Cooperative Extension Service Shelby County Newsletter

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1117 Frankfort Road ● Shelbyville, KY 40065 ● (502) 633-4593 ● Fax: (502) 633-6713 ● www.ca.uky.edu

DECEMBER

NOVEMBER

AG

Kentucky Beef Conference

BQA Certification

Hemp Applications

Marketing Local Beef and

Vegetables

Organic Production Seminar

Outdoor Naturalist

Goat Webinar

KY Proud Promo Grant Applications

Fall Wheat Planting Decision

4-H ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENT

BANQUET Thursday, December 1 at 7 PM

Healthy Holiday

Cooking & Eating

Program 10 a.m. on Thursday

November 10 (page 2 for information)

HORTICULTURE

Fall Lawn Care

Fall Tree Planting

2017 Classes

Details on pages 4 & 5 4-H is collecting food for the Backpack Program at the Achievement Banquet,

EXTENSION OPEN HOUSE

“Rooted in Shelby”

Tuesday, November 15,

from 3-7 p.m.

See page 10

November is

Diabetes Awareness Month Healthy choices in food and exercise can

help prevent diabetes. Diabetes can be

controlled—by choosing healthy foods, staying

physically active and knowing and managing

blood sugar numbers.

Healthy Holiday Eating with

Diabetes Program As part of November’s National Diabetes

Awareness Month, there will be a special program

at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 10 at your

Shelby County Extension Office. Participants will

learn about healthy lifestyle habits to prevent and/

or manage diabetes. The program will include

cooking demonstrations, food sampling, free

recipes, and answers to your questions. There

will be new recipe food sampling at noon.

The Oldham, Henry, Spencer and Shelby

County Cooperative Extension Services and the

North Central District Health Department are

sponsoring the “Healthy Eating with Diabetes”

Program. To register for this FREE program,

please call 633-4593.

First Saturday Walk Abouts Mark your calendar and join us at the Clear

Creek Park Family Activity Center at 8:30 a.m. on

Saturdays—November 5, December 3, and

January 7 for a walk to de-stress, strengthen your

bones, and improve your overall health. All

participants receive a FREE day pass to the Family

Activity Center. We walk inside on cold, rainy or

snowy days.

Family Fun Night—

Dabbling in the Arts Plan to join us for the next Family Fun

Night from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, November 11.

Artist Stephanie Allison will teach Zentangles art.

Join us to learn and complete this special art

project. Reservations are required because class

size is limited. Call 633-4593 to reserve your and

your family members’ or friends’ seats in this

class. The cost is only $2 per person. A delicious,

nutritious snack will also be served.

Gifts from the Sewing Machine Join us at the monthly Sewing Circle on

Tuesday, November 1 from 3 to 8 p.m. at your

Shelby County Extension Office. You can make

several gifts from the Sewing Machine including

coasters, dinner napkins, table runners, fabric gift

bags and more. Just call 633-4593 or email

rachelle.sharar@uky.edu to request the supplies

list. You can join us anytime from 3 to 8 p.m. at

the Sewing Circle. Dinner is served at 5 p.m.

“Winterizing” Your

Grocery Budget Many families notice that their grocery

bills surge in the winter months. Out-of-season

produce and poor road conditions all contribute to

the rise in food costs. If you are looking for ways

to “winterize” your grocery budget in order to

save, consider the following tips:

Make a grocery list. Know exactly what you

will be buying before you enter the grocery store

so that you can avoid unplanned purchases.

Use pantry staples. Plan your meals around

items that you already have in your pantry. Pantry

staples such as rice, flour and dried beans are all

relatively inexpensive and can be used in many

different dishes.

Use the grocery store flyer. When planning

your list, be sure to use the grocery store flyer to

take advantage of any ongoing sales.

Space out your grocery visits. Plan your

grocery trips carefully with a list and space out

your visits. The less often you go to the grocery

store, the less you will spend overall.

