A couple weeks ago, we announced a new field day/ demonstration program called the UK Beef Bash 2008, which will be at the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton. This is a different activity than a traditional field day because participants will have an opportunity to have more “hands-on” activities to participate in and a more in-depth look into some of the activities going on at the UK Farm in Princeton. This program is planned with daily practical production management information and demonstrations with our local beef cow/calf producers in mind.

UK Beef Bash ’08 is scheduled for Sept. 23. The program begins at 1 p.m. If you would like to attend and don’t want to drive, we have scheduled a tour bus to take a group from Barren County who want to learn more from this beef cattle program.

Seating is limited and bus tickets are available on a first-come basis. The bus tickets are free – thanks to generous donors – and we still have a few left. You must sign up and have a ticket in hand to ride this bus.

If you want to go on the bus, stop by the Barren County Extension office for tickets.

Food will be available for purchase at Princeton. This will be a day-long trip, leaving from the Barren County Extension office that morning and returning at a decent hour that evening.

Contact me at 651-3818 for more information.

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Dry weather may have caused some cornstalk problems. Farmers should examine the condition of their cornstalks because the dry weather may have caused them to deteriorate in strength, according to Chad Lee, grain crops Extension specialist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

In August, many parts of the state did not receive rain for three weeks. While the state as a whole had above-average rainfall totals for July, northcentral and far western areas of the state were dryer than normal. The U.S. Drought Monitor, released last Thursday, still indicates 89 percent of the state is abnormally dry.

These dry conditions caused the crops to stop growing and taking in nutrients. However, the seeds were still developing. With no other source of nutrients, the seeds may have started pulling nutrients from the stalks in order to finish development.

While this summer’s dry weather is not as severe as last year’s drought, stalk deterioration is more of a concern. The 2007 drought was so intense and prolonged that crops did not develop as well as they have this year.

This year, we have much taller plants, better ear development and better seed fill. The ears are taking on more weight this year and the condition of the stalks is a real concern.

The corn crop still looks very good overall, according to Dr. Lee. Some producers in far western Kentucky have already begun their harvest, but for the majority of the state, harvest is still a week or two away.

If the state were to get heavy rain or strong winds during this time, the weak stalks could fall in the field, which could make harvest difficult and possibly cause crop loss. UK weather specialists said both the 30-day and 90-day extended forecasts for Kentucky call for an average amount of rainfall, some of which could be from the remnants of tropical storms or hurricanes.

To check for stalk deterioration, farmers should walk their fields. They will need to grab a stalk at chest height, pull the plant toward them until it is at an angle and let go. If the stalk snaps back and stands up, it is strong. It’s weak if it falls over. If farmers find weak stalks in their fields, they will want to weigh their options and consider harvesting the crop early.