Steps to Safe Groundwater
 
Sources: Blake Newton and Amanda Abnee Gumbert
 
Agricultural chemicals are an important part of many farm operations. Used properly, they help Kentucky farmers produce an abundant, safe food supply. However, if mishandled, they can contaminate groundwater, which is a source of drinking water for many residents.
You can reduce the chance that improperly used agricultural chemicals will contaminate groundwater by following these eight steps.
·         Read the manufacturer’s label for each chemical you apply and follow the directions for safe use and disposal. Never pour chemicals together before disposing of them because it might cause a dangerous reaction.
·         Mix and store chemicals at least 50 feet from a well, sinkhole or surface water sources such as ditches, ponds, streams or marshes. This is because you can’t always detect which way a chemical will flow after a spill. Plus, subsequent rains can wash chemicals further, or in a different direction, than you think.
·         If you spill a pesticide on a hard surface, don’t wash down the area because it might carry the material to other water sources. Instead, surround the contaminated area with dirt or sprinkle an absorbent material such as sawdust or kitty litter over the spill. Then, put the absorbent material in a strong plastic bag and dispose of it in a safe manner.
·         Always keep the filling hose above the tank water level when filling the sprayer to prevent back-siphoning. Put a clamp on top of the tank to hold the hose if necessary. Be sure someone is paying attention to the sprayer all the time it’s being filled.
·         To prevent back-siphoning, install back-flow prevention or anti-siphon devices on the fill pipe between the water source and sprayer. A pump won’t always prevent back-siphoning because a voltage drop or uneven water supply could cause a pump to “cough” chemicals out.
·         Triple-rinse or pressure-rinse agricultural chemical containers prior to disposal and empty the rinse water into the spray tank. Rinse containers as soon as they are emptied to prevent residue from drying out. Dispose of the containers according to label instructions. Many counties have plastic container recycling programs.
·         Store chemicals in a dry, well-ventilated, cool location, preferably with an inward-slanting concrete floor. Keep chemicals in the original, labeled container that’s sealed tightly.  Try to keep the containers off the floor by putting them on pallets or shelves.
·         Plan your required inventory and chemical purchases for the crop year so you can buy only what is necessary for that year. Try to use or give away leftover products instead of discarding them.
·         Inspect your well periodically. Pollutants can enter the well directly from the surface, openings in or beneath the pump base or soil next to the well.  Be sure seals are tight between the pump and pump base and between the casing and wall of the bore hole. Check the pump for leaks. Locate and cap old wells.
For more information, contact Breathitt County Cooperative Extension Service or the Kentucky Division of Environmental Services. The state environmental services division can assist with pesticide laws and recommendations as well as pesticide disposal and container recycling. The Web site is http://www.kyagr.com/consumer/envsvs/index.htm or call 502-573-0282
Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Strawberries

          The Breathitt County Extension Service is having a fruit tree grafting demonstration on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. at the Breathitt County High School Ag Classroom.  We will have supplies, including wax bands and scion wood for you to use.  You may want to bring some scion wood from your trees to trade or give to others.
            We are ordering semi-dwarf apple rootstock EMLA7, at a cost of .80 cents each and Old Home & Farming Dale 97-pear rootstock.  The cost of the pear rootstock will be $1.00.  They will be here in time for the grafting demonstration.
            The Extension Service is also taking orders for Allstar  strawberry plants at a cost of $4.50 for a bundle of 25 plants.  You can place your order for strawberry plants or rootstock by calling 666-8812 by Friday, January 29th or by stopping by the Extension Office located at 1155 Main Street, Jackson, KY.  The strawberry plants will be here by April.
Home fruit plants are a good way to provide your family with a low cost and healthy food.  However, nothing is more disappointing than fruit that is improperly cared for.  If you are planning to start a home fruit orchard and haven’t grown fruit trees before, start small.  Successful fruit production requires a certain amount of work.  Fifty strawberry plants and four apple trees properly cared for will provide a family of four ample fruit that contains vitamin C, fiber, and good eating.  Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
For more information, call the office at 666-8812 or stop by the Extension Office
located at 1155 Main Street, Jackson, Kentucky.

