Cooperative Extension Service Casey County 1517 S. Wallace Wilkinson Blvd. Liberty, KY 42539 ((606) 787-7384 Fax: (606) 787-9376 casey.ca.uky.edu

Agent for 4-H Youth Development

Agent for Family & Consumer Science

AG Newsletter November/December 2017

Question of the Day!

“When is Casey County going to get an Ag Agent?”

Well, the short answer is… Soon!

Our office is working with Kentucky State University and we are in the beginning stages of hiring a full time Small Farm Agent. This agent will cover the agricultural and horticultural program areas in Casey County.

We understand that both of these areas are very important and they intertwine in many cases. We have asked KSU for an agent position that would cover both areas equally. Though, we do not have an exact time line, we hope to have an agent hired by March of 2018. We will continue to keep you updated on the progress.

I would like to stress to our farmers and community members that we still have all the same resources that we had when we had a full time agent. Thanks to Pat Hardesty, David Kessler, Nick Roy and Kara Back , local agricultural and horticultural agents and Jacob Settles, KY Beef Network Field Associate; farm visits have been attended to, questions have been answered, and classes are being held in Casey County. Please do not hesitate to call our office. If you have any type of issue, we will find you the resources you need!

If you are interested in participating in any of the classes enclosed in this newsletter, please call the Casey County Extension Office at 606-787-7384 to sign up.

Thank you,

The Staff at the Casey Co. Cooperative Extension Office

Don’t forget to

bring in your soil

samples!

Samples are

$6.00 each and it takes

about 2 weeks to get the

results back, so don’t wait

until the last minute.

KENTUCKY SMALL, LIMITED RESOURCE, MINORITY FARMERS CONFERENCE Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Through November 16.

At Kentucky State University,

in Frankfort.

Upcoming Casey County Cattleman Meeting:

NOVEMBER 9, 2017 6:00pm

CASEY CO. EXTENSION OFFICE

Speaker: John Gossage, Crop Insurance Agent

Topic: PRF Insurance (pasture & hay)

DECEMBER 7 , 2017 6:00PM

CASEY CO. PORK PRODUCERS BUILDING

CATTLEMANS COUNTRY CHRISTMAS!

EVERYONE IS WELCOME

JANUARY 11—12TH 2018

CASEY CO. CATTLEMANS CONVENTION—HERIAGTE HALL, LEXINGTON KY

There will not be a monthly meeting due to the Cattleman’s Convention. During the

convention meeting Jay Price will be inducted into the KY Cattleman’s Hall of Fame. For more

information please contact Phillip Reece.

There will be a class on the topic of “Hay Sampling and

Analysis and Feeding Cattle through the Winter” on

Thursday November 9 at 1:00 PM at the Marion County

Extension Office. This program will qualify for the

educational requirement for the CAIP Cost Share

Program. Call the office for more information.

The Central Kentucky Goat and Sheep Associa-

tion will meet Tuesday, November 14 at 7:00

PM at the Extension Office. This will be the

annual Meeting and Supper. Anyone from Mari-

on or surrounding counties interested in Goat or

Sheep production is welcome. Please contact

the Extension Office at 270-692-2421 if you plan

to attend.

CALL THE CASEY COUNTY

EXTENSION OFFICE AT

(606) 787-7384 OR THE

ADAIR COUNTY EXTENSION

OFFICE AT 270-384-2317

TO REGISTER FOR ANY OF

THESE CLASSES

Stink Bug Management

Source: Lee Townsend,

UK Extension Entomologist

A stinky brown army is marching across Kentucky this

fall, accidentally entering your homes and offices and

they look for protective overwintering sites. Brown

marmorated stink bugs leave a stain and a very un-

pleasant odor when mashed. Once winter ends, the

insects move on and resume their normal life cycle.

But they can leave a path of plant damage in their

wake.

The best treatment is prevention. First, you need

to learn to differentiate between the brown marmo-

rated stink bug and other types of insect look-alikes.

The brown marmorated stink bug has the characteris-

tic shield-shaped stink bug body. Winged adults are

approximately five-eights-inch long with a mottled

brown-gray body. The fourth segment of each anten-

na has a white band. Edges of the abdominal seg-

ments that extend laterally from under the wings are

alternatively banded with black and white. The under-

side of the body is white to light gray with gray or

black markings, and the legs are brown with faint

white bands.