Source: Jennifer Hunter, Family Financial

Management Extension Specialist and

Kristyn Jackson, LMFT, Ph.D. Candidate,

Department of Family Sciences; University of

Kentucky; College of Agriculture, Food and

Environment

Gifting without Destroying

Your Budget The holiday season can be a budget

destroyer! It is very tempting to buy gifts for

everyone – family, friends, teachers and the mail

man. If you have a long list of gift recipients this

year, it may be a good idea to think outside of the

box. Here are some ways that you can give a gift

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F AM I L Y

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CON S UME R S C I E N C E

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Articles By: Sheila Fawbush Cooperative Extension Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences

F AM I L Y

&

CON S UME R S C I E N C E

S

without destroying your budget:

Bake. If you enjoy baking, consider baking

loaves of bread for gift recipients on your list.

Each loaf will cost a minimal amount of money

and will sure to be meaningful to your gift

recipient.

Create something. If you are ar tistic,

consider using materials that you already have at

home to create something for gift recipients on

your list. For instance, if you knit and have

leftover yarn from several earlier projects,

consider making a multi-color scarf.

Do Something. Providing a service to

someone is a great way to provide a gift. If you

have a gift recipient on your list with young

children, consider offering to babysit for a few

hours!

Source: Jennifer L. Hunter, Extension

Specialist for Family Financial Management and

Kristyn Jackson, LMFT, Ph.D. Candidate,

Department of Family Sciences

University of Kentucky; College of Agriculture,

Food and Environment

Strengthening Family Relationships

during the Holiday Season There is no better time to strengthen the

most important relationships in your life than

during the holiday season. Holidays can be very

busy and stressful, but they can also be

opportunities to celebrate life with the people you

love. Here are some ideas for strengthening

family relationships during the holidays:

Shift your focus from what you have to get

done to what you want to experience with the

people you care about. There are so many

things around the holiday season that we have

to get done. It can make the holidays feel like

one big giant obligation. Shift your attitude

from obligation to your hopes for your family

during the holidays. It may surprise you how

much a shift in focus can do.

Make your goal clear. Let your family know

that your No. 1 goal is to strengthen your

family during the holiday season. Use

language that makes it something everyone

will want to do rather than something people

feel forced to do. Communicate your goals for

how you plan to strengthen relationships with

each member of your family. When you

communicate that you care about people and

tell them they are your No. 1 priority, it can be

amazing how they will respond.

Practice self-care. We are happiest and most

likely to have positive exchanges with our

families when we are taking proper care of

ourselves. Get enough rest and eat regular

meals. Do something you enjoy or have been

wanting to do and take a little “me time.” You

will surprise yourself when you realize how

much more positive your family interactions

can be after you have taken some time to care

for yourself.

Put down the technology and focus on each

other. We all spend too much time on

computers, iPads, smart phones and other

technologies. The best way to strengthen

family relationships is to do something

together and focus on each other. Play a fun

family board game. Volunteer at a food pantry

or nursing home as a family. Bake your

favorite dessert together. Tell jokes together.

It doesn’t matter what you are doing, just do it

together.

Spend time reflecting together as a family.

What are your favorite memories from past

holidays? What traditions are important to

your family? How can we work together as a

family to keep a focus on the positive? How

can we work as a family to reduce stress?

Sharing these reflections can help to reduce

future conflict & help people feel understood.

References: Brain Pathways (2013).

Strengthening Relationships During the Holidays.

Brain Pathways Blog. Available at https://

blog.brainpathways.net/2013/10/22/strengthening-

relationships-during-the-holidays-2/. Source:

Kerri Ashurst, Senior Extension Specialist for

Family and Consumer Sciences, University of

Kentucky; College of Agriculture, Food and

Environment.

Watch for 2017 hort classes

Dates and times are not set yet, but Extension

will offer a large selection of horticulture and

small animal classes next year.

Next year, we will offer

the Food Gardening series

of classes that have been

very popular over the last

four years. We try to offer

one at night and one

during the day to accommodate as many

interested people as possible. Those will likely

start late winter.

