News Update

News Update
Oct. 27, 2005

Considerations When Grazing Cattle on Wheat

Producers who want to use their wheat for pasture this fall have decisions to make that will affect both the forage production and ultimate grain yield potential of the wheat, said Kansas State University (K-State) agronomist Jim Shroyer in a release issued today.

“Wheat intended for pasture should have been seeded at a high rate — about 120 pounds of seed per acre — and planted early,” said Shroyer, who is the agronomy state leader for K-State Research and Extension. “Wheat for pasture has to be planted earlier than the optimal dates for grain-only production, about two to three weeks before the Hessian-fly-free date.”

That makes the wheat planted for pasture more susceptible to damage from Hessian flies, early-season armyworms and flea beetles, and wheat streak mosaic, he said. Still, unless fall is unusually warm late into the season, forage production simply won’t be sufficient for pasturing cattle if it’s not planted early.

“Cattle should not be put onto wheat pasture until there is crown root development to anchor the plants,” Shroyer said. “Don’t just look at top growth and assume that if the wheat is tillered, the crown roots have developed. Sometimes that’s not the case. Check some plants to make sure there is good root development.”

Several other things producers should consider include:

• Cattle should not be able to pull the plants out of the ground as they graze. In general, there should be 6 to 12 inches of top growth before pasturing wheat, but the true test of when the wheat is ready is to see if crown roots have developed enough that the wheat is hard to pull out of the ground.

• Plan to use extra nitrogen (N) on the wheat. Cattle remove nitrogen in the wheat forage, so it’s not uncommon to see nitrogen deficiencies in wheat after cattle have been removed. For every 100 pounds (lb.) per acre of animal gain, producers should apply another 40 lb. per acre of nitrogen in order to maintain grain yields.

• Use split applications of nitrogen, with part of the nitrogen going on in early fall and part applied as soon as the cattle are pulled off in the late winter or early spring.

• Have a dry area available to move the cattle onto when the fields get wet. This will help limit soil compaction problems.

— Release provided by K-State Research and Extension.

Kentucky Counties Designated Disaster Areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced 109 Kentucky counties designated as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by drought that began Feb. 1.
Qualified farmers and ranchers in eligible counties will have the opportunity to apply for low-interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Eligible farmers have eight months to apply for loans to help cover actual costs, a release noted.

Contact your local USDA Service Center for more information or eligibility requirements, or visit http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

Florida Growers Hit by Wilma

Florida farmers hit by Hurricane Wilma are working to rebuild their cropland, much of which was devastated by wind and flooding.

According to The Associated Press, tomato and pepper farmers were hit especially hard. In fact, shoppers can most likely expect to pay more for such produce due to the temporary shortage induced by hurricane damage.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, Angus Productions Inc.