Cooperative

Extension Service

Nelson County

317 S. Third Street

Bardstown, KY 40004

(502) 348-9204

Fax: (502) 348-9270

http://nelson.ca.uky.edu

Upcoming Events

Jan 16 KY Commodity Conference -Bowling Green, KY

Jan 16-17 KY Pork Producers Annual Meeting-Bowling Green, KY

Jan 16-17 KY Cattlemen’s Association-Owensboro, KY

Jan 27 Restricted Use Pesticide Certification 10am or 2pm or 6pm-Nelson County Extension Office

Feb 5, 7:00– Nelson County Beef Cattle Association Meeting Extension Office

Feb 26-KY Alfalfa Conference-Cave City, KY

Ron Bowman County Extension Agent

for Agriculture/Natural Resources

RON’S RUMBLES

Happy New Year. I hope everyone had a happy, safe and healthy holiday. By the time you get this in the mail I will have completed 30 years as the Nelson County Ag Agent. It’s been a great 30 years. I couldn’t have asked for a better community to live, work and raise a family in. The old saying is, “time flies when you’re having fun”. I guess I’m having a lot of fun because it sure doesn’t seem like I’ve been here that long. I would like to thank each of you for allowing me to have about the best job a person can have. I have always had great folks to work with here in the office and when you work with farmers you work for the best people on earth. My plans right now are to continue to work for another year or two.

A lot of things have changed in 30 years. We have gone from 160 dairies down to about 10. We only have 4 hog operations left of significant size. We have about 1/3 of the tobacco we had 30 years ago. During that time frame we lost about 25% of farm acres to development. That being said 2013

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saw a record high of farm income.

Nelson County participates in a program called “Feeding America”. The mission of this group is to serve those in need by acquiring and distributing donated food, grocery items and government commodities. 30 volunteers are needed to help bag, box and distribute the food. February 25th will be agricultures turn to volunteer. If you would like to help from 8:30AM to noon please call me at 348-9204 to get your name on the list.

If I can help, don’t hesitate to call.

MAKE FARM RECORD KEEPING A PRIORITY Source: Steve Isaacs, Extension Agricultural Economist

Record keeping may not be every farmer’s favorite activity, and probably not the reason you got into farming as a career. With time, patience and a commitment to get it done, it can make your financial life a lot less worrisome.

Record keeping doesn’t have to be stressful. It’s a way to discover things about your farm that will help you make better long-term deci-sions. You can use a ledger book or a computer—whatever helps you maintain consistency. Software programs can make your data more meaningful.

Software has become more user-friendly over time, and while it may not make the record keeping process fun, it could help you see the overall picture of your operation. Some programs track purchases of inputs and how you use the input on a particular enterprise or field. You’ll be able to keep track of repair and maintenance records for specific farm equipment and produce balance sheets, income state-ments and cash flow budgets.

For many livestock operations, a good time to start keeping records is when the veterinarian comes to check the herd. Vets usually charge per head, so that data can help you develop a list of animals that need attention. You can use the same data to develop health histories of your animals, which will lead to more informed exams and diagnosis in the future.

Make record keeping a team effort for your family. Sit down and work on the records and budget together. Perhaps one person can read the information while another person types it into the software program or writes it in the ledger book. Also, if you do a little bit each

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day and don’t save it all up for the end of the year, you won’t be-come overwhelmed.

If you’ve done the work throughout the year, year-end procedures can feel more satisfying. You can generate year-end reports with a few simple clicks and not have to sort through stacks of bills lying around the home or office.

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Envi-ronment’s Department of Agricultural Economics has several tools online that could help with budgeting and decision making. Visit http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agecon/index.php?p=29 to see what is available.

