Adair County
Cattlemen’s Meeting
The Adair County Cattlemen’s Association will meet on April 7 at 6 p.m. at the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service. United Citizens Bank will sponsor a meal. The topic of the program for the evening will be useful tips, tricks, and products for beef cattle production. Extension Agent Nick Roy will share farmer submitted ideas and tricks he has observed on his farm visits. To submit a tip, project, or product to be included, contact the Extension Office at 270-384-2317.
Final Pesticide
Training for 2025
A third and final private applicator pesticide training for Adair County farmers will be held on Thursday, April 3 at 10 a.m. at the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service. The training will provide certification for three years. As a reminder, anyone applying a restricted use pesticide to an agricultural commodity must be certified as a private or commercial applicator. Records for both general use and restricted use pesticides applied to a commodity must be maintained by the applicator.
Hay Fertilizer
Considerations
Spring fertilizer applications to grass pastures and hayfields are well underway. To maximize spring growth in cool-season grasses, UK soil and forage specialists recommend applying nitrogen to fields by mid-March.
If your fertilizer applications are delayed, remember that the risk of urea volatilization rises as temperatures increase and soil dries out. To reduce this risk, urea may be treated with NBPT (N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide). NBPT is a urease inhibitor that reduces urea volatilization by slowing down the conversion of urea into ammonia. NBPT increases the cost of nitrogen fertilizer by roughly 10%, however losses can exceed that in certain conditions. Applying urea just before a light rainfall significantly reduces the risk of volatilization.
A soil test is the best way to determine the rate of fertilizer to apply to hayfields. Without a soil test for guidance, one can only consider nutrient removal rates. Average grass hay yields for Adair County remove about 48lbs of phosphorus and 133lbs of potassium per acre. This is the equivalent to 104lbs of 18-60-0 per acre and 222lbs 0-0-60 per acre. An application of 400lbs of 19-19-19 per acre would provide 57lbs of phosphorus and 76lbs of potassium. Using triple 19 for grass hay fertilization falls short of meeting nutrient removal of potassium and over applies phosphorus. This results in many hayfields testing high in phosphorus and very low in potassium. The long-term impact of underapplying potassium includes the loss of desirable forage species, reduced yields, and an increased presence of undesirable weeds and broomsedge.
For more information on fertilizing hay fields, contact the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service at 270-384-2317.
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, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. Reasonable accommodation of disability may be available with prior notice. Program information may be made available in languages other than English. University of Kentucky, Kentucky State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Kentucky Counties, Cooperating. Lexington, KY 40506
Vegetable Gardening Sessions
The Adair County Extension Master Gardeners will be offering three opportunities for local citizens to learn about vegetable gardening. Sessions will last about 45 minutes and will cover gardening basics, soil fertility, and key management steps for several vegetable crops. All sessions will be held at the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service. The session dates/times include March 25 at 4:00 pm, March 27 at 10:00 am and April 2 at 3:00 pm.
Participants who qualify may also sign up for the Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency Garden Program that provides $50 vouchers for the purchase of vegetable plants and seeds to start a garden. This program provides these vouchers to qualified individuals based on income. Participation in one of these classes is required for the voucher program. For more information on the LCCAA Garden Program and vouchers, call (270) 384-2147.
Spring Lawn Care
Between the warm temperatures and the sight of March flowers, you may be thinking it’s time to fertilize the lawn. Hold up! While a healthy lawn depends on adequate soil nutrients, Spring is not the time to be making applications.
Fall is actually the best time to fertilize lawns as fertilizer during that time helps grass build strong roots and increases tillering. Fertilizing in the Spring tends to increase weeds and the frequency of mowing. While it may not be time to fertilize now, you can collect a soil sample and bring it to the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service for free testing. The test results will provide guidance on what nutrients should be applied and if liming is necessary to raise the soil pH.
If lawn weeds are your concern, applying pre-emergence herbicides to your lawn in early spring can help control summertime weeds before the sprout. The best time to apply is when the soil temperature at a two-inch depth average between 50-55°F for about five consecutive days. You can check soil temperatures online through resources like Kentucky Mesonet or use a simple soil thermometer. If you’re not into checking soil temps, another trick is to watch for forsythia blooms. When those bright yellow flowers are in full bloom, it’s usually a good sign that it’s time to apply. For best results, a second application of pre-emergence herbicide is generally required a few months after the first application. Be sure to read and follow label directions for appropriate rates and timing of applications.
While herbicides can play a useful role in preventing lawn weeds, your best defense against weeds is a thick and healthy lawn. Reseeding thin areas of the lawn in September followed by fall fertilizer applications can help get your lawn headed in the right direction long term. Increasing mowing height to 3.5 inches can also help shade out troublesome lawn weeds.
For more information, contact the Adair County Extension office at (270) 384-2317.
