“Large round bales of hay are a common sight in fields throughout the Midwest.”
It’s more apparent this year because most farmers and ranchers had a bumper hay crop due to cooperative weather conditions. Some operations have reported more than twice, sometimes three times, the production of a year ago.
Most of the bales will be moved from the fields into storage for feeding throughout the coming months. It is not good to leave bales on the fields because the grass under them is either damaged or destroyed.
Baled hay constitutes the highest percentage of winter feed cost wrapped up in a cow. The production of hay uses immense resources, and the ration is affected by hay quality.
Storing big bales by lining them up along the fence row on the ground without cover is often easy. But there is generally high spoilage when compared to other methods of storage.
Research shows outdoor storage losses range from five to 35 percent, which can be reduced by two-thirds with indoor storage and be reduced by 50 percent with good plastic covering outdoors.
A dense bale will shed more precipitation, sag less, and have less surface area to absorb moisture. Net wrap reduces bale sag with a tight, smooth surface that will resist weathering, insects, and rodents.
Bales on a well-drained location with a four-to-six-inch coarse rock base will minimize bottom spoilage. It’s best to store bales end-to-end, in rows, facing in a northwest to southeastern direction with adjacent lines at least 10 feet apart. Stacking bales usually increase losses.
It should be recognized that there’s no one “right way” for everyone when it comes to hay storage.
Spoilage, or weathering, is the result of moisture getting into bales, and temperature accelerating bacterial breakdown of the cellulose. Warmer temperatures, combined with moisture, increase bale deterioration.
Moisture gets into bales in three ways rainfall, snowmelt, and humidity. The tops of bales absorb moisture from rain and snowmelt, while the bottom wicks moisture from the ground.
There is a remarkable dollar difference in a 25 percent loss on $200 per ton of hay versus $100 per ton hay. The better the hay quality, the more can be saved by putting big round hay bales under storage.
Reminded of John 6:12: “Gather up the leftover hay, so that nothing will be wasted.”
+++ALLELUIA+++
XVIII–39–9-23-2-24
Storage Affects Bale Waste
Fall is the best!
We are entering my favorite season of the year! Fall is the best, temperatures cool down and the time to plant tall fescue is upon us!
Cool-season grasses like tall fescue are best seeded in early September. Seeds germinate and grow rapidly in the warm soil with time to become well established before winter. Warm, fall days and cool nights are ideal for seedling growth. Plus, there is less weed competition than in the spring. Early October seeding can be successful if fall temperatures remain mild, but chances of the seedlings becoming well established before winter are not as likely as in September, and winter weeds can become a problem.
If your goal is to improve an existing lawn or fill bare spots, overseeding is a better practice than starting over. Start by mowing the lawn short (1 to 1 1/2 inches) to help move seed down through the canopy and allow light to reach it. A power rake or core aerator can be used to improve the soil. Seeder-slicer units are also available to cut through thatch and sow seed at the same time. Seed selection, sowing, watering and fertilization principles are the same as for new plantings. However, the seeding rate should be cut in half to account for existing turf. Too much new seed can create excess competition and weaken the lawn. If only a few spots need to be reseeded, they can be prepared with a hand rake. Sow the seed uniformly by hand. Spread a thin layer of soil over the seed or work it in with the rake.
Horticulture 2024 Newsletter No. 35
1712 Claflin, 2021 Throckmorton Plant Science Center
Manhattan, KS 66506 (785) 532-6173
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ANNOUNCEMENTS:
K-State Garden Hour
Wednesday, September 4th 12:00 -1:00 PM (CST)
Growing a vegetable garden is an easy way to have fresh and nutritious produce right at your fingertips through the growing season, but did you know there are ways you can extend this production even longer? Join Dr. Cary Rivard, K-State Research and Extension Fruit & Vegetable Production Specialist, as he lays out how these practices work.
Register for this free webinar at: K-State Garden Hour Registration
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: K-State Garden Hour Webinar Series. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
ksu.zoom.us
VIDEO OF THE WEEK:
Overseeding Your Lawn
Many homeowners are preparing to overseed their lawn. Seed-to-soil contact is important for the best germination. This tutorial will show some methods for improving seed-to-soil contact.
