Sept. 23, 2010
AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Soil test results in dry autumns
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
Have a safe tailgating experience
4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
4-H country ham project a Kentucky tradition
Soil test results in dry autumns
Source: Frank Sikora, Soil Test Coordinator
Maintaining the proper pH and fertility in soil is important for higher crop yields. An important tool to assess fertility levels is to sample soil and have it tested. Kentucky is experiencing an unusually dry fall.
Soil samples taken during dry falls tend to result in soil pH and soil test K being unusually low. This results in recommendations that overestimate lime and K fertilizer that may be needed.
In January of 2010, the University of Kentucky soil test laboratories began a new test for soil pH to solve the problem occurring with soil samples taken in dry autumns.
High levels of salt accumulate in the soil when plants remove minimal amounts of nutrients from fertilizer application or organic matter mineralization. This effect can occur anytime but is particularly prevalent in drought conditions.
Soil pH measured with a high level of background salt causes an unusually low pH measurement. Soil pH increases to normal values after adequate rainfall leaches out the salts.
The new pH method involves measuring pH in a solution with a high salt concentration instead of with water. By adding a solution with high salt, any effect of varying amounts of residual salt on pH during the year is removed.
The soil pH the lab measures in a solution of high salt will be lower than normal. The pH that is reported is the familiar soil pH in water using a known relationship between soil-salt pH and soil-water pH from samples tested in the early spring.
The new test for pH will solve the problem with unusually low pH measurements on samples taken during dry falls. Low soil-test K during dry falls is still a problem with values that can be 100 lbs/acre lower than from spring sampling.
The reason for low soil-test K is related to the nutrient accumulating in plant tissue or locked up in clay minerals. For accurate soil-test K measurements, it is best to wait for rain to wash K out of crop residues and clay minerals.
Understanding the seasonal fluctuations of soil tests will allow a producer to take fall soil samples that better represent the fertility of the soil and obtain a more effective lime and fertilizer recommendation.
The cost of a routine soil test is approximately five dollars. The cost varies for each county depending on availability of programs to pay for the testing or charges for shipping and handling.
For more information on soil testing and dry falls, contact (YOUR COUNTY) Cooperative Extension Service.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
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Have a safe tailgating experience
Source: Gregg Rentfrow, extension meats specialist
The air is getting cooler and the leaves are changing color, signaling the beginning of fall and the start of football season in Kentucky. With football comes tailgating.
Football fans love to gather in the stadium parking lot and set up the grill to cook and eat while discussing football strategies to win that big game.
However, the excitement of the game is no excuse for forgetting about proper food handling procedures.
Before you go, make of list of things you will need. Most parking lots don’t have access to running water so bring a jug of clean, potable water to wash utensils and cutting boards between grilling raw and cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination.
Pack a thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of ground meats such as hamburgers or bratwurst sausage.
The safe internal temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remember to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold .Bring plenty of ice and some small plastic bags in case you need some cold packs to put around your cold food.
Wet wipes are handy for cleaning hands, sopping up messes and spills, and general cleaning.
Don’t forget the oven mitts, brushes, napkins, tongs, trash bags, soap, first aid kit, knives and cups.
Use clean plates for food off the grill, not ones that held the raw meat. Protect foods from insects and debris by using lids and covers.
When it’s time to close the tailgate and head to the game, discard perishable food. Use the rule, “when in doubt, throw it out.”
A little extra care will make your tailgating experience a good one so you can cheer the team on to victory.
For more tips on safe grilling and cooking, contact (YOUR COUNTY) Cooperative Extension Service.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
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4-H country ham project a Kentucky tradition
Source: Gregg Rentfrow, extension meat specialist
A Kentucky 4-H tradition is the country ham project. For eight months, 4-H members throughout the state prepare their hams for the state fair competition.
The country ham curing contest is just one of many educational and character building programs 4-H offers that doesn’t require youth or their families to own considerable amounts of acreage, livestock or have a background in agriculture.
For the 2010 season, 600 youth from 52 Kentucky counties participated, a far cry from the 35 original 4-H’ers in 1998.
Counties east of Interstate 65 will put their hams in cure in January at a county office, working closely with professional curers Finchville Farms and Penn’s Country Hams. Most work in county groups, so a county like Woodford for example, will have three or four counties working with them and will store their hams at the Woodford County ham house.
Counties west of I-65 will work with professional ham curers, including Scotts Hams, Broadbents B&B Foods, Harper’s Country Hams, Miller’s Country Hams, Meachum’s Hams or Clifty Farms, to put their hams in cure in January, February or early March.
Hams east of I-65 are not smoked, while hams west of I-65 are smoked.
At the fair, hams are judged by producers and meat buyers. The hams are divided into two different categories, smoked and non-smoked, and by the age of the youth. Hams are judged on aroma, lean to fat ratio and shape, but this is only 40 percent of the youth’s entire score. Youth must also present a five to seven minute speech about a topic related to the ham curing process, which counts for 60 percent of the score.
The benefits of the program are many. Youth develop persistence and responsibility during the eight months they cure the hams. They learn to appreciate the value that is added to raw commodities.
While the project lasts eight months, most of the time is devoted to letting the ham age. Youth are responsible for washing, trimming and applying curing mix to the ham. Most use pre-made cure mix from a local country ham producer or a county 4-H agent for youth development.
A second washing and curing application is done in either March or April, and final preparations for the state fair are done in August.
In addition to curing the hams, youth must complete six hours of training in the livestock certification program before the state fair to be eligible to submit a ham to the contest. During this training, 4-H’ers learn the history of country ham production, the country ham industry and criteria judges look for in a prize-winning ham.
This wonderful hands-on project offers youth a chance to learn a skill and do their own work. Members do not need any special knowledge because they are taught everything along the way.
This is an opportunity to show youth that persistence and care pays many dividends.
To enroll in the 4-H Country Ham Project, contact (YOUR COUNTY) Cooperative Extension Service. The deadline for contracts is Nov. 19.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
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