THE ESOPHAGEAL FEEDER – A LIFE-SAVING TOOL

FOR CALVES Dr. Michelle Arnold, Ruminant Extension Veterinarian, University of Kentucky

“Failure of passive transfer” of immunity (also called “FPT”) occurs when a calf fails to absorb an adequate quantity and quality of im-munoglobulin prior to closure of the intestine that occurs at ap-proximately 24 hours after birth. FPT has been linked with in-creased calf morbidity (sickness), mortality (death), and a reduc-tion in calf growth rate and feed efficiency. It is estimated that of the calf deaths occurring in the first 3 weeks of life, approximately one-third are due to inadequate colostrum intake. Early and ade-quate consumption of high quality colostrum is considered the sin-gle most important management factor in determining health and survival of the neonatal calf. There are 4 key factors (the 4 Q’s) that contribute to the goal of successful passive transfer of immun-ity:

Quality: Feeding high quality colostrum with a high immunoglobu-lin concentration (>50 g/L of IgG) or use of a good quality pow-dered colostrum replacer (not a supplement);

Quantity: Feeding an adequate volume (4 quarts to Holsteins; 3 quarts to smaller breeds) of colostrum;

Quickly: Feeding colostrum promptly after birth (within 1-2 hours and by 6 hours maximum);

Quietly: Passing the tube too quickly may result in damage to the laryngeal area and passage into the trachea and lungs. Keeping

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the calf calm minimizes the risk of aspiration pneumonia.

The esophageal feeder is a tool designed to deliver colostrum when a calf is unwilling or unable to nurse. The inability to nurse may be due to a variety of causes. The process of calving may result in oxygen deprivation to the brain for a prolonged period of time, bruising, and occasionally broken bones. An extended peri-od in the birth canal can result in a swollen head and a swollen tongue that cannot suckle. Exceptionally cold weather may contrib-ute to delayed nursing. Large teats may be difficult for a calf to suckle. Regardless of the reason, colostrum delivery can be ac-complished quickly and safely with an esophageal feeder if proper technique is followed. The steps involved in using an esophageal feeder are as follows:

Prior to tubing the calf, examine the feeder to make sure it is clean and undamaged.

The length of the tube and the size of the calf will dictate how far the tube should be inserted. Compare the tube length to the dis-tance between the mouth of the calf and the point of the shoulder. This is the approximate distance the tube should be inserted.

The calf should be standing if possible. Place its rear end into a corner and hold its head between your knees. If the calf won’t stand, at least sit it up on its sternum (breastbone) and hold the head between your legs.

To insure that no fluid runs into the mouth of the calf that could be inhaled in the lungs, either kink the plastic tubing or clamp it off during passage.

Moisten the end of the feeder (the ball) with colostrum to make it more slippery.

Stimulate the calf to open its mouth by putting pressure on the gums or pressing on the roof of the mouth with your fingers. Do not hold the nose up; keep the nose below the ears to reduce the risk of trauma to the back of the throat.

Gently insert the tube into the mouth over the top of the calf’s tongue. When the rounded end hits the back of the tongue where there is a ridge, the calf should swallow. Wait patiently until the calf swallows then slide the tube gently down the esophagus.

Prior to administering the colostrum, check that you feel the tube in

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the esophagus on the left side of the calf’s neck. You should feel two tube-like structures in the neck. The trachea (or windpipe) is firm and has ridges of cartilage all along its length. The esophageal feeder tube in the throat is firm but smooth.

Administer the colostrum by raising the bag above the calf and al-lowing the fluid to flow by gravity. Never squeeze the bag to hurry the process. The calf will begin to move (and vocalize) when it feels pressure as the rumen fills. The amount of colostrum needed depends on the size of the calf. Holsteins can readily handle a gal-lon while smaller breeds need approximately 3 quarts. Do not re-move the tube until the fluid has had time to empty into the rumen.

Again, kink the plastic tube or use a clamp before pulling the tube out in one swift motion.

Immediately wash the tube and feeder in hot, soapy water. Follow with a chlorine and hot water rinse in order to remove the film of fat and protein that adheres to the inside of the feeder. If not properly cleaned and disinfected, you risk inoculating bacteria directly into the intestinal tract when a calf is most vulnerable to infections.

Keep the feeder in good repair-change them when they begin to show any signs of wear.