Plowing Through with Lowell Hamilton (File Photo)

   It is not too late to continue to enjoy the garden and add new plantings.  A variety of produce can be grown in Kentucky gardens in the coming weeks allowing fresh items to be available well into the fall.
            The cooler nights experienced later in the year as these vegetables mature may increase the sugar content of many crops and thus increase their quality.  Cooler nights also slow growth, so crops can take longer to mature than in the summer.  Keep this slower pace in mind when you check seeds for days to maturity.
            Late July or early August would be the time to make a last planting of bush beans, carrots, sweet corn, kale, collards, Bibb lettuce, turnips, and cole crops such as kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli.  For late August and into September try planting mustard greens, spinach greens, radishes, turnip greens, and leaf lettuce.  Before planting, remove any existing debris including crops and weeds to the compost bin and cultivate the soil.
            If the previous crop was well fertilized and grew vigorously you may need to add little if any additional fertilizer, otherwise apply about 2-3 pounds of a complete fertilizer such as 5-10-10 or 10-10-10 per 100 square feet of planting area.
            Remember to keep fall gardens well watered as this tends to be a fairly dry time in Kentucky.  A weekly irrigation sufficient to wet the soil to 6 to 8 inches should be adequate.  This is more or less equivalent to a weekly one-inch rain.
            To learn more about fall gardening options, contact the Breathitt County Extension Office and ask for Publication ID-28, “Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky”.

Controlling Corn Earworm in Sweet Corn (Photo Dow Agro)

One of the most potentially damaging problems facing sweet corn producers is controlling insects that feed on the ear.  During the summer months, sweet corn producers need to watch for corn earworm.  Corn earworm is potentially the greatest threat to sweet corn production in Kentucky.  Because it feeds directly on the ear, is difficult to control, and is common in high numbers at the end of the season, most insecticides used on sweet corn target this pest.  Once earworm becomes established within the ear, control is impossible.  Earworms spend a relatively short period of their life feeding in a site that can receive an adequate insecticide application.  An effective program, especially on late-season corn, is necessary to ensure that damaged ears are kept to a minimum.  Currently, the primary insecticides used for corn earworm control in sweet corn belong to the pyrethroid class.  There is growing concern that corn earworm in some regions of the Midwest has developed resistance to this class of insecticides.  Some field failures have been reported.  Earworms vary in color, but they have a brown head without markings and numerous microscopic spines covering their body.  Corn earworms are moderately hairy larvae that vary from yellow, to green, to red to brownish black. They may be found feeding in the ear tips following silking.  The larvae are cannibalistic, rarely is there more than one per ear or whorl.  You can start a preventive program against corn earworms when 10 percent of the ears are silked.  Repeat sprays at three-to-five-day intervals until 90 percent of the silks have wilted.  This strategy should give a high percentage of worm-free ears during early and midseason.  Control is more difficult late in the season.  Even shortening spray intervals may produce only 90 percent clean ears.
            For more information on sweet corn pest control, contact the Breathitt County Cooperative Extension Service or check out the UK Entomology Web site about corn earworm control at http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef302.asp.
            Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

  TIPS TO KEEP CHIGGERS FROM TAKING A BIT OUT OF YOU          You’ve just taken a leisurely walk through the woods on the way to a renowned fishing hole and picked some wild berries along the way. Later, intense, incessant itching interrupts your enjoyment of the fresh fish and delicious fruit.

  The itch-scratch cycle of chigger bites has begun, usually   in areas around your ankles, waistline and armpits or other places where your skin is tender or clothing fits tightly.  The more you scratch those red welts, the more you itch. What can you do to get some relief?  Try to quit scratching.  Although chiggers in North America aren’t known to transmit disease, continually scratching their bites might lead to infection or, occasionally a fever.  For temporary relief, use an ointment containing calamine, benzocaine or hydrocortisone as soon as the itching begins. Taking an antihistamine also can lessen the problem.  Be sure to always read and follow label directions and cautionary statements on any medication, whether over-the-counter or prescription.  A familiar adage states that experience is the best teacher.  To avoid future problems, stay out of areas where chiggers congregate, especially in July, August and early September when populations are highest.  And if you do go into potential chigger locations, wear protective clothing and use repellants.

