container garden.
Container gardening refers to planting in containers rather than a traditionally tilled plot of land. Container gardening is a great way to bring your plants in from the cold and utilize small spaces such as windowsills and tabletops.
While the variety of crops you can plant in container gardens isn’t as vast as traditional gardens, there are still a variety of planting options. Here are some easy plants to grow indoors this winter:
· Scallions: For scallions, also known as green onions, you can cut off the tip with the roots and place it in a glass with about an inch of water. When the roots are 2-3 inches long, plant them in potting soil in a shallow container. You can either harvest the green tops and let the plant continue to grow or use the entire green onion.
· Garlic greens: Plant a garlic clove in a few inches of potting soil mix for garlic greens. You won’t be able to grow bulbs, but the green portion tastes garlicky and serves as a good substitute, either raw or sautéed.
· Microgreens: Microgreens refer to small edible greens grown from the seeds of vegetables and herbs such as broccoli and beets. Make sure the seeds you use are labeled for use as microgreens so there is no coating that may contaminate the plant. Sow the seeds thickly in new, clean potting soil in shallow containers like disposable aluminum pans with one to two inches of potting soil. Microgreens typically mature after 12-14 days or closer to 21 days for larger seeds and reach an average height of 4-5 inches tall. These can be used in salads, wraps or garnishes once fully grown.
· Carrots: Small carrots are easy to grow in potting soil. Sprinkle the seeds on top of the soil in a pot or long window box, lightly cover with damp peat moss and water well. And don’t throw away those carrot tops. They’re edible and nutritious and can be used in soups and sauces and even smoothies.
· Herbs: Basil, chives and parsley are extremely easy to grow indoors. Parsley demands more humidity, so misting the plants will help them flourish. Use organic fertilizer to help your herbs reach their full potential.
One of the biggest challenges with indoor gardening is the lighting limitations. While you should utilize as much natural light from windows as possible, some plants may need additional light from grow lights. Grow lights come in all price ranges and styles, from full-spectrum fluorescent lights to LED plant lights that are a it more expensive but use less electricity than fluorescent lights. Incandescent bulbs do not emit the right spectrum of light for plant growth.
Another issue you may come across is ensuring your containers have proper drainage. You should use potting soil, which has better drainage, rather than garden soil. Be sure your containers have a hole for drainage and are placed atop a detachable saucer or in a tray to catch extra water. After the water has drained into this catching device, empty excess water to lower the risk of root rot.
Even though you are using clean, presumably “sterile” potting soil, you should wash any plant parts thoroughly before consuming, especially if you are using them raw.
For more information about indoor gardening, contact the Estill County office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
American Mistletoe - A holiday plant enjoyed by pollinators and wildlife
It’s hard to miss the basketball-sized clusters of green leaves decorating the bare upper branches of trees as they reach up to the winter sky. Those basketball-sized clusters of leaves are most often mistletoes. There are several different species of mistletoe in North America, and even more in other parts of the world. Some prefer conifers. Others prefer deciduous hardwoods. Probably the most common species that prefer hardwoods in the eastern half of the U.S. is the American mistletoe, also known as the oak mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum). This is the species I’m most familiar with and that decorates the trees on our farm and in the surrounding region.
General Biology and Life History
American mistletoe is an evergreen, hemi-parasitic, woody shrub. Hemi-parasitic just means that it is partially parasitic. Photosynthesis and the production of sugars that the plant uses for food occurs in American mistletoe’s evergreen leaves in the same way that the process occurs in the leaves of most non-parasitic plants. However, unlike most non-parasitic plants, American mistletoe does not draw its water and mineral requirements from the soil. Instead, it gets its water and minerals from the tree on which it is growing. Thus, the parasitic part of its nature.
Although another one of its common names is oak mistletoe, American mistletoe doesn’t just grow on oaks. It can be found growing on the branches of many different types of hardwood trees including oaks, maples, ashes, walnuts, and many more. American mistletoe typically blooms in the fall and early winter, or approximately October through December in Kentucky. Mistletoe has male and female plants which means that some plants only have female flowers and some plants only have male flowers.
Fertilized female flowers will produce a white berry with a very sticky seed and pulp. Birds eating the berry will often swipe their beaks along the branch to try to wipe the stickiness off their bills. In the process of wiping their bills, they’ll often wipe the mistletoe seed into a crack in the bark. The seeds may also stick to the bird’s feathers or feet and be moved in that manner from one tree to the next. Not to mention, what goes in, must come out and mistletoe seeds that are eaten by birds tend to come out relatively quickly, often being deposited on a different branch or in a different tree from the original plant.
When a mistletoe seed lands on a tree branch, it germinates and sends out shoots that penetrate the tree’s bark. Those shoots produce a chemical that tricks the tree into thinking that the mistletoe is a tree branch. The tree sends water and minerals to the mistletoe just like it would any other branch. Some sources say that mistletoes can also cause the tree to send extra water and minerals to it, even at the expense of the rest of the tree. Whether that is true of all mistletoes or only certain species is unclear.