We will also offer the once-a-month series of

gardening classes called Green Thumb

Gardening. Those cover a wide range of topics

and are usually on Thursday

evenings. Some possible topics

this year will be growing fruit

trees, container flower and

vegetable growing, plant disease

diagnostics and lawn care. These

classes are taught by Extension personnel,

specialists and master gardeners. We also

usually include at least one garden tour among

the series.

The Food Gardening and Green Thumb classes

are all free, but we do ask that your register for

the classes. Watch our newsletter or the

Sentinel-News for more information. If you

don’t get our newsletter and would like to, send

an email to walt.reichert@uky.edu and we can

get you signed up.

Finally, probably in late spring, we hope to start

another round of master gardener classes. If you

are interested in those, send an email to the

above address and we will put you on the

“interested” list or call, 633-4593.

We will also have a class on keeping poultry,

probably in mid-winter. Stay tuned.

Summer 2016 recap

This past summer was the best of times and the

worst of times to be a gardener in north central

Kentucky. We had plenty of rain; we had too

much rain. We had plenty of heat; we had too

much heat. We had too many insects; we

always have too many insects.

Gardeners who planted trees and shrubs in

spring got lucky because the summer provided

plenty of water to keep them growing well. But

don’t think watering chores are over just

because fall has arrived. Plants need less water

in fall because it’s cooler. But it’s

often dry, and they can be injured if

they go into the winter without

enough water.

Because of the abundant rain, many trees,

shrubs and perennials showed signs of disease.

Spots on leaves, even complete discoloration of

leaves, are usually the result of some type of

fungal or bacterial disease. Diseases that hit

plants later in the season are unsightly but they

rarely harm the plant. Plants should bounce

back next year. Plants that suddenly died over

the summer may very well have succumbed to

poor drainage. Many of our favorite plants –

lilacs, hollies, peonies and many evergreens–

are intolerant of poor drainage. Standing water

rots their roots and when it does turn hot and

dry, the plant suddenly dies because it has lost

most of its roots. Adding compost or planting in

raised beds helps with drainage issues. Another

strategy is to choose plants that can tolerate

heavy clay soils that can hold too much water.

Check with Extension for recommendations.

And then there were weeds. Weeds

that like hot, wet weather had a field

day this past summer: Johnsongrass,

pigweed, morning glories and bindweed,

crabgrass, cocklebur and more. Always try to

keep annual and perennial weeds from going to

seed. Some of the weeds, if they are in the

broadleaf category, can be sprayed with a 2-4D

product that will take them out and leave

desirable grasses alone. Grassy weeds, on the

other hand, are very difficult to control without

doing a “total kill.” But sometimes it’s just best

to kill out everything and start over.

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H O R T I C U L T U R E

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Articles By: Walt Reichert Horticulture Technician

H O R T I C U L T U R E

Finally, bugs. The summer was a breakout year

for many of our plant insect pests, including fall

armyworm, bagworms, Japanese beetles,

harlequin beetles, and sawflies. In places around

the county, these insects did enormous damage

quickly. The best strategy for insect control is to

first be able to identify the pest, then choose the

best control as soon as possible. In many cases,

the insects will do little damage and the best

strategy is to leave them alone. If spraying is

necessary, be sure to read insecticide labels and

always spray when you are least likely to damage

pollinators.

Fall lawn care

According to UK Extension

specialists, fall is the best time

to fertilize lawns, though I

would venture to suggest that

most fertilizing takes place in

spring.

Lawns fertilized in the fall will develop better

root systems than those fertilized in spring and

will be less prone to disease. Most lawns benefit

from 1 pound to 1.5 pounds of actual nitrogen

per 1,000 square feet. That can be applied in

October and December (split the application in

half) or just once, preferably in late October

through mid-November.

Lots of folks stop by the office to talk about their

lawns and brag about how much lime they have

put on their lawns as if they just killed a 12-point

buck with a BB gun. STOP! Most lawns in the

county have plenty of lime in the soil naturally

and need no additional lime. But you won’t know

if you don’t do a soil test. We will do a soil test

for you for free or for $5 if you live out of the

county. If you don’t know how to take a soil test,

stop by or call; we’ll be glad to help you. You

may find you don’t need to lime at all and can

spend that time in the deer stand.

