Airing July 11 - 22, 2005

This is Ag Outlook 2005 on 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte, Geary County, K-State Research and Extension Ag & Natural Resources Agent. Soybean rust has kind of been way back on everyone's mind so far this summer. All that rain in June had us thinking about a lot of other things and then into wheat harvest and now all of a sudden we are seriously thinking about whether this soybean rust thing is going to be the real deal. A few weeks ago I would have said it was unlikely to get to Kansas in 2005. But then that first tropical storm came up through the Gulf of Mexico after first sweeping across central Florida. This is an important thing to keep in mind. You see up through mid June, the only soybean rust was in central Florida. Now think about how tropical storms or hurricanes or any low pressure weather system acts. They spin in a counterclockwise motion. So all of that warm moist tropical storm air came sweeping across central Florida and then spun up around to the north before turning back to the south. So is it any wonder that by early July soybean rust was being found in several other locations across the south including as far west as the Louisiana Mississippi state line part way up to Arkansas? Then came Cindy and Dennis and I'm sure each one has pushed those spores a little bit further to the north and east and west. How far north and east we won't know for a while yet and it also depends on what storms are yet to follow. We've been saying all along that if we were going to get soybean rust in the first place we would most likely get it later in the season when it would be less of an issue. Let's hope we push that back into August. We've also known that for it to get to Kansas in 05 it would probably take a hurricane to move it quickly from east to west, well guess what. So now the possibility becomes more real and we need to get serious about rust. This has been Ag Outlook 2005 on the Talk of JC, 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte.

This is Ag Outlook 2005 on 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte, Geary County, K-State Research and Extension Ag & Natural Resources Agent. With the chance of soybean rust a far great reality now for Kansas and even Geary County, let's start talking about scouting for it and managing for it if it arrives. The earlier in the growth stage of the soybean plant that it arrives, the more spraying you will need to do and the more yield loss you can expect. In other words, think of it just like leaf rust in wheat. In most years it gets here late enough that we don't even worry about it and spraying isn't likely to gain us enough yield to pay us back. Soybean rust may be that way, but the economics of spraying become a far different ball game. Early detection is crucial. Weather that favors good soybean yields favor soybean rust. If it's hot and dry and we're staring a drought in the eyes, I wouldn't be worried about soybean rust. But if we've got high humidity and warm, but not blistering temperatures, let's get scouting. This is not one of those things that you drive by on the road and if you see it, you do something about it. When you can see soybean rust from your pickup seat driving down the road, don't even bother to stop because it is far too late to do any good. Start getting out in fields about once a week, more often if soybean rust is being found in Missouri or Oklahoma. Find those areas where the dew goes off last thing in the morning - low lying areas near shade. Look on those bottom leaves for light yellowing or flecking, the same basic symptoms that you'd be looking for in wheat leaf rust. If you see rust pustules then the disease is quite far advanced already and you need action now. But if you find that yellowish or light green flecking then get it into my office so we can try to get it confirmed as soon as possible. This is a situation that when we finally get the disease, we really need to stay on top of it to limit it's damage. This has been Ag Outlook 2005 on the Talk of JC, 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte.

This is Ag Outlook 2005 on 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte, Geary County, K-State Research and Extension Ag & Natural Resources Agent. I had a producer bring four alfalfa samples into my office recently. They were from two different cuttings and two different fields. He wanted them analyzed for the routine things including relative feed value - the big one for dairy producers. All four samples, even though some had been rained on, had good protein ranging from 18.5% to 20.25% More than good enough for beef cattle. The interesting thing was the relative feed value. One was 187, quite good, the others were rather nominal in the 130 to 140 range. The difference was in the amount of acid and neutral detergent fiber, meaning the quantity of highly digestible fiber and slightly digestible fiber. A few days after that I was coming back from the Tri-county fair in Herington. I saw a producer, in another county by the way, cutting at first what I assumed was prairie hay. As I got closer and passed by on the road I could see that it was not prairie hay, but bromegrass. At this time of year I would have cut the brome for seed first. But I will have to admit that given the rains in early June, harvesting then may not have been a good option. But it really points out how critical it is to take samples from each cutting of hay from each and every field. A good thorough analysis by a reputable lab is going to cost well under $20, closer to 20 if it's alfalfa and you won't Relative Feed Value. But that data you get back will be very worthwhile. With it you can price your hay better if you are selling it or better balance rations if you are feeding it. We know that Kansas stockmen routinely undervalue their grain and protein sources, meaning they over feed it, and overvalue their hay resources, meaning they don't feed enough of it. Take the time to segregate your fields and cuttings and then lets get some good forage testing done. Give me a call, I'll help you lay out a plan! This has been Ag Outlook 2005 on the Talk of JC, 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte.

This is Ag Outlook 2005 on 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte, Geary County, K-State Research and Extension Ag & Natural Resources Agent. Technically we may only be about 1/3 of the way into summer, but I always consider the middle of July to be about midsummer. And this is a good time to start looking at pastures and your cattle. Check the pest and parasite situation and evaluate control options. A parasite that may still be unfamiliar to many of you is the Gulf Coast tick. Since 1998 this tick has been routinely found in north central Kansas. While we are just moving out of the heaviest population period it is a good time to check your cattle for this rascal. Gulf Coast ticks love ears. They will really cluster up in ears to the point that ear muscles are weakened which results in a flop eared permanent deformity that the southerners refer to as "gotch ear". The good news is that there are over three dozen products registered for use in Kansas to control Gulf Coast ticks in cattle. If you aren't sure which one you may want to consider, visit with your veterinarian. Now, while you are out there looking at those cattle, look at the calves and look at the grass. This has been a funny year, but its also been a year when we can get some catching up done on pasture condition. This spring calves are starting to depend less on mom and more on the grass. Midsummer is also about the time when quality of hay goes to heck in a hand basket real quick. A lot of that grass may look pretty green for mid July, but don't let that fool you - the quality is already a lot further south than you realize! Have you considered early weaning here in a few weeks. Not something that we routinely do except maybe in a drought, but there may be some market advantages. Or maybe start doing a little creep feeding to boost the performance of those calves. There are a lot of options that we could be considering other than just what we've always done. Take a few minutes to consider the possibilities! This has been Ag Outlook 2005 on the Talk of JC, 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte.

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