KAY COUNTY AGRICULTURE MONTHLY

JULY 2019

Cattle Sales 2 Sometimes weather forces us to

make untimely sales. Scott

Clawson provides insight on how

to navigate these decisions.

Upcoming Events 3 Keep yourself up to date on OCES

Extension Events and other

Agricultural and Educational

events in the Kay County Area

Garden Tips 4 David Hillock shares his

Monthly Garden Tips.

High pressure heat domes and beef cattle Glenn Selk, Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist and the

late Dr. Dave Sparks, OSU Area Extension Veterinarian During the very hot, dry summer of 2011, the late Dr. Dave Sparks, Oklahoma State University Extension Veterinarian wrote a very comprehensive article about heat stress in cattle and livestock in general. Dr. Sparks’ understanding of heat stress came from years of veterinary practice in Southern Kansas and as Extension Veterinarian in Eastern Oklahoma. His thoughts seem applicable nearly every summer in Oklahoma. The following are some key excerpts from that article:

“Unlike horses and humans, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs do not sweat, at least not in amounts sufficient to be beneficial for body cooling. They maintain their body temperature at or near a constant, normal, level by panting. This moves air across the highly vascular and moist mucous membranes of the mouth, tongue, and nasal passages, thus cooling the blood passing through these tissues much like the water in an engine is cooled as it passes through the radiator. For this to occur they need a lower environmental humidity and adequate water for evaporation on the surface of the membranes. If livestock are not able to maintain their normal body temperature they start to show signs of reproductive compromise first, followed by heat exhaustion at about 105 F, and cell breakdown and death at about 107 F. (Continued Pg. 3)

In this issue

Kay County Extension Office

Address Kay County Courthouse Basement

P.O. Box 430

Newkirk, OK 74647

Phone Office Main Line - (580)362-3194

Email Shannon Mallory: - Ag/4-H Educator

Shannon.mallory@okstate.edu

Website oces.okstate.edu/kay/ag

Social Media Facebook: Kay County OSU Extension

Twitter/Instagram: @CountyKay

YouTube: Kay County OSU Extension

How Safe are Vegetables that were Flooded? David Hillock, State Master Gardener Coordinator

With the recent flooding across the state questions have been asked about how safe the produce is that was affected by the flood.

Vegetables submersed in flood water that may have been contaminated with sewage, animal manures or herbicides from neighboring properties can be dangerous and should be avoided. The safest approach is to discard all vegetables exposed to this type of water, especially leafy vegetables. Portions of plants that were not submersed in water or developed after the flood water receded may still be safe to eat. Be sure to wash all vegetables before eating. Kay County Corner 5

Updates on what is

happening in Kay County

Extension in the near

future.

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KAY COUNTY AGRICULTURE MONTHLY

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to listen to many farmers and ranchers in northeast Oklahoma. The stories have been truly incredible. From the floodwaters that altered the landscape to the resiliency of the livestock it has truly been catastrophic. One of the more common concerns has been the loss of forage production and in turn the 2019 hay crop. It is not uncommon that some of our cattle producers most fertile hay ground is in the bottoms near the Arkansas River. This is also some of the most devastated fields.

The Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS), a wing of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), conducts a weekly hay report. The most recent report shows no reported hay sales activity, this follow the past several months where hay

prices we certainly above the 2018 levels on average. The Livestock Marketing Information Center showed a 3% reduction in hay stocks from 2017-18 followed by a 6% increase from 2018-19. At the same time, most of the surrounding states are experiencing greater hay deficits. Windshield research tells us that even areas not directly impacted by the flood are behind getting that first hay crop out of the field. The middle of June was the first period dry enough to get hay baled in many areas. Altogether, 2019 is a year many beef producers were looking to as a means solving hay issues before things get dire.

At the end of the day, should a

lack of forage, hay or feed due to “

weather related conditions” cause you to sell cows or calves in a manner

that is outside of your normal management, then be aware that there may be some tax management tools that are available for your use. The tools that are available vary in their use. In some cases, if a producer were to sell calves in 2019 that would have been sold in 2020 in normal years then that income might be deferred to 2020. In practice this would alleviate a producer

’s concern having two calf crops sold in the same tax year.