Finally, don’t stop mowing the

lawn just because it gets a little

cool out. The grass won’t stop

growing until we have had a hard

freeze or two. Often that doesn’t

happen until early December. The last time you

mow, set the mower height down a little; the

shorter grass helps keep down disease problems.

It is also not a bad idea to take the mower in for a

checkup and tune-up after you finish mowing for

the season. Shops will be less busy this time of

year, and you will be glad you did when mowing

season starts up next year.

Avoid ‘rubbish’ on the web

When I get questions from residents about plants

or insects, if I don’t know the answer, I rely on a

bevy of the wonderful specialists at UK. But I

often do some research on the web

as well.

I’ve discovered in my research that

there is a lot of misinformation

out there – about plants, poultry,

anything else you have a mind to look up. You

don’t have to know bread from bean soup, but if

you have a little computer savvy and can set up a

blog you can be an expert on anything – or

so it seems. Here’s news, kids. Just because it’s

on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s accurate. If

you’re searching for plant-related information, I

strongly recommend you use Extension web-

sites, preferably UK’s, but any Extension website

is better than “Granny Hannah’s thoughts on

plants.” Remember that extension websites

offer research-based information – and they

aren’t selling anything! Another good source of

plant information comes from the country’s

botanical gardens. I have found some of the best

information from the Missouri Botanical

Gardens.

Fall is for tree planting

Trees and shrubs planted in fall get a jump start

over those planted in spring. A few trees – such

as peaches, plums, cherries and sweetgums – do

better planted in spring. If you’re in doubt, check

with Extension. Also, we have several good pub-

lications on how to properly plant trees and

shrubs. Send an email to walt.reichert@uky.edu.

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4 - H

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D E V E L O P M E N T

4-H Achievement Banquet The 2016 4-H Achievement Banquet is

approaching quickly. This year’s banquet will be

at the Shelby County Extension Office at 7 p.m.

on December 1. All 4-H members and their

families are invited to attend. We will be

recognizing each club and project group in

Shelby County 4-H at our event.

We would like to have a slide show of

various club activities and events. If you have

photos you would like to submit for use in the

slide show, please send them to Candice Fulcher.

Email pictures to candice.fulcher@uky.edu or

they can be downloaded from an SD card. If

you have questions about submitting pictures,

please call us. We would like to have all clubs

and groups included in the slide show. All

pictures need to be in BEFORE November 15.

Award winners for the Outstanding

Senior, “I Dare You Award,” and Matt Edwards

Award will be announced at the banquet.

Nominations by club leaders, parents, or 4-H

members are due to the Shelby County 4-H

office by November 11. If you have questions

about these awards, please contact Candice

Fulcher or Regina Browning

Shelby County 4-H will be providing

fried chicken and drinks. We ask that 4-H

members bring a salad or side dish if they are a

girl, and a dessert if they are a boy to share with

the group.

In addition, all 4-H members are

encouraged to bring food for the Backpack

Project as a community service project. This

program provides food for young people in need

by filling a backpack with food, on weekends

and breaks from school. Food that can be easily

opened by a child without a can opener is

needed. Examples of items that can be donated

include: pop-tarts, cereal bars, granola bars, fruit

cups, fruit snacks, pudding cups, cheese crackers

and canned foods with pop tops. No foods with

peanuts or peanut butter can be accepted.

4-H Country Ham Project

If you are interested in the Country Ham

Project, the contract will be coming out VERY

soon. These contracts, along with fees, are

generally due to the Extension Office the first

week of December. More information will be

provided as we receive it. To receive hams after

the State Fair, youth must complete all

requirements, including attending project

meetings and giving a speech at the State fair.

The 4-H Country Ham Project gives members

two raw hams to take through the curing process.

In August, they give a speech about the project

and if completed, get two country hams to take

home. All project meetings are held at the

Shelby County Extension Office. Adults may

also participate in the Country Ham Project and

will meet at the same time as 4-Hers

Enrollment Forms All 4-H members and volunteers should

complete new enrollment forms each year. The

form for 2016-2017 is now available. Please

submit your form as soon as possible so that you

can continue to receive mailings and updates.

