April 2024 Edition

Agriculture & Natural Resources
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Daviess County Farm News
Spring 2024 Newsletter

Comments from Clint

Thanks to everyone who took time to complete the Census of Agriculture back in the fall of 2022. The census is important and used to shape public policy, corporate business decisions, community planning, and rural development. Conducted every 5 years in the United States, the data takes a long time to process. The official 2022 results were recently released. The complete Daviess County profile and surrounding counties can be found at https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/.

Businesses - The number of Daviess County farm businesses actually increased 6% from 2017 to a number of 974 reporting in 2022. This is not surprising as we have many early career farmers who are either first generation, or sons or daughters of existing family farms diversifying on their own as the primary operator of commercial poultry, grain, horticulture, or cattle enterprises. In fact, 476 people reported being a new or beginning farmer. At the same time, very few farmers have retired, leading to a net increase of individual farm businesses.

Land - Daviess County is 305,280 acres. 15,000 acres of that is encompassed by the city of Owensboro. The land reported as farms in Daviess County is 271,336 acres. Of those, 226,806 acres were reported as cropland for grain, horticulture, hay, tobacco, and other crops. 14,294 acres were reported as pastureland, 19,145 acres of woodland, and 11,091 acres of other use. Examples of other use are the farm acreages covered by machinery and livestock buildings, homes, lawns, grain facilities, lakes, and streams. The remaining 19,000 acres of Daviess County is comprised of residential homes and properties, businesses, churches, and public infrastructure such as schools and roads spread throughout the county.

 Money - Revenue per farm business certainly increases as the amount of land farmed and number of animals on feed increases. But in total, 2022 gross agricultural sales of all agricultural commodities grown in Davies County was $335,931,000! An 81% increase over the 2017 census. People always ask, how does agriculture compare in value to other industries in Daviess County? I don’t know what the value of Daviess County based healthcare, services, retail, or manufacturing is. I do know $336 million dollars is a chunk of change. Of course gross revenue is offset by expense. Total 2022 farm production expense in Daviess County was $225,004,000! A 69% increase over the 2017 census. So what does not costing quite as much as was made mean? It means net cash farm income was up 88% from the 2017 census.

People – 1,692 people individually own or own in partnership the 974 farm businesses in Daviess County. 130 people were less than 35 years old in the fall of 2022. 1,033 were 35-64 years old and 529 people 65 or older at the time of reporting. 1,204 were male, while there were 488 female farm operators in Daviess County.

The data shared above is specific to Daviess county. It doesn’t reflect land owned or rented in surrounding counties by Daviess County resident farmers. It doesn’t reflect the contribution to family living afforded by easy access to excellent off-farm employment, healthcare, education and quality of life amenities provided by Owensboro. It doesn’t reflect the enhanced competitiveness of our farm businesses to counties east of here by having direct access to river terminal transportation for getting fertilizer into and grain out of the area.

KADF UPDATE

The Daviess County Agriculture Development Council met March 28 and committed a portion of the 2024 master settlement agreement appropriations for Daviess County. The council committed the following project funding:  $2,500.00 in funding to Kentucky Floral Exchange for construction of a cut flower storage cooler; $100,000.00 to Green River Area Beef Improvement Group to administer the Daviess County Agricultural Investment Program; $10,000.00 to Daviess County Soil Conservation District for administration of the Daviess County Youth Agricultural Cost Share Program; $20,250.00 to Daviess County Soil Conservation District for purchase of a trailer-type 6-ton lime spreader available for rent to local farmers; and $25,234.72 to Reid’s Orchard to construct an agritourism venue restroom and parking lot upgrade.

Jesslyn Watson of the Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy recognized council members whose terms will conclude June 30, 2024. Caleb Taylor, Brad Stephen, Ray Wright and Dakota Edge were each recognized for 4-years of service.

 Serving on the agriculture development council requires that you be a resident of the county and commitment to attending 2-3 meetings each year at the extension office. Meetings are typically March, late summer, and early December. Terms are two years with the opportunity to serve a second term. This council serves an important role in Daviess County agriculture. Three positions remain open for the July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026 term. If this is an opportunity you would be interested in, give me a call to inquire about it. 

SOLAR ECLIPSE APRIL 8

Take a welding hood to the field with you on Monday, May 8 if you want to slow down long enough to view the eclipse. Also, expect more traffic than usual on both Ohio River bridges and roads to Reo and Rockport, the Audubon parkway, and highways 60 and 56 during most of the day next Monday. Moving machinery may be more challenging than usual.

GRAZING SCHOOL

A Beginning Grazing School will be held on April 30-May 1 at the Research Station in Princeton. The school is designed to provide new grazers with a clear plan for designing and implementing controlled grazing systems. Classroom sessions  held in the mornings and afternoons will consist of hands-on activities at a local host farm. Email Caroline.Roper@uky.edu if you would like to attend.

DRONE APPLICATION SCHOOL 

Several farms have bought aerial drones with liquid and dry application ability to use this year. We all know how important it is to get the aircraft and pilot in compliance with the rules and regulations. The University of Kentucky is hosting a Drone Pilot Certification course June 10 and 11, 2024 at the Hopkins County Extension Office in Madisonville.