(Cont. Pg. 5)

Weather Related Livestock Sales Scott Clawson, Area Ag Economics Specialist

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KAY COUNTY AGRICULTURE MONTHLY

In extremely hot weather it is normal for body temperatures to rise moderately above normal during the heat of the day and to cool off at night when environmental temperatures are less. It takes several hours, however for this to occur. Although air temperatures often decline in the late afternoon or evening the animal’s body temperature may not fully recover its normal level until 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning after several hours of cooler temperatures. Because of this, taking the temperature to determine if an animal is sick is best done early in the morning to get a true indication. If you must “work” or handle livestock during hot weather, do it as early as possible in the morning and be finished before their body temperature starts to rise…”

“In hot weather the first thing to suffer in your herd is reproductive efficiency. Reproductive problems can range from poor fertility to no fertility. In some males high core body temperature causes suppression of libido, but that is only the beginning of the problems. In male mammals the testicles cannot produce or maintain sperm cells at body temperature. The scrotum is designed to keep the testicles several degrees cooler than the body’s core temperature by means of special muscles that lower the testicles away from the body as air temperature rises and pull them back closer as air temperature decreases. Also, the pampiniform plexus is a heat exchange unit that cools the blood entering the testicles. When these mechanisms are overcome by the environmental temperature problems occur. Sperm cell formation, or spermatogenesis, starts to decrease when the testicular temperature rises as little as 1/2 degree and sperm cells start to die if the testicular temperature rises as much as 2 degrees above optimum. This can be significant because if extremely hot weather causes the death or deformation of sperm in the male system it can take as long as 6 weeks for new cells to be formed and mature. This can result in a temporary sterility. Research has shown that in females, high body temperatures can result in lowered conception rates and embryonic death. Excessive heat affects embryo survival and fetal development most markedly during the first 21 to 30 days after breeding….”

When the reduced fertility of the male is multiplied by the reduced conception rate and embryo survival in the female, it becomes apparent why reproductive rates in cattle in late July and August are often quite disappointing.

Dr. Sparks understood that breeding seasons in the Southern Plains must be planned so as to avoid the mid to late summer time frame when high pressure heat domes tend to reside over this area of the United States.

Heat Domes and Cattle (Cont.)

UPCOMING EVENTS and DATES

August-November – Kay County Master Gardener Training, Tuesdays 9:00a.m.-2:30p.m., $120 per student, lunch included, Pioneer Technology Center, Ponca City, OK

September 10-15 – 2019 Kay County Free Fair,

Blackwell Fairgrounds, Blackwell, OK October 9th – Rural Economic Outlook Conference, $50/person

Breakfast and Lunch Included Conoco Phillips Alumni Center, Stillwater, OK

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KAY COUNTY AGRICULTURE MONTHLY

GARDEN TIPS FOR JULY! David Hillock, State Master Gardener Coordinator

Vegetable Garden

Make fall vegetable garden plantings in late July. Fact Sheet HLA-6009 gives planting recommendations. Lawn

Brown patch disease of cool-season grasses can be a problem. (HLA-6420)

Meet water requirements of turfgrasses. (HLA-6420)

Fertilization of warm-season grasses can continue if water is present for growth. (HLA-6420)

Vegetative establishment of warm-season grasses should be completed by the end of July to ensure the least risk of winter kill. (HLA-6419)

Mowing heights for cool-season turfgrasses should be at 3” during hot, dry summer months. Gradually raise mowing height of bermudagrass lawns from 1½ to 2”.

Sharpen or replace mower blades as needed. Shredded leaf blades are an invitation to disease and allow more stress on the grass.

Tree and Shrub

Control bermudagrass around trees and shrubs with products containing sethoxydim, fusilade or glyphosate herbicides. Follow directions closely to avoid harming desirable plants.

Fruits

Continue insect combat and control in the orchard, garden, and landscape. (EPP-7306, EPP-7313, HLA-7319)

Check pesticide labels for “stop” spraying recommendations prior to harvest.

Harvest fruit from the orchard early in the morning and refrigerate as soon as possible. Flowers

Divide and replant crowded Hybrid iris (Bearded Iris) after flowering until August. General Landscape

Water plants deeply and early in the morning. Most plants need approximately 1 to 2½ inches of water per week.

Providing birdbaths, shelter and food will help turn your landscape into a backyard wildlife habitat.

Insect identification is important so you don’t get rid of the “Good Guys.” (EPP-7307)

The hotter and drier it gets, the larger the spider mite populations!

Expect some leaf fall, a normal reaction to drought. Water young plantings well.

Dividing and Replanting Iris Irises are relatively carefree, easy to grow and long lived perennials; however, they should be divided

every three to four years when they become crowded. Crowded iris will begin to decline in growth and will have fewer and smaller flowers.