Pollinator and Wildlife Uses
Many different types of insects, including wasps, bees, and ants, frequently visit American mistletoe flowers. Bees of all types, including honey bees and native bees, will collect nectar and pollen from mistletoe flowers. The ripe berries are quickly eaten by a wide variety of birds in the late fall and winter. American mistletoe is also the only thing that the caterpillar of the great purple hairstreak butterfly (Atildes halesus) will eat. In addition to the variety of food sources mistletoe provides, its dense, shrubby growth pattern also provides cover and protection for nesting birds and treetop dwelling mammals.
Human Uses of Mistletoe
Different species of mistletoes have been used over the centuries for religious purposes and for medicinal purposes. However, mistletoes are also poisonous to humans with some species being more poisonous than others. Most sources say that American mistletoe is less poisonous than its European cousin, but why chance it? Just, don’t eat the mistletoe. Any mistletoe.
The use for mistletoe that most of us are probably more familiar with is as a holiday decoration to inspire kissing. The kissing custom is thought to date back possibly to the 16th century in Europe and was brought over to North America relatively early in the colonial days. The American mistletoe is one of at least three species that is sometimes called the Christmas mistletoe because of its use for holiday decorations.
Incorporating American Mistletoe into Your Yard
American mistletoe isn’t a plant that you are going to “plant” in your yard. It is either going to show up on its own, or it isn’t. Some resources say that trees serving as hosts for mistletoes have a significantly shortened lifespan. Others say that any damage mistletoes do is dependent on a number of factors, such as the health of the tree and how much mistletoe it is supporting. The species of mistletoe also seems to be one of the determining factors for whether its presence significantly shortens the tree’s life.
Some of the mistletoe species that prefer conifers have been scientifically shown to shorten the tree’s life. Although that may sound like a bad thing, it is a natural part of the ecosystem and creates a habitat for a wide variety of animals. On the other hand, scientific evidence is much less clear as to whether American mistletoe, which prefers hardwoods, shortens its host tree’s life. Maybe if there was a lot of American mistletoe in a tree, then it might have a negative effect on the tree, but usually, a few clumps on a healthy tree don’t seem to do much.
We have quite a few clumps of mistletoes growing in the trees on our property. I like looking out and seeing them, especially in the winter when the rest of the tree is bare. I also know that they provide important resources for my birds and pollinators, so I don’t worry about them. The trees with mistletoe growing on them look the same as neighboring mistletoe-free trees, so I assume everything is good. Plus, the American mistletoe shrubs are WAY up in the tops of the trees where it would be hard to do anything about them anyway.
If you are concerned about a clump of mistletoe in your trees, then you would need to find where the main trunk of the mistletoe enters the tree branch. Then cut the branch at least a foot back towards the tree trunk from where the mistletoe trunk enters the tree branch. However, there is no way to stop birds from depositing new mistletoe seeds on your tree branches. My advice is to just let it be unless there is a pressing need to do otherwise.
Summary
American mistletoe is an interesting, native plant with a fascinating life history. It is a valuable part of our ecosystem and provides shelter for nesting birds and tree-dwelling mammals. In addition, it is a valuable food source for many of our pollinators, songbirds, and the caterpillar of the great purple hairstreak. American mistletoe also plays a role in our holiday traditions. Although it isn’t a species that we might plant in our yards, it is a fun one to enjoy when it shows up.
Source: https://kentuckyhortnews.com/2022/11/16/american-mistletoe-a-holiday-plant-enjoyed-by-pollinators-and-wildlife/
Guest post—Shannon Trimboli, https://www.backyardecology.net
Kentucky Fruit & Vegetable Conference will be held January 3-4, 2023 in Bowling Green, KY
The Annual Kentucky Fruit & Vegetable Conference is the premier educational program for produce growers and value-added producers in Kentucky. This two-day meeting with pre-conference events is devoted to fruit and vegetable production, handling, harvesting, marketing, storage and related topics. Approximately 500 growers, researchers, and technical service providers attend the Kentucky Fruit & Vegetable Conference each year.
Pre-registration options for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are listed below. Information for each option is detailed with each item. Registration allows entrance to all conference sessions.
Start by selecting membership in the grower group that best describes your interests. Please note that the $50/person annual membership in KVGA, KSHS, or OAK includes complimentary meeting registration for the member as well as all membership benefits, including access to online content after the meeting. Attendance at the annual meeting is not required for membership.
You are welcome to join more than one member organization; each annual membership includes one admission to the conference. (For example, 1 KVGA + 1 KSHS = 2 conference registrations=$100.) Meeting guests also require registration ($50/person) and one additional paid attendee can be included on each order.
Other add-ons (research fund contributions, for example) and sponsorships can be selected and added to your order before check-out. Meal tickets are included with registration and only available through advance registration.
Late registration (received after Friday, December 21, 2022) and on-site registration will be $75. Because of hotel policies, registration fees are non-refundable.
For meeting registration and conference details including the conference program, visit the meeting webpage: https://kyhortcouncil.org/2023-kentucky-fruit-and.../
Meeting updates will be published on the meeting website.
