October 2024 Edition

Agriculture & Natural Resources
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Daviess County Farm News Fall 2024

Comments from Clint
Harvest is underway across the area and will continue for the next few weeks as later planted crops continue to dry down. As anticipated, corn and soybean yields have been average or above average. Weather always has the greatest influence on our crops, good or bad. It is important to acknowledge that we thankfully avoided a drought that is greatly reducing crop yields no more than 75 miles east of our area and reflect on how lucky we were that our 5” rain from Hurricane Helene was not the 20” rainstorm and wind that has caused so much loss of property and life in states to our south.

One challenge we do face is low grain prices. I’ve written about this topic a few times this year, but it is still surprising to people outside of production agriculture that prices are as low as they’ve been in the past several years. Pricing opportunities for winter sales and 2025 crops are looking better, but more is needed to bring profitability back to corn and soybean production. This effect is already being felt in machinery sales and will continue for the next year or two.

It will be interesting to see how things progress in the next presidential administration and Congress on three issues I see as top challenges in agriculture. Commodity trade agreements, increased use of renewable fuels, and production expenses specifically relating to machinery and repairs.

American agriculture must have an open trade policy. It is unfortunate that American manufacturing has moved offshore and cross-border. The solution to expansion in domestic manufacturing cannot be created through tariffs, which only penalize American consumers with higher prices and farmers with retaliatory tariffs on agricultural exports. Both political parties are responsible for ending the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement. Those countries were going to purchase US agricultural commodities at a much greater volume than they are currently.

The internal combustion engine must continue to be the primary power source for domestic transportation. Renewable fuels derived from grain are unlikely to ever be used to generate car charging electricity. Diligence is required to educate Congress and consumers that incentives are needed to keep renewable fuel demand high in the United States. Our key to using up this pile of corn and soybeans we’ve made is through consumption of fuel derived from grain. Pay attention to the promising sustainable aviation fuel mandate. That will be a major win for corn consumption but obstacles regarding which ethanol plants generate fuel eligible for the tax incentives remain. Kentucky’s only ethanol plant, Commonwealth Agri-Energy, within 200 miles of 4 international airports, is currently in the ineligible group.

Farming costs are always rising but the most substantial inflationary increase has been in machinery repairs and replacement. This is challenging for the largest farms that purchase new machinery and is increasingly difficult for the smaller acreage farms, the second or third owners of these equipment items. A lot of machinery is imported from Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Interest rates, trade policy, material, and labor cost inflation will all be drivers of machinery and repair cost going forward. A return to lease vs. owning and co-owning large capital expense items between two or more farms may be considerations if grain prices recover slowly.

2024 FALL CROP PROTECTION WEBINAR SERIES SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER
University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Extension specialists have scheduled a Fall Crop Protection Webinar Series, hosted through the Southern Integrated Pest Management Center. Each webinar will begin at 9:00 a.m. CT and will be one hour in length. Continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisors include 4 CEUs for IPM (1 CEU for each webinar). Kentucky pesticide applicators will receive 4 CEUs (1 CEU for each webinar) for Category 1a (Agricultural Plant). This year the webinars will be held Oct. 15, Oct. 29, Nov. 12, and Nov. 26. Pre-registration is required to attend each webinar. Email me at chardy@uky.edu to get registered.

Webinar #1: Oct. 15 — Dr. Raul Villanueva, Extension Entomologist Title: Dealing with stink bugs and other insect pests in soybean

Webinar #2: Oct. 29 — Dr. Kiersten A. Wise, Extension Plant Pathologist Title: Maximizing disease control AND return on investment for corn fungicides

Webinar #3: Nov. 12 — Dr. Travis Legleiter, Extension Weeds Specialist Title: Spray Application Parameters – The Offensive Line of Herbicide Applications

Webinar #4: Nov. 26 — Dr. Carl Bradley, Extension Plant Pathologist Title: Management of important wheat diseases in Kentucky

RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION PLOTS
The Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service and KCTCS Adult Farmer Education Program led by Troy Muse collaborate each year to conduct an expansive corn and soybean variety demonstration program. Plot results are available on my website at https://daviess.ca.uky.edu/anr. Once all fields have been harvested and data compiled, plot books will be printed. They should be available to pick up in mid-November. Opportunity to host a plot is open to anyone willing to volunteer their time. The seed is provided and all management decisions are left to the farm to decide. A plot typically takes three hours to plant and three hours to harvest. If you would like to host a location next year, please call me at 270-685-8480.

KADF UPDATE
Call the extension office to ask that a 2024 County Agricultural Investment Program (cost share) request be mailed to you. Projects must be complete and required documentation must be postmarked by November 30.

Visit https://www.kyagr.com/agpolicy/2024-Program-Guidelines-and-Applications.html to discover which projects and items are eligible for reimbursement.

BEEF CATTLE MEETING
November 12 6:00-8:00 pm

Daviess County Lions Club Bittel Hall, 6191 Hwy 54, Philpot

Agenda for the evening: 
-Takeaways from the Post-Weaning Value Added Program with Guest Speaker, Kevin Laurent

-Recognition of the 2024 4-H/FFA Feeder Calf participants

-Fall business meeting of the Daviess County Cattleman’s Association

-Beef Quality & Care Assurance Training will be provided prior to the meeting at 4:00 pm

To Register, Call 270-685-8480

SURVEY: MARKETING TOOLS AND STRATEGIES FOR CORN, SOYBEAN, AND WHEAT
The University of Kentucky, in partnership with the University of Delaware and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, are conducting surveys on marketing tools and strategies for corn, soybean, and wheat. These surveys are designed to benefit producers or farm managers with annual sales of at least $1,000. The insights gathered will be instrumental in securing funds for marketing training across the Commonwealth. The published results will be completely anonymous, and data will be aggregated, ensuring individual responses cannot be tracked. Participation is not only risk-free but also a valuable contribution to the future of this project and, more importantly, to the welfare of producers in Kentucky.”