Esophageal feeders come in a range of sizes and designs, depend-ing on whether to be used in calves, yearlings or adult cows. The calf esophageal feeder generally consists of a plastic pouch or bot-tle which holds the colostrum with an attaching plastic or stainless steel tube and a ball or bulb on the end. One gallon capacity feed-ers are recommended to deliver colostrum because recent research has proven a full dose administered all at once is much better than two smaller feedings. In the past it was thought that feeding small-er volumes of colostrum by a nipple was best because it stimulated closure of the esophageal groove and absorption of immunoglobu-lins was increased if the rumen was bypassed. It is now under-stood that there is no difference in absorption when colostrum is administered by esophageal feeder because the colostrum quickly spills out of the rumen into the abomasum. Ultimately, 48-hour se-rum immunoglobulin concentrations were found to be no different in bottle-fed or tubed calves.

In summary, learning to use an esophageal feeder may mean the difference in life or death to a newborn calf. Esophageal feeders

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can also be used to administer vital electrolytes to scouring calves if reluctant to nurse a bottle. Videos are available on U-tube that show the process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndj8O7_j6j8 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLHOe6xInJg but your veteri-narian is the best resource to teach the proper technique for pass-ing a tube correctly and safely.

U.S. & Kentucky Farm Economy

2014 U.S. Review

USDA projects US net farm income to total $96.9 bil. in 2014, 21% below the 2013 level & the lowest since 2010.

US farm cash receipts are expected to fall by 1% in 2014 as the anticipated drop in crop receipts (-12%) will nearly be offset by the forecast gain in livestock receipts (+14%).

US farm expenses are estimated to be 6% higher in 2014, while government payments will fall by 4%.

US ag exports are forecast to set a record in 2014 on the heels of strong livestock exports.

Despite a slumping ag economy, land values continued to in-crease, although at a much slower pace, while debt levels in-creased modestly leading to a relatively strong financial posi-tion entering 2015.

2014 Kentucky Review

KY ag cash receipts will total $6 billion in 2014, compared to the 2013 adjusted official USDA level of $5.7 billion.

KY crop receipts are forecast at $2.8 billion (-2%) benefiting from higher priced 2013 crops sold in 2014.

Strong beef, dairy, poul-try and hog prices boosted KY livestock receipts to a

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record $3.2 billion (+15%).

KY net cash income (cash receipts + government payments – cash expenses) may retreat from the 2013 record high level but will remain relatively strong.

2015 Outlook

KY cash receipts forecast to decline 5% in 2015 to $5.7 billion in response to a 15% forecast drop in crop receipts versus an estimated 3% gain in livestock receipts.

Significantly lower grain prices and anticipated reductions in land rents will challenge grain profit-ability in 2015.

Increasing livestock supplies may con-strain the growth in record prices, but demand and profitability will remain relatively strong,

Kentucky net farm income will be challenged with anticipated lower crop receipts and the ending of to-bacco buyout pay-ments, which have averaged 10% or more of Kentucky net farm income in recent years.

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Issues to follow in 2015 will be how cropland rents/crop mix ad-just to a lower priced grain environment, export value, and vol-ume with increased global crop supplies and a stronger U.S. dol-lar; the degree of expansion in the livestock sector amidst a fa-vorable price/profitability outlook; and potential changes in U.S. energy policy and immigration reform.

Tobacco 2015 Outlook

Excess world burley supplies and slumping demand will likely induce tobacco companies to reduce contract volumes in the U.S. and South America in 2015.

Cheaper international leaf, combined with an appreciatingU.S. dollar, may reduce the competitiveness of U.S. burley and overall export volume in international markets.

Dark tobacco production/demand may remain relatively stable, but reduced burley demand coupled with labor/infrastructure challenges will likely cause the value of Kentucky tobacco pro-duction to retreat below $400 million.