Enrollment forms are available on our

website or at the Extension Office. If you have

questions, please give us a call.

4-H Participation Across

County Lines If you do not live in or go to school in

Shelby County, you must meet the qualifications

of the State 4-H Cross County Participation

Policy to participate as a Shelby County 4-H

Member. As a general rule, 4-Hers must

participate in the county in which they reside or

go to school. If a program is not available in

their county of residence or where they go to

school then they may participate in another

county. A request form to participate in another

county must be submitted to the agent in your

county of residence. The request must be

approved by the 4-H Council of your county of

residence and by the county that you want to

participate in. You can not move 4-H

membership because a county has a better

program or to gain a competitive advantage.

Also, you cannot transfer membership based on

the location of your livestock or horse project. It

Donate food for

kids in need at the

Achievement

Banquet.

Items support the

Shelby County

Backpack Project

is based on the location of the youth, not the

animal. If your county offers a Horse Program

or Shooting Sports Program you cannot transfer

participation because of a specific discipline.

Members participating in another county

other than their county of residence will be

responsible for having a copy of their completed

and approved forms in their possession at 4-H

events. Once the Cross County waiver is

granted, a 4-Her does not have to reapply every

year. Forms are available at the Extension

Office or on our website. If you have any

questions, please call or email the office.

Project Books Remember– we have project books to

guide you through your 4-H projects. These

books will provide you with education and a list

of supplies, resources, and

guidelines that you will need to

complete your project. These

books cannot be mailed out but will

be provided free of charge to

interested 4-H members. If you

would like a project book, stop by the Extension

Office and pick them up at your convenience.

New 4-H Project Guidelines There have been several changes to the

Photography and Art categories for entry into the

county and state fairs. There are all new

guidelines and classes to enter items. If you plan

to exhibit items in these categories, please

contact the Extension Office for the new

guidelines.

4-H Camp Dates The dates for Shelby County 4-H Camp

have been set. We will be camping June 6-9,

2017. We will be camping with Henry and

Pulaski counties. Applications for campers will

be available February 1. Camp slots are filled

on a first-come, first-served basis.

Application for 4-H Camp Teen Leaders,

Counselors in Trainings (CIT) and Adult

Leaders will also be available on February 1 at

the Extension Office and on our website.

4-H Teen Club

Shelby County 4-H recently started a new

club for Senior 4-H members. The primary

focus of the club will be leadership development

and community service. All 4-H members that

are 14 and older are invited. The club will meet

on the first Thursday of each month at 4 p.m. at

the Extension Office. It is a great way to meet

other 4-H members, have fun, learn some new

skills and help your community.

The first service project will be adopting a

child in need for Christmas. The club will be

accepting donations if anyone would like to

contribute.

4-H Shooting Sports Shelby County Shooting Sports

completed another successful year at the 2016

State 4-H Competition in September. We had

several 4-Hers perform very well and many

scored their personal best. Congratulations to all

the 4-Hers that competed and special thanks to

all our coaches and volunteers that make this

program so successful. Some highlights from

the State Shoot are listed below. Scores from

the competition can be found at https://4-

h.ca.uky.edu/content/shooting-sports.

Air Rifle (9-11): 1st Place Team Overall,

Emma Kate Lawrence-1st Place, Gracie Pratt-

2nd Place, Luke Colebank-3rd Place

Air Sport Rifle (9-11): Luke Colebank-2nd

Place

.22 Target Rifle (9-11): Emma Kate Lawrence-

1st Place, Luke Colebank-3rd Place

Bowhunter (12-14): Isaac McCants-3rd Place

Recurve (12-14): Kilara Scanlon-3rd Place

Air Pistol (12-14): Kilara Scanlon-2nd Place

BB Rifle (12-14): Meaghan Pratt-2nd Place

Air Rifle (15-18): Macy Colebank-3rd Place

Air Sport Rifle( 15-18): Isaac Crumbacker -

3rd Place

.22 Target Rifle (15-18): Macy Colebank-2nd

Place, Luke Woods-3rd Place

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Articles By: Regina Browning Cooperative Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development

4 - H

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D E V E L O PME N T

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Kentucky Beef Conference We will be taking a van from the

Extension Office to the Kentucky Beef

Conference in Lexington, leaving at 8:30

a.m. on Thursday, November 3.