GARDEN TO-DO
Avoid fertilizing ornamentals now so they harden off before winter
Take cuttings from annuals for wintering indoors. See: Cuttings to Grow Inside for Winter
Turn compost pile and add water when dry
Harvest winter squash when skin is hard enough that it isn’t easily punctured with your thumbnail
Plant garden chrysanthemums for fall color
VEGETABLES
Asparagus and Rhubarb in the Fall
Asparagus and rhubarb need to be maintained even though harvesting is finished. Add water as needed to prevent plants from drying out. Weeds pose problems for these plants and should be minimized. Use mulch and cultivation for weed control. Wait to fertilize until early spring. Asparagus foliage can be left intact or removed when it turns brown.
FLOWERS
Drought Tolerant Plants
Fall is a great time to plant perennials but while many parts of the state are experiencing drought conditions, you may be re-considering your gardening practices. Selecting the right plants is always important. If you’re planting this fall here are some great options that can tolerate drought once established.
Perennials
Herbs
Ornamental Grasses
Shrubs
Aster
Artemisia
Big Blue Stem
Lilac
Monarda
Basil
Blue Fescue
Forsythia
Butterfly Weed
Lavender
Fountain Grass
Rose of Sharon
Coreopsis
Lemon Balm
Switchgrass
Cotoneaster
Dianthus
Marjoram
Porcupine Grass
Viburnum
Gaillardia
Oregano
Ninebark
Garden Phlox
Sage
Mockorange
Black-eyed Susan
Thyme
Juniper
Gaillardia Coreopsis
Japanese Flowering Quince
If you’re one of the many gardeners who has been disappointed with their squash harvest, your plants may be suffering from poor pollination. Many of the plants listed above will encourage pollinators to visit your garden and hopefully improve pollination next year.
For fall planting, it is best to wait until the weather is cool but still enough time for roots to establish before the ground freezes. Though the above plants will be tolerant of drought once established, they will need supplemental water initially, especially during hot periods.
Dividing Daylilies
September is an ideal time to divide daylilies, a task that should be completed every three to five years to promote flowering.
Because of the extensive root system, a sharp knife may be required. However, cutting the roots with a knife can cause more stress to the plant and should only be done if necessary.
Alternatively, use a shovel to dig up the entire daylily clump. Remove the soil from the roots by shaking it or spraying the roots with water. Separate the plants into clumps of two or three. Cut the leaves to about half their height. This will enable the roots to better support the plant without falling over and reduce the water lost through transpiration.
Replant the divided clumps at the same depth 24 to 36 inches apart. Flowering will be limited next year but will become more vigorous until it is time for dividing again.
PESTS
Mimosa Webworm
Are your trees suffering from Mimosa Webworm? Symptoms of this pest include leaves matted together with webs. The larvae typically make these web nests on the tips of branches. From a distance infested trees look brown. Larvae can cause severe tree defoliation.
The second-generation larvae are active now and though treatments can be applied, for best control, efforts should begin in late May to early June. Repeated treatments are often necessary due to overlapping generations. If you’re seeing webs now, mark your calendars to scout for larvae next year. You may also be able to selectively prune out webs if they are minimal and not too high in the tree.
When selecting plants for your landscape recognize the susceptibility of certain varieties to pests. Sunburst is a variety of honeylocust that tends to be most attractive to Mimosa webworm. Avoid large groupings of thornless honeylocust varieties unless you plan to use appropriate control measures.
To read more and learn about control options check out: Mimosa Webworm (KSRE Publication).
MENTAL HEALTH MONDAY
Garden 4 Good
Garden 4 Good began as an opportunity to teach about growing vegetables. It turned into a lesson on growing yourself. Though topics covered may be somewhat traditional, the setting is certainly unique.
Read more about: Garden 4 Good
QUESTION of the WEEK
What should I do about bagworms right now?
My junipers are covered in bagworms. What do I need to do?