Domestic and international tobacco regulations, trade agree-ments, immigration reform, and market demand for alternative tobacco products (e.g. e-cigs) will be key issues that U.S./KY to-bacco farmers will follow in 2015

Wheat 2015 Outlook

Planted acres about the same as 2014. Improved weather should re-duce abandonment and increase harvested acres.

A trend-yield of 45 bushels/acre would generate a wheat crop of 2.2 billion bushels.

A return to more normal levels of exports would whittle away at the larger crop. If exports remain sluggish, building stocks will dampen price.

Stocks projected to increase to 700 million bushels. Average price ranging from $5.30 to

$5.60 per bushel.

Corn 2015 Outlook

Planted acres projected to decline due to lower profitability compared to alternative crops.

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A 2% reduction in acreage and “normal” weather producing a trend-yield of 163 bushels would suggest the 2015-16 corn supply margin-ally reduced from 2014-15.

Ending stocks could be reduced to 1.7 billion bushels, which is a 12% stocks-use ratio.

Export demand is the wild card. If China resumes importation of corn then ending-stocks would reduce further and would support slightly higher prices.

U.S. marketing-year average price is forecasted in the

$3.80 to $3.90 price range.

Soybeans 2015 Outlook

Planted acres projected to increase due to greater profitability com-pared to alternative crops.

A 2% increase in acreage and “normal” weather producing a trend-yield of 44 bushels would suggest the 2015-16 soybean supply 3.6% larger than 2014 - 2015.

Ending stocks could increase slightly to 470 million bushels.

Export demand is the wild card. If China continues importation of U.S. soybeans into May instead of buying from South America, then stocks would reduce further and would support slightly higher prices.

U.S. marketing-year average price is forecasted in the$8.60 to $9.00 price range.

Equine 2015 Outlook

Continued strength in major markets likely to continue to support both sales and stud fees in 2015.

Softer commodity prices likely to reduce pressure to convert hay ground to row crops.

Lower feed prices resulting from large 2013 and 2014 crops may also have spillover effect in hay markets.

Beef 2015 Outlook

Calf prices in spring likely to set new records as strong deferred fu-tures prices and spring grass demand converge.

Fall calf prices likely to be down slightly from 2014, but also likely to be the second highest fall calf market on record.

Weather permitting, cow-herd expansion is very likely in many parts of the US as cow-calf operators remain very profitable

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Dairy 2015 Outlook

Increases in dairy cows numbers and productivity are expected to result in moderate production increases for 2015.

Price declines expected for most components due to increased pro-duction and decreased exports.

Farm level milk prices likely to decline throughout 2015, and margins likely to tighten closer to historical levels.

Dairy producers will sign up for MPP-Dairy for the 2016 calendar year July-September.

Hogs 2015 Outlook

Increased prices and lower feed costs are enhancing profits, and will lead to increased production (probably putting 2% to 4% more pork on the market in 2015).

Prices will respond to increased supplies, declining by 10% to 15% for the year. Prices will decline most in the first half of 2015, but re-main below 2014 levels for the whole year.

Lower prices will help the competitiveness of U.S. pork in world mar-kets, perhaps adding 200 million pounds (about 4%) to exports levels.

Sheep & Goat 2015 Outlook

Higher prices are likely to continue for both goats and lambs.

Kentucky inventories for both lamb and goats are likely to buck na-tional trends, with numbers continuing to increase.

Poultry 2015 Outlook

Declining feed costs will enhance profits for 2015 and are expected to lead to a 2% to 4% increase in production.

Broiler prices are expected to decline slightly with the increase in pro-duction.

Lower prices will keep the U.S. competitive in global markets, with exports near 2014 levels.

Horticulture 2015 Outlook

Direct markets should continue to expand in 2015.

Continued interest in local products from grocers, restaurants, schools, and other institutions should buoy demand for Kentucky pro-duce.

Nursery and greenhouse sales will remain fairly flat, but also buoyed by local market sales.

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Forestry 2015 Outlook

The demand and pricing for sawlogs for factory lumber manufacturing softened in the second half of 2014. However, they will follow the US economy and are expected to be stable in 2014.