The best way to manage the insects is to seal up

structures so they never make it inside in the first

place. Look around your homes and other buildings

for cracks around windows, doors, siding, utility

pipes, behind chimneys, underneath the wood fascia

and other openings. Seal the cracks with a good quali-

ty silicone-latex caulk. You should also repair or re-

place damaged screens on windows and doors.

Exterior insecticides may offer some relief from

infestations when sealing a structure is difficult or im-

possible. Products containing active ingredients del-

tamethrin, cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, cyperme-

thrin or permethrin are some options for you to con-

sider. You need to apply these products in the fall as

the bugs begin to congregate. Sunlight will break

down these chemicals, so you’ll have to stay vigilant

and be ready to reapply every few days or every week

to make sure they are effective.

If the bugs make it inside your home or building,

try to find where the insects are entering and seal

those entrances up with caulk. You can remove live

and dead insects with a vacuum cleaner, but under-

stand that your vacuum may acquire a smell of stink

bugs for a time. Entomologists at the University of

Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environ-

ment don’t recommend using insecticides after bugs

enter a structure. Although insecticidal dust treat-

ments most likely will kill stink bugs, you will have a

possible problem with carpet beetles feeding on the

dead stink bugs and then moving on to your woolens

or stored dry goods.

Aerosol foggers will kill stink bugs that have

amassed on ceilings and walls. More insects often ap-

pear after the room is aerated. So these are just not

good long-term solutions once you already have a

problem.

As Greens Fade, Reds and Yellows Pop

BY: CAROL LEA SPENCE

Throughout the growing season, chlorophyll,

the green pigment in leaves, photosynthesizes sun-

light and carbon dioxide into sugars trees need to sur-

vive and thrive. As daylight hours shorten in late sum-

mer and early fall, a layer of cork cells forms at the

base of each leaf. This restricts the flow of water and

minerals into the leaf, which means spent chlorophyll

cannot be replaced. As chlorophyll dies, it no longer

masks other pigments present in the leaf —the yel-

lows, oranges and browns of carotenoids.

The quality of light also affects color brilliance.

The production of one group of leaf pigments, the

anthocyanins, is dependent on the breakdown of sug-

ars in the presence of the bright light in late summer.

In the best of years, autumn foliage in Ken-

tucky would stack up against any rival. University of

Kentucky extension forester, Laurie Thomas attrib-

utes that to the state’s location. “Our diverse climate

and soil composition mean many tree species com-

mon to both northern and southern states grow here.

That rich variety means Kentucky enjoys the full pal-

ette of fall colors,” said Thomas, who works in the De-

partment of Forestry and Natural Resources in the

College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Tree species have their own signature colors

at this time of year. Oaks typically show their reds

and browns. Shades of yellow show up in hickories,

Kentucky Coffee trees, and the state tree, the tulip

poplar. Maples have a stunning array of colors, de-

pending on the variety. Sugar maples turn orange-

yellow or orange-red and red maple takes on a deep

red hue. The native sassafras tree shows a rainbow of

deep orange, yellow, scarlet and purple on its mitten-

shaped leaves. Some trees, though, disappoint at this

time of year. The leaves of elms and pin oaks just turn

brown and drop.

But even if some trees don’t impress with

their color palette, they still contribute to the envi-

ronment. Nothing is ever wasted in nature, so miner-

als taken into the leaves during the growing season

are recycled after the leaves drop to the ground.

When the leaves decompose, their nutrients again

are available to be taken up by the area’s flora, and

organic materials nourish the soil.

“Year in and year out, the cycle continues,

whether the season brings brilliant leaves or faded

browns,” Thomas said. “It’s nature’s way of making

sure the circle of life continues. This year’s growth

feeds next year’s plants and animals.”

The Kentucky Department of Tourism provides

weekly updates on fall color at: https://

www.kentuckytourism.com/seasons/. Nationwide fall

foliage predictions can be found at: https://

smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/.

Contact: Laurie Thomas, 859-257-2703,

laurie.thomas@uky.edu

Casey County 1517 S. Wallace Wilkinson Blvd Liberty KY 42539 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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The Cooperative Extension Service prohibits discrimination in its programs and employment on the basis of race, color, age, sex,

religion, disability, or national origin. To file a complaint of discrimination, contact Rosemary Veach, UK College of Agriculture, Lex-

ington, KY 40546, or Terry Allen, Associate Vice President of Institutional Equity , Lexington, KY 40546, or the Secretary of Agricul-

ture, USDA Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Bldg., 14th and Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250.)