Right now, make a reminder in your calendar for May. This is when bagworms begin to emerge. If you have adult bagworms now, you will likely have a new round of larvae next year as well. Scouting for bagworms needs to be done from mid-May through early June to time treatment for best control. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do to prevent damage from the bagworms now is manually remove them from your plants and destroy the bags. The worms are mature by now and most have stopped feeding. Males will be emerging soon (if not already) as moths for mating. Treating with insecticides at this point in the season is not recommended nor is it effective.
If you’d like to learn more about bagworm control you can find information here:
Bagworms (KSRE Publication)
Contributors:
Cynthia Domenghini, Instructor and Horticulture Extension Specialist
Judy O’Mara, Plant Pathology Diagnostics Lab
K-State Turfgrass Blog
K-State Entomology
Division of Horticulture
1712 Claflin, 2021 Throckmorton
Manhattan, KS 66506
(785) 532-6173
For questions or further information, contact your local extension agency.
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K-State Research and Extension is committed to making its services, activities and programs accessible to all participants. If you have special requirements due to a physical, vision or hearing disability, or a dietary restriction please contact Extension Horticulture at (785) 532-6173.
Cynthia Domenghini, Ph.D.
Instructor; Horticulture Extension Specialist
Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources
Kansas State University
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Manhattan, KS 66503
785-340-3013
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Wheat Scoop: South African trade team explores Kansas wheat industry
For audio version, visit kswheat.com.
South African milling companies know their wheat — both in terms of the quality they need to produce the high-loaf pan bread their consumers eat and the price advantages and disadvantages of global wheat supplies. That means promoting U.S. wheat requires sharing information and demonstrating the advantages of the U.S. marketing system — both goals of a South African trade team visit that traveled to the Sunflower State August 22-24, 2024.
“U.S. wheat has recently been priced out of the South African market,” said Chad Weigand, USW regional director for Sub-Saharan Africa. “But with lower export prices, this group was eager to hear from all the people on each visit and see the process U.S.-grown wheat goes through prior to being boarded on a ship. The comments I heard were clear that they were very impressed with this trip.”
The team was organized by U.S. Wheat Associates, the industry’s market development organization, and while in the state they were guests of the Kansas Wheat Commission. While stateside, the team also visited North Dakota, Nebraska and Texas.
Trade team members represented one of the four major wheat milling companies in South Africa, Tiger Brands. While in Kansas, the trade team focused on learning about the U.S. grain trade, global supply and demand, and estimates on price movements. The team toured the IGP Institute, including the full-scale pilot flour and feed mills, and shadowed a milling short course taking place at the main IGP building. Team members also visited the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, learned more about Kansas wheat production and toured the state-of-the-art research facility.
In Kansas City, the team met with the USDA Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) and met with various grain traders and grain/wheat export companies to discuss market hindrances and opportunities.
“The tour at FGIS provided much comfort to us as importers of U.S. wheat in the sense that it assures us of compliance to the agreed specifications of our import agreements,” Dries Dannhauser, the Commodities Procurement Director with Tiger Brands said.
South Africa is a middle-income market with a population of more than 60 million people, nearly two-thirds of which live in urban areas. The major wheat food product consumed there is pan bread, but snack foods and confectionary items have been rising in popularity.
The country is also the only one in the region with significant wheat production, but production has been sporadic over the past 10 years — varying from 51.4 to 80.8 million bushels (1.4 to 2.2 million metric tons) — due to weather conditions and competition from corn and soybeans. Even with this domestic production, South Africa is a net importer of wheat, importing 55 million bushels (1.5 million metric tons) in the 2023/2024 marketing year.
The country’s agribusiness sector is well developed. All of the major mills have their own in-house industrial bakeries. The milling industry is very sophisticated, and millers are both price and quality conscious. South African millers prefer Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat for bread wheat but will make importing decisions based on price from a larger range of competitors, including Germany, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Russia and Ukraine.
This price competition is worsened by a tariff differential with the European Union. Starting in 2017, the European Union secured a quota of duty-free wheat sales to South Africa, which now represents 15 percent of South Africa’s annual imports and undercuts U.S. HRW exports. The United Kingdom has an additional quote of duty-free wheat that came into effect after Brexit, further exacerbating the price disadvantage.