The registration link for the Drone Pilot Certification course is at https://2024KATSdronepilotcertification.eventbrite.com

This registration link is for the course only, the $400 cost includes all the study materials and lunches for both days. A separate fee of $175 will be paid to Madisonville Community College.

• June 10: 8:00 am til 5 pm with practice exams to be completed on your own in the evening.

• June 11: 8:00 am until lunchtime. Exams will be scheduled for the afternoon at Madisonville Community College. FAA exam information and requirements can be found at https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot/

DANGEROUS WEATHER SAFETY

Spring can bring beautiful weather, with warm temperatures and sunny skies. But it can also bring violent, dangerous weather. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning means severe weather with damaging winds at least 60 mph and/or large hail of 1 inch or greater has been reported by spotters or indicated by the National Weather Service’s radar. A Tornado Warning means a tornado has been spotted or indicated by radar. There is imminent danger to life and property. If an underground shelter is not available, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. You should be sheltered well away from windows or any outside doors. The smaller the interior room the better.

ALFALFA WEEVILS AND POTATO LEAFHOPPER

The first cutting of alfalfa is still a few weeks away. Be on the watch for alfalfa weevil and potato leafhopper. Their emergence coincides with warmer temperatures and they require insecticide control if the harvest is delayed due to weather.

Hopperburn, the characteristic symptom, results from the accumulation of photosynthates in leaves. It begins as a V-shaped wedge of yellow extending from about the middle of the leaf to the tip. PLH can reduce yields up to 25%, as well as lower crude protein, vitamin A, carotene, calcium, phosphorus, and digestible dry matter content.

A single, well-timed application of any one of several insecticides will provide excellent leafhopper control. A 35-day harvest schedule generally keeps leafhoppers from building to large numbers. Cutting drives the winged adults out of the field. The wingless nymphs are unable to leave and most starve or die from some other cause before regrowth starts.

FINAL STAND COUNTS

Row width and length of row needed to equal 1/1,000th acre.

15” rows 34 feet 10 inches
20” rows 26 feet 2 inches
30” rows 17 feet 5 inches

Counted plants in the length of row should be multiplied by 1,000 to equal plants per acre.

Hula Hoops are also a convenient method to estimate stands in narrow rows. Count the plants within the circle and multiply by the factor below which matched the inner diameter of your hoop.

Hoop inner diameter = multiply factor

18” = 24,662                  27” = 10,961
21” = 18,119                  30” = 8,878
24” = 13,872                  33” = 7,337
                                       36” = 6,165

SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODE TESTING AVAILABLE

SCN is the number one yield limiting pest of soybeans in the United States period. The Soybean Cyst Nematode Testing Program funded by the Kentucky Soybean Board will continue this year. Don’t let this opportunity pass by. Daviess County has by far had the greatest level of participation in this program, but with 115,000 acres of soybeans grown in this county, we are far from finished learning about this important pest. Testing is easy. When collecting soil fertility samples, carry two buckets. One is for the 4” depth fertility sample, the second is for the 8” depth SCN sample. All other sampling procedures for SCN are the same as fertility testing procedure. Bring the SCN samples to the Extension Office.

HORTICULTURE WEBINAR WEDNESDAYS

Every Wednesday, at 11:30 a.m., a 20-30 minute presentation is given on a different topic. April topics are:

April 3- Chaos Gardening
April 10 - Hostas: Not What You Think
April 17 - Cicadas
April 24 -  Beyond Begonias - New Plants for 2024
Register at: http://tinyurl.com/24APRHWW 

You must register before the class.
Click on the classes you want to attend. You will get an email with the class link.

For more information visit kentuckyhortnews.com
You can also follow the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UKYHortWedWeb

4-H CAMP 

Daviess County 4-H Camp registration is open!
June 11-14
West KY 4-H camp in Dawson Springs, KY

For more information call 270-685-8480 or go to:
daviess.ca.uky.edu/4hcamp

 2024 FUNGICIDE EFFICACY GUIDES

The 2024 fungicide efficacy tables for foliar diseases of corn and soybean, and for soybean seedling diseases have been updated, and are now available through the Crop Protection Network website: https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/. 

These tables are updated annually based on data provided by United States Extension plant pathologists, with efficacy determined through replicated research trials across a broad geographic area. Kentucky research trial data are included in the development of these national fungicide efficacy ratings.

The ratings in these guides reflect the efficacy of a fungicide against a given disease, and are not rating yield response to a fungicide. It is an applicator’s legal responsibility to read and follow label directions.

Updated tables include:

• Fungicide Efficacy for Control of Corn Diseases
• Fungicide Efficacy for Control of Soybean Seedling Diseases
• Fungicide Efficacy for Control of Soybean Foliar Diseases

OWENSBORO REGIONAL FARMERS’ MARKET

Make plans to attend the opening day of the Owensboro Regional Farmers’ Market!

April 13th  8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
1205 Triplett St., Owensboro, KY