Transportation will be available to the first 10 people to

reserve a seat. The conference will be held at the Fayette

County Extension Office from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and topics

include: Current Beef Cattle Situation, Mineral

Supplementation, Profitability in Today’s Market, Proven

Management Strategies for Current Market, Veterinary Feed

Directive and Marketing Strategies for 2016. Please call

633-4593 to reserve your spot in the van.

Beef Quality Assurance Training (BQA) If your BQA certification has expired and you

would like to be recertified before the end of 2016, Traci

Missun, Oldham County CEA for Agriculture, is offering a

session on Tuesday, November 29, 6

pm, at the Oldham County Extension

Office. Call 502-222-9453

with questions or to register.

Remember, if you are

applying for CAIP cost-share funds

for a cattle-related project, you must have current BQA

certification.

Hemp Grower Applications Available The Kentucky Department of

Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Research

Pilot Program applications for 2017 have

been released. The deadline for

application is November 14, 2016 at 4:30

p.m. Email submissions will not be

accepted.

There are significant changes for

the 2017 pilot program, so prospective

applicants should read the policy guide for 2017 carefully.

Policy guide, applications and other information is

available at www.kyagr.com/hemp.

New Local Food Opportunities for 2017 Join us November 14, 6:30 p.m. at the Extension

Office to learn about the current local food economy and

what opportunities are available to

farmers in Shelby County for the 2017

growing season.

FoodRoute is a startup company

based in Shelbyville that is seeking to

partner with dozens of fruit, vegetable

and beef producers in Shelby County to

supply a network of wholesale buyers in

Louisville and Lexington. FoodRoute works with different

types of farms, big or small, to source a wide variety of

locally grown ingredients. Farmers get convenient and

expanded access to local markets at fair prices, without all

the hassle and paperwork.

Topics for the meeting will include:

Local Food Economy in 2016

Fruit & Vegetable Farming Opportunities

Beef Opportunities

Get Started with FoodRoute

FoodRoute is a company founded by a farmer in

Shelby County. Please RSVP for the meeting by calling

502-633-4593.

Organic Production Seminar Shelby and Henry counties will host a joint

Organic Agriculture Update on Saturday, December 10,

2016 from 9 am—3 pm at the Henry County Extension

Office in New Castle. Topics will include: Organic

Certification & Procedures, Organic Dairy & Livestock,

Organic Grain & Horticulture and an open discussion with

an Organic/Natural Producer Panel.

RSVP by December 1 to 633-4593 to reserve your

complimentary lunch.

Outdoor Naturalist Series Outdoor Naturalist is an educational program about

Shelby County’s natural resources and outdoor history. The

class meets on the third Thursday of each month, from 6-8

p.m. at the Extension Office or an on-site location,

depending on the topic. Remaining classes include:

Practical Entomology &

Pollinators

Archaeology

Environmental Ethics &

Philosophy

Reptiles/Amphibians/Fish/Birds

Mammals

Participants may choose to attend any number of

segments, but space for some sessions will be limited, so we

request that you sign up for each one you plan to attend to

help us plan accordingly. Call 633-4593 to register; the

next sessions will be held November 17 and December 15.

November’s topic is Practical Entomology and in December

we will discuss Archaeology in Kentucky.

Goat Webinar Kentucky State University and

Purdue University are collaborating to offer

an educational webinar about meat goat

production. The webinar date is December 8

and topics will include carcass cuts and

products and direct marketing of goat meat.

Details are being finalized, including log-in

information. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Ken

Andries at Kenneth.andries@kysu.edu.

Kentucky Proud Promotional Grant The 2016 Promotional Grant for Kentucky Proud

members is now available. This grant

reimburses up to half of eligible

expenses for advertising, marketing and

reaching consumers at the point of

purchase to promote Kentucky Proud

products with direct Kentucky Farm Impact.