Extension Grain Marketing Specialist, Dr. Grant Gardner, “Every response will be beneficial in securing funding opportunities and will also inform my content at meetings. The survey has the University of Delaware branding simply because they secured the initial funding for what hopefully turns into larger programming.”

The survey can be found here: https://delaware.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0JpiRk4gHsN2yHQ

LIME SPREADER UNIT AVAILABLE
We are excited to announce that the Daviess County Soil Conservation District, through a funding grant by the Kentucky Agricultural Development fund has purchased a heavy-duty lime spreader which can be used with a tractor greater than 65 horsepower. This meets smaller acreage forage or crop land application needs with an opportunity to haul your own lime or have it delivered to the site, then apply it yourself. The Daviess County High School FFA Chapter has agreed to facilitate scheduling and maintenance of the spreader. It will be housed at Daviess County High School. The spreader is available for a rent of $100/day. This unit is for lime application only. It is not available for fertilizer or poultry litter application. For more information or to reserve the unit, contact DCHS FFA Advisor Craig Howard at (270) 499-0694.

LLC FARM BUSINESS – NEW REPORTING RULE
In 2021, Congress passed the Corporate Transparency Act, requiring certain entities to report information on their owners and those who have a certain level of control over the entity, referred to as Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI). This law became effective January 1, 2024. For businesses created or registered BEFORE January 1, 2024, the deadline for initial reporting is December 31, 2024. For businesses created or registered AFTER January 1, 2024, the deadline for reporting is 90 days after registration.

One of the basic criteria for determining if the entity is required to report their BOI is if they are required to register with the Secretary of State. Entities registered with the Secretary of State are required to report their BOI. For example, LLCs, both multi-member and single-member, are required to report. Corporations, both S-and C- are required to report. General Partnerships are not required to report their BOI, as they do not register with the Secretary of State. A beneficial owner is an individual who owns at least 25% of the business or exercises substantial control over the business.

An individual has “substantial control” over an entity if they are any of the following: a senior officer, has authority to appoint or remove certain officers or a majority of directors of the entity, is an important decision-maker, or any other form of substantial control.

To complete the reporting, you will need the company information as well as all information, including the driver’s license (of which a photocopy will have to submitted), for all beneficial owners. After the initial registration, if there are changes to the information you provided, such as a name change, new address, or updated driver’s license, you have 30 days to report the changes.

Current penalties for non-compliance include a $591 per day fine and/or potential jail time.

It is not required to have a third party complete the reporting. However, you may choose to consult with your tax preparer or attorney to help address your entity’s specific reporting requirements. For more information, please visit www.fincen.gov

Source: Powers, L. and S. Martin. "Avoid Costly Fines: What You Need to Know About New Beneficial Ownership Reporting Rules." Economic and Policy Update (24):8, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky, August 29, 2024

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY HIGH SCHOOL CROP SCOUTING COMPETITION
I had the pleasure of coaching the Daviess County High School crop scouting team this summer. They placed second in the state competition hosted at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center on July 25, earning an invitation to the national contest. The team placed ninth at the Midwest region crop scouting contest held September 14 on the University of Minnesota – St. Paul Agricultural Campus. Pictured from left is Wyatt Hayes, Charlie Evans, Ben Caldbeck, Jonathan Berry, and Jamison French.

AGRICULTURAL LENDERS CONFERENCE
The Agricultural Lenders Conference, hosted by the Ohio Valley Farm Business Analysis Association is planned for  9:OO am to noon on December 12 at the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Office. This program is open to all individuals or businesses involved in extending agricultural production credit, farm loans, and crop insurance to farmers and landowners in the Green River area. Credit Analysts, grain marketers, and farm business income tax preparers are also welcome. Always well attended, this program provides participants with the global macro-economic situation including updates from South American agricultural production and challenges which directly influence the United States, and update of the grain, cattle, tobacco and poultry economic outlook for the upcoming year. The purpose is to help businesses become better prepared to serve their farming clients for the upcoming season.

WEATHER ALERT FOR AGRICULTURE
The University of Kentucky Ag Weather Center has announced the launch of "Weather Alert." The smartphone application aims to serve both Kentucky's farming community and other residents by providing critical weather updates and forecasts.

The app's first phase, now complete, offers a user-friendly design with access to current and forecasted weather data, high-resolution radar and timely warning and watch alerts. Users can receive alerts tailored to their specific GPS location or other designated areas, enhancing their ability to make informed management and production decisions.

Weather Alert is available at no cost and free from advertisements, ensuring a seamless and efficient user experience.

Weather Alert is available for download on iOS and Android, with plans to expand to other platforms. To download via iOS, visit https://apple.co/3wN3645.

To download via Android, visit https://bit.ly/4dUyxdq.

GRAZING AFTER FROST
Remember to use caution when grazing pastures that have johnsongrass, sorghum, sudangrass, or wild cherry in them after frost because toxic levels of prussic acid may develop. Standing plants killed by frost are normally safe to graze after one week. Beware of areas in fields that may not have been affected by the initial freeze but may be killed by later frosts. Hay that has dried enough to be safely baled will not contain toxic levels of prussic acid.