While the United States only has an average of two percent share of imported milling wheat, there is opportunity to expand exports to South Africa. Trade teams like the one in August are part of USW and Kansas Wheat’s work to increase U.S. wheat imports by South African milling companies by providing market, crop quality, freight and risk management information to the major milling groups. Efforts like trade teams help demonstrate the advantages of the U.S. marketing system and enhance these millers’ confidence and proficiency in purchasing U.S. wheat.
“When they’re here in person, it’s making those connections, meeting the producers face to face, meeting their suppliers face to face. It establishes trust and confidence in the system,” Weigand said, “Rather than just being disconnected from it all and just buying wheat on paper, once they see this, it gives a very personal feel to it.”
Learn more about USW’s mission to develop, maintain and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers in more than 100 countries at www.uswheat.org.
###
Written by Julia Debes for Kansas Wheat
“When should I ask about lung cancer screening?”
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer (not counting skin cancer) in both men and women, only behind prostate in men and breast in women. Although it is the second most common, it remains the leading cause of cancer death in America. Approximately 1 in 5 cancer deaths a year are attributed to lung cancer. More Americans die every year of Lung cancer than colon, prostate and breast cancer combined. Lung cancer is considered a silent killer and is often diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment options are limited and survival rates are low. The greatest advancement in the care of lung cancer occurred in the early 2000s after the national lung cancer screening trial, which cemented the knowledge that early detection of lung cancer with low dose CT scans saves lives. Early detection through screening is crucial in improving outcomes for individuals at high risk of developing lung cancer.
Early stage lung cancer, when survivability is more favorable, is usually asymptomatic. In the early 2000s during the national lung cancer screening trial, this trial showed that in high risk individuals who obtained yearly CT scans improved their overall survivability due to the increased detection of earlier, more treatable stages of lung cancer. This trial showed that yearly low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan was the first radiographic test that consistently allowed early detection of lung cancer in high risk individuals. This early detection ultimately increased survivability due to earlier intervention of lung cancer at an earlier stage, prior to the lung cancer spreading to other places in the body.
Who is considered high risk and is eligible for lung cancer screening? Currently, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual lung cancer screening with low-dose CT scan for any individual who is a current or previous smoker (who stopped smoking within the last 15 years) between the age of 50 to 80, and has a 20 pack year of smoking. A pack-year is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years smoked. So if an individual smokes 2 packs of cigarettes a day, every year that individual has accumulated 2 pack years of smoking. Individuals who fall into this high-risk category should discuss lung cancer screening with a yearly low dose CT scan with their healthcare provider
Early detection through screening allows detection of lung cancer at an earlier stage and survivability of lung cancer is drastically higher when intervention occurs at an earlier stage. Studies have shown that individuals diagnosed with lung cancer at an earlier stage have a much higher chance of survival compared to those diagnosed at a later stage. Secondly, lung cancer screening with CT scan allows for detection of asymptomatic lung nodules or growths in the lungs that cannot be seen with chest X-ray. Finding these nodules early can allow for monitoring or treatment with surgery or radiation before they become more advanced and treatment options become more limited.
Lung cancer screening utilizes low-dose CT scans to take detailed images of the lungs and surrounding structures inside of the chest. These images can detect small lung nodules or abnormalities that may be early signs of lung cancer. If a suspicious nodule is found, a referral to a thoracic surgeon should occur where further testing such as a PET scan or biopsy may be recommended to determine if it is cancerous. It is important to note that not all nodules detected through screening are cancerous, and additional testing or monitoring with serial images may be needed to determine the nature of the nodule.
Lung cancer screening is an important tool in the fight against lung cancer, especially for individuals at high risk. Early detection through screening leads to earlier intervention and this increases the odds of survivability. If you or someone you know are a current or former smoker , it is important to discuss screening with low dose CT scan with your healthcare provider. Remember, early detection saves lives.
Jonathan D. Rice, MD, PhD is a board certified thoracic surgeon who focuses on thoracic oncology. He is an Assistant Professor of Surgery within the section of thoracic surgery at The University of Arizona
College of Medicine Tucson. He has a passion for the advancement of robotic access to the chest and foregut. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show providing health information based on science, built on trust for 22 Seasons, live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.