Divide the rhizomes (underground stems) after the plants have flowered; July through August is the best time to do this in Oklahoma. Throw away any segments that are diseased, riddled with insects or small and weak. Separate healthy rhizomes into segments with one fan of leaves and several roots. Cut the leaves back to six inches. When planting the new plant, spread the roots out in the soil and position the top of the rhizome at the soil surface. If planted too deep they will not flower as well and are more susceptible to disease and insect attack.

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KAY COUNTY AGRICULTURE MONTHLY

Another option exists for breeding stock. If the floods/weather disaster causes an additional culling of cows that would not have otherwise occurred, we might defer the portion more than normal. This would allow a producer to defer that gain up to four years. This gives them time to acquire replacement breeding stock.

Several conditions exist, the application of these rules may vary slightly based on the disaster declaration in your area. Open the line of communication with your tax preparer. These strategies will not only impact 2019 but can impact the following years as well. Listed below are two very good sources of information on this issue or if you have question, please contact your county OSU Extension Educator.

Resources:

University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Tax Consequences of Weather Related Sales. https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2019/tax-consequences-weather-related-sales

RS Farmers Tax Guide. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p225.pdf

Weather Related Sales (Cont.)

Shannon’s Kay County Corner

Master Gardener Class Offered this Fall in Ponca City, OK Do you have the opposite of a green thumb? Do houseplants audibly screams when you enter the room?

Well Kay County OSU Extension may have the class and organization for you! Become an OSU Master Gardener by attending 10 once a week classes by professors, and state specialist from Oklahoma State University. The best part is these experts come to you to teach the classes. This year’s Master Gardner Class will be:

Tuesdays from 9:00a.m.-2:30p.m. at Pioneer Tech Center in Ponca City. August 20th – Nov. 5th (skipping fair week Sept. 10th) $120 per new Master Gardener (includes lunch each week) $150 for the class, if student does not want to become a Master Gardener

In addition to the top class education you will receive you get to join a great organization that serve s the Kay County area through programs, volunteering, and education. Some of the wonderful activities performed just the past year include, making “dirt babies” with Washington Pre-K in Ponca City, hosting an educational booth on the life cycle of a monarch butterfly at the 2018 Kay County Free Fair, handing out plants at the Ponca City Herb Festival, and establishing a pollinator garden in the Kay County Ecological Trail in Newkirk, OK. For more information, and to enroll, contact the Kay County OSU Extension office at 580-362-3194 and speak to Shannon Mallory, Agriculture Extension Educator, or email at Shannon.mallory@okstate.edu. Farm Management Resources on your Smartphone

The e-Farm Management website has resources for producers to learn about financial management topics along with production, marketing, and risk management topics. This site includes videos, publications, and tools for farmers and ranchers.

One available resource is the Marketing Puzzle, Part 1 video. In this video, viewers learn about commodity contracts and how to use them to market their grain production. It provides definitions of key terms used as well as explaining how futures contracts work. Lastly, the video shows how prices for commodity contracts are related to the grain cash price.

To find this video and additional information on grain marketing, visit: http://agecon.okstate.edu/efarmmanagement/gmktg.asp. More information on this and other farm management topics may be found three ways: 1) by contacting your nearest Extension Educator 2) on the e-farm management website (http://agecon.okstate.edu/efarmmanagement/index.asp) or 3) on the OSU Ag Econ YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/OkStateAgEcon).

Kay County Agriculture Monthly is a monthly newsletter, published as an educational service by Kay County Oklahoma Cooperation Extension

201 South Main, Newkirk, Oklahoma 74647 Office 580-362-3194 Fax 580-362-2268

shannon.mallory@okstate.edu www.oces.okstate.edu/kay/

Shannon Mallory, Extension Educator, Agriculture/4-H Youth Development

Oklahoma State University, as an equal opportunity employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Oklahoma State University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all

individuals and does not discriminate based on race, religion, age, sex, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or veteran status with regard to employment, educational programs and

activities, and/or admissions. For more information, visit https:///eeo.okstate.edu.

This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Vice President of the Division of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, was printed at no cost to the taxpayers of Oklahoma. This publication is printed and issued

by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Vice President of the Division of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources and has been prepared and distributed at a cost of $0.06 for 1 copies.

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Kay County OSU Extension Office Courthouse Basement P.O. Box 430 Newkirk, OK 74647