Chiggers got a hold on you?

          Chiggers prefer a shady, humid location. They usually are found in overgrown brushy or grassy areas, especially when there’s an abundance of small rodents who also are a favorite meal.  Chiggers often are abundant near stream or river banks, under trees, or in an orchard and berry thicket.  They also sometimes frequent parks, picnic sites and yards.  Vegetation management is one way to reduce chigger numbers.   Regularly mow since short grass allows sunlight to promote drying and create conditions less suitable for chiggers. It also helps to remove weeds, brush piles and other debris to make the location less inviting to chiggers and their wild hosts.  To protect yourself from chigger bites, walk in the center of mowed areas to avoid brushing up against vegetation where chiggers congregate.  Avoid uncut fields, brush or other overgrown places.  If chiggers might be in areas where you’re hiking or biking, wear protective clothing including tightly woven trousers tucked into socks or high boots.  Long-sleeved shirts also are a good idea where feasible.

          Apply an insect- or tick-repellent to shoes, cuffs, socks and trouser legs.  Products containing diethyl toluamide (DEET) and permethrin are most effective and are available at many drug, hardware, grocery and discount stores. DEET-containing repellents are effective just a few hours while permethrin-based products are labeled to use only on clothes and are active several days.  Where a repellent is labeled to use on your skin, apply it to uncovered hands and arms and where clothing opens like the top of socks, cuffs waistband and neck.  Don’t indiscriminately use chigger repellents because this can cause a severe allergic reaction.  When you return home, shower or bate immediately to remove any chiggers that haven’t already attached to your body.  Some unattached chiggers might remain on clothing, picnic blankets and the like. So immediately wash clothing and all accessories in hot, soapy water for 30 minutes.  Since chiggers can survive washing in cool water, the temperature should be 125 degrees F, at a minimum.

          For more information, contact the Breathitt County Cooperative Extension Service at 606-666-8812 or stop by the office at 1155 Main Street, Jackson, KY. 

Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin

Mosquito

            Mosquitoes can ruin summertime activities by the irritation of their bites and annoyance of their buzzing. Additionally, some mosquitoes can transmit serious diseases like malaria and encephalitis, including the form of encephalitis known as West Nile, to humans and horses as well as heartworm to dogs.
            You can do several things to reduce adult mosquito problems around your home.
            To keep mosquitoes out of your home, securely screen windows, doors and porches. Use a fly swatter or perhaps an aerosol insecticide to eliminate occasional mosquitoes found indoors. Always use an insecticide labeled for mosquitoes, gnats and other flying insects and follow the instructions for use.
            Mosquito repellents will help prevent bites when you spend time outdoors. The most effective products contain DEET (active ingredient diethyl toulamide). Generally, the higher percentage of DEET, the longer duration protection.
            Low-percentage formulations are available to use on younger children. Don’t apply mosquito repellent to young children’s hands. Always wash treated skin with soap and water when children return indoors.  Remember to read and follow application directions on the container.
            Since adult mosquitoes like to rest in dense vegetation during the day, keep your yard free of tall weeds and grass.  If adult mosquito populations become intolerable around your home, consider applying a properly labeled insecticide to the lower limbs of shade trees, shrubs, shaded areas adjacent to the foundation and the periphery of your yard.
            Lawn and garden insecticides are effective, but of limited duration and might need to be reapplied. Look for insecticides registered for adult mosquito control on lawns and vegetation containing carbaryl, malathion or synthetic pyrethroids such as permethrin, cytluthrin, bifenthrin or lambda cyhalothrin.  To thoroughly wet foliate, consider a concentrate you can dilute in water and apply with a hose-end sprayer.
Many consumer products, including bug zappers, citronella candles, ultrasonics and mosquito-repelling plants, claim to attract, repel or kill outdoor mosquito infestations.   However, most dont work or are marginally effective in reducing outdoor mosquito populations and their biting activities. Studies indicate that of the mosquitoes killed by bug zappers using ultraviolet light as an attractant less than five percent are females — the only ones that actually bite.
            To increase the effectiveness of citronella candles, place several within a few feet of where people are located.