The application can be found at www.kyagr.com/

marketing/documents/KYP_GrantApplication.pdf.

A G R I CUL TURE

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Articles By: Corinne F. Belton Cooperative Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources

A G R I CUL TURE

Fall 2016 Wheat Planting Decision Kentucky grain farmers are harvesting corn and

are getting to the point where they will decide if and how

much wheat they will plant this fall. In Kentucky, wheat

is almost always planted in the fall following the harvest

on corn ground, and then double-cropped with soybeans in

early summer after the wheat harvest. This allows for two

crops in one year. However, soybeans planted after the

wheat harvest are more susceptible to summer drought,

which means on average yields are lower for these double-

cropped soybeans. In Kentucky, this yield reduction

typically averages around 20% and needs to be factored

into the overall decision along with grain prices to

determine if double-cropping makes sense in a particular

year.

A major change this year is a continued drop in

wheat prices while soybean prices have actually increased

slightly. This will make planting wheat less attractive this

fall. The following analysis attempts to quantify the

extent of the relative change in profitability for 2016. The

analysis includes estimated returns comparing double-

cropped wheat/soybeans with full-season soybeans for the

2016 crop, and the likely implications for Kentucky grain

farmers.

Additional costs associated with the double-

cropping are accounted for, including fuel, machinery

repairs and depreciation, labor, hauling, etc. 2016 new

crop CME future’s prices in early October, 2016 are used

as the base, and are adjusted for a basis of -$.20 for

soybeans and -$.15 for wheat. This results in new crop

prices of $9.50/bu for soybeans and $4.25/bu for wheat.

Two regions with different agronomic characteristics are

evaluated. The first region is along the southwest tier of

counties near Hopkinsville, which traditionally does a lot

of double-cropping. The second region is along the

northwest tier of counties (Ohio Valley region) that has

some of the best yields for corn and soybeans, but

traditionally plants less wheat. Cash rent is assumed to be

$175/acre for both these regions (note: this will vary

substantially, but is done here for illustrative purposes

only). Net profit is estimated after subtracting out all

variable and fixed costs represented by an efficient

operation. Major assumptions are: $2.00/gallon fuel, 25

mile one-way grain hauling, $.35/unit N, $.30/unit P, and

$.25/unit K.

Southwest Tier Assumptions (Average Ground):

70 bu wheat

35 bu double-cropped soybeans

44 bu full-season soybeans

Resulting net profits:

-$99 double-crop

-$31 full-season soybeans

This results in a $68 difference in favor of the full

season soybeans. The double-cropped soybean yield

would have to increase to 42 bu before wheat/double-crop

soybeans were as profitable. This would amount to only a

two-bushel yield reduction over full-season soybeans.

Southwest Tier Assumptions (Best Ground):

90 bu wheat

44 bu double-cropped soybeans

55 bu full-season soybeans

Resulting net profits:

+$72 double-crop

+$71 full-season soybeans

This results in basically the same profitability as full

season soybeans.

Northwest Tier Assumptions:

65 bu wheat

38 bu double-cropped soybeans

50 bu full-season soybeans

Resulting net profits:

-$91 double-crop

+$25 full-season soybeans

This results in a $116 difference in favor of the

full season soybeans. The double-cropped soybean yield

would have to increase to 50 bu in this case before the

wheat/double-crop soybeans were as profitable. This

would equate to the same yield as full-season soybeans.

Given the current market conditions, double-

cropping doesn’t look remotely attractive in 2016-2017 for

the majority of Kentucky. On the very best wheat ground

in the state it looks to be a breakeven situation compared

to full-season soybeans.

This analysis doesn’t account for potential

payments from the ARC and PLC Farm Bill programs.

However, these programs would pay on base acre crop

allocation and not planted acres, so there would be no

effect on the planting decision.

To change the assumptions above to your specific

conditions and evaluate your expected profitability, go to

the grain budget site at: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AgEcon/

halich_greg_rowcropbudgets.php

The Corn-Soybean Budgets and Wheat Budgets

can be downloaded or opened directly from this page.

