August 18, 2016
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Make the most of manure
Family & Consumer Sciences
Healthier tailgating
4-H Youth Development
Physics Petting Zoo makes science fun
Make the most of manure
Source: Macy Fawns, UK nutrient management planner
Manure can be a valuable fertilizer, if you know how to correctly use it. Having a nutrient management plan (NMP) can help you to understand how much manure your farm produces, to pinpoint what areas need manure and to identify crops that can best use the manure without losing nutrients via leaching or runoff.
Under the Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Act, anyone who has animals in confinement for 45 or more days in one year, whether or not consecutive, must have a nutrient management plan. There are two types of NMPs, a Kentucky plan and a Comprehensive plan. You can write your own Kentucky Nutrient Management Plan or get assistance from a local office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service or the Kentucky Conservation District. The UK publication ID-211, Kentucky Nutrient Management Planning Guidelines, is available create your own plan, or you can use an online tool available at http://www.bae.uky.edu/awqpt/calculators.htm.
Your local National Resources Conservation Service office can help you find a technical service provider to write the Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan and possibly provide funding for the service. You will need a CNMP when you apply for technical or financial assistance for manure-related practices such as a waste lagoon or covered manure stack pad.
To get started with either type, you will need representative manure and soil samples. This will help you understand the amount of nutrients you have available and which fields need it most. Soil samples are required for every field, including leased land, where you plan to apply manure. Your local extension agent can explain how to collect samples and help you send them to the UK Soil Testing Lab.
Soil phosphorus values and planned crops are two of the most important considerations when applying manure. If you plan to apply manure to a field with a phosphorus value of 75 pounds per acre and you want to plant soybeans, this would be a poor use of the manure. Any field with a phosphorus value above 60 pounds per acre does not need phosphorus unless noted in the soil test results. So what about nitrogen? Soybeans are a legume which means when inoculated they can create their own nitrogen, so again, manure is not needed. Another field on your farm where you plan to grow corn silage has a soil test phosphorus level of 30 pounds per acre. Since corn is not a legume, it will need nitrogen and could benefit from the manure application, but you should follow the soil test recommendations and use University of Kentucky publication ID-211 Kentucky Nutrient Management Planning Guidelines as a guide.
Base the timing of your manure applications on the plants’ needs. In spring, it’s best to use manure on row crops. Summer applications tend to result in a loss of nitrogen, warm-season grasses will use the nutrients if they need them. During the fall, you can apply manure on cover crops, small grains or cool-season grasses. Applying manure to cool-season grasses in the fall should result in less weed pressure. You shouldn’t apply manure during winter months, and you should have enough storage to hold the manure until the time when plants can use the nutrients. If you don’t have adequate manure storage during winter months, follow the guidelines and regulations from UK publication ID-211, Kentucky Nutrient Management Planning Guidelines.
If you have questions concerning nutrient management plans, contact the (COUNTY NAME) Cooperative Extension Service.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
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Healthier tailgating
Source: Janet Mullins, UK extension professor
Football season is here. Across the state, many Kentuckians will mark the season by getting out their tastiest tailgating recipes and firing up the grill. Unfortunately, some tailgating favorites like hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wings and potato chips can cause you to pack on the pounds while cheering for your team. Below are some tips to help you make healthier choices this season.
· Include vegetables in the game plan. Cut them up and serve them with a low-fat dip or hummus. You can also grill them and serve as a side to your main course.
· Grill leaner meats like ground turkey, pork or chicken breasts for main courses.
· Choose water whenever possible. Alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages contain a lot of calories and won’t quench your thirst on those hot weekends that are typical of late summer and early fall.
· Substitute fresh salsa and either pita bread or baked chips for nachos and cheese. Below is a Plate It Up recipe for a healthier salsa option.
· Use lean beef or ground turkey to make chili.
· Serve a fruit-based dessert like fruit kabobs or fruit salad.
More healthy recipes and ideas that use local ingredients are available through Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud, a partnership of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and Kentucky Department of Agriculture. They are available online at http://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/piukp-recipes or by contacting the (COUNTY NAME) Extension office.
Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
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Cucumber, Corn and Bean Salsa
Ingredients
2-3 large cucumbers
2 tomatoes
1 yellow bell pepper
1 small red onion
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup black beans
½ cup fresh whole kernel corn, cooked
1 ounce package dry ranch dressing mix
1/8 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar, optional
Yield:
Makes 20, ½-cup servings
Directions:
Wash all vegetables. Finely chop cucumbers, tomatoes, pepper, and onion. Combine in a large mixing bowl with chopped cilantro. Drain and rinse beans and add to chopped vegetables. Add corn. If using canned corn instead of fresh, drain off liquid prior to adding to vegetables. In a small bowl, mix together ranch dressing packet, vinegar, and sugar. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate until chilled.
Nutritional Analysis:
50 calories, 0 g fat, 130 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 70% Daily Value of vitamin C, 6% Daily Value of vitamin A
Physics Petting Zoo makes science fun
Source: Ashley Osborne, 4-H youth development specialist, and Joseph Straley, UK physics professor
For many years, Kentucky 4-H has been teaching the state’s young people that learning science, technology, engineering and mathematics is a lot of fun. It also can help set them on the path to some of the most in-demand and well-paying careers in the nation. Physics Petting Zoo is one of the unique tools Kentucky 4-H has to accomplish this.
The Physics Petting Zoo kits contain 24 stations that allow young people to explore concepts like electricity, force, momentum, pressure and magnetism in a fun, hands-on way. Young people can go through the stations and learn the mechanics behind getting a doorbell to ring, the influence gravity and energy conservation have on a roller coaster and how a Fresnel lens focuses light.
The kits were developed by Joseph Straley, UK physics professor, who made them available to Kentucky 4-H. It is also a companion piece to distance learning classes Straley offers to elementary and middle school teachers to help them incorporate more hands-on activities into the classroom.
Many county extension offices have a kit, and the state 4-H office has one that counties can borrow. For more information on the Physics Petting Zoo or other 4-H STEM projects, contact the (COUNTY NAME) Extension office.
Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
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