Stave log markets will continue to be robust and are projected to be so for the next 5 years, reflecting the strong global demand for whis-key and wine.

Demand and pricing for low grade logs including tie logs will remain stable in 2015.

Pulpwood markets may be affected by the proposed purchase of New Page by Verso slated to occur in 2015

Economic Impact of Agriculture in Kentucky

Overview

Total economic impact of the agriculture industry in Kentucky is ap-proximately $43 billion.

The agricultural input sector, which has an economic impact of about $565 million, includes manufacturing of inputs in agricultural produc-tion such as fertilizers, pesticides, and farm equipment/machinery.

Agricultural production includes the value of grains, oilseeds, vegeta-bles, fruits, tree nuts, and other horticulture products grown in Ken-tucky. Production accounts for about 25% of total economic impact of agriculture, and generates about $11 billion.

Agricultural processing is the largest sector in the agriculture industry, contributing about 72% of the industry’s total economic impact for a total of roughly

$31 billion. The processing sector transforms agricultural products into finished goods such as cane sugar, con-fectionary, frozen foods, textiles and fabrics, etc.

Apparel and Leather industries add to the eco-nomic impact of agriculture be-cause their prima-ry inputs are prod-ucts from the pro-cessing sector. These industries combined gener-

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ate about $548 million.

The total eco-nomic impact of federal research and extension dollars equals about $11.5 mil-lion.

Salaries and benefits com-prise of outlays on research, extension, and support person-nel and repre-sent the largest expenditure in this sector. The economic impact of salaries and bene-fits totals $9.3 million.

The category Other Operational Expenditures includes miscellaneous expenses incurred for research or extension purposes. These ex-penses contribute about

$2 million to the total economic impact of this sector.

Capital Equipment accounts for purchases of computer hardware, farm equipment, etc. Construction/Repair measures outlays on new construction and renovation or repairs of existing structures.

The economic impact of agriculture in KY was estimated at about $42 billion dollars. Using more recent data, the economic impact is ap-

proximately $43 bil-lion, which is a mod-est but significant increase.

This economic impact analysis was conducted using a conservative ap-proach. Therefore, the estimate is likely to be slightly lower than the actual im-pact.

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Coverage Selection for New 2014 Farm Bill Safety Net Programs Be-gan Nov.17

Producers have Until March 31, 2015, to Choose the Program Best for their Operation

Farm owners and producers are reminded that the opportunity to choose between the new 2014 Farm Bill established programs, Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), began Nov. 17, 2014, and continues through March 31, 2015. The new programs, designed to help producers better manage risk, usher in one of the most significant re-forms to U.S. farm programs in decades.

USDA helped create online tools to assist in the decision process, allow- ing farm owners and producers to enter information about their operation and see projections that show what ARC and/or PLC will mean for them under possible future scenarios. Farm owners and producers can access the online resources, available at www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc , from the convenience of their home computer or mobile device at any time.

Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, pea-nuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (which in-cludes short grain rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat. Up- land cotton is no longer a covered commodity.

Dates associated with ARC and PLC that farm owners and producers need to know:

Now through Feb. 27, 2015: Farm owners may visit their local Farm Service Agency office to up- date yield history and/or reallocate base acres.

Nov. 17, 2014 to March 31, 2015: Producers make a one-time election between ARC and PLC for the 2014 through 2018 crop years.

Mid-April 2015 through summer 2015: Producers sign contracts for 2014 and 2015 crop years.

October 2015: Payments issued for 2014 crop year, if needed.

To learn more about which safety net options are most appropriate for spe-cific farming operations, farmers can use new Web tools at www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc ,which can be accessed from the convenience of a home computer or a mobile device at any time. To learn more farmers can contact their local Farm Service Agency county office at 502-348-8664.

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Equipment Manager

The Nelson County Conservation District is looking for an Equip-

ment Manager. We have four pieces of equipment. Two no-till

drills, one hay bale wrapper and one aerator. If you are interested

and would like more information please call the Conservation Dis-

trict office at 502-348-3363.

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