Source: Greg Halich

Fall is a Great Time to Sample Soils Fall is actually the optimum time to take soil samples

for fertility analyses.

Fall sampling gives you plenty of time to follow

fertility recommendations before planting season. As soon

as you receive the soil test results, look at the

recommendations for lime and pH. Applying limestone

neutralizes soil acidity. Because agricultural lime takes

about six months to break down and react with the soil, it

should be applied in the fall to be fully effective in the

spring. Unlike fertilizer, lime is needed every three to five

years, depending on your crop rotation and nitrogen

fertilizer history.

If you’re interested in collecting fall soil samples,

stop by the Extension office. We can give you more

information including details on how to take accurate soil

samples and where to send the collected cores.

PAGE 10

Tuesday, November 15, 2016, 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Everyone is invited to join us for this

Open House Celebration!

Shelby County Cooperative Extension Service

1117 Frankfort Road

Shelbyville, KY 40065

(502) 633-4593

Enjoy refreshments, share in educational displays, win door prizes,

hands-on learning and see fascinating demonstrations from four

programming areas.

C A L E N D A R

O F E V E N T S

PAGE 11

Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social

status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion,

political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic

information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

KEY:

4-H 4-H Youth Development AG Agriculture HORT Horticulture FCS Family and Consumer Science

FCS Family & Consumer Sciences EFNEP Expanded Food & Nutr ition Ed. Program

NOVEMBER 1 4-H Zappy Zippers 4-H Sewing club, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Extension Office

1 FCS Sewing Circle, 3-8 p.m. Extension Office

3 4-H 4-H Teen Club, 4 p.m. Extension Office

3 AG KY Beef Conference 10 a.m.—3 p.m. Fayette CES

5 4-H 4-H Equus Horse Club, 10 a.m. Club Leader’s Farm

5 FCS First Saturday Walk About, 8:30 a.m. Clear Creek Park

10 4-H 4-H Saddles-N-Spurs, 7 p.m. Extension Office

10 FCS Healthy Holiday Cooking & Eating, 10 a.m. Extension Office

11 FCS Family Fun Night—Dabbling in the Arts, 6 p.m. Extension Office

14 4-H 4-H Livestock Club, 7 p.m. Extension Office

14 4-H 4-H Fur & Feathers Club, 7 p.m. Extension Office

14 AG Local Food Opportunities, 6:30 p.m. Extension Office

14 AG Hemp Grower Application Deadline KY Dept. of Ag

15 ALL OPEN HOUSE, 3-7 p.m. Extension Office

16 FCS Cooking Club, noon Extension Office

17 AG/HO Outdoor Naturalist, 6—8 p.m. Extension Office

19 4-H 4-H Equus Horse Club, 10 a.m. Club Leader’s Farm

21 4-H 4-H Dairy Club, 6:30 p.m. Extension Office

DECEMBER 1 4-H 4-H Achievement Banquet, 7 p.m. Extension Office

3 FCS First Saturday Walk About, 8:30 a.m. Clear Creek Park

6 FCS Shelby County Homemaker Council, 10 a.m. Extension Office

6 AG/HO Hort & Ag Advisory Council, 6:30 p.m. Extension Office

7 Hort Master Gardener Christmas Party, 6 p.m. Extension Office

8 AG KSU/Purdue Goat Webinar

10 AG/HO Organic Production Seminar, 9 a.m.—3 p.m. Henry Co. CES

11 FCS Holiday Cookie Exchange, 10 a.m. Extension Office

15 AG/HO Outdoor Naturalist, 6-8 p.m. TBA

19 4-H 4-H Dairy Club, 6:30 p.m. Extension Office

JANUARY

7 FCS First Saturday Walk About, 8:30 a.m. Clear Creek Park

25 FCS Soup Sharing, noon Extension Office

27 AG Tobacco GAP Training, 9 a.m.—Noon Extension Office

30 FCS Shelby County Extension Council, 6 p.m. Extension Office