Research taking guesswork out of fertilizer applications

Farmers often can look over their fields at specific times of the year and tell from the crop's color whether or not it needs nitrogen. But it's an imprecise guess at best, dependent as it is on a number of factors including the angle of the sun and the perception of the farmer. That's why researchers in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture are investigating a new method for determining nitrogen deficiency based on canopy reflectance.

Ole Wendroth, associate professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, is part of a team of researchers...
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Blame cool July on El Niño

With less than one week left in July, no hurricane has formed in the Atlantic Ocean.  Meteorologists at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture largely attribute this anomaly to El Niño, which  also may be the reason July 2009 will be one of the coolest Julys in the past 100 years.

"The Climate Prediction Center defines El Niño as a period of exceptionally warm sea- surface temperatures across the eastern tropical Pacific, where the one-month mean temperature anomaly in that area warms above 0.5 degrees Celsius and persists for...
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Research program brings UK recommendations to west Ky. fields

For years, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture crop specialists have conducted research and developed recommendations to help the state's farmers increase their bottom lines by increasing yields in the most cost-effective way. In the past, these recommendations were based on research from small, controlled plots. Currently, a UK soybean...
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Onion research highlighted at Vegetable Field Day

Research shows that growing vegetables on plastic mulch with drip irrigation offers many benefits including increased soil temperature, cleaner products, reduced water problems and maximized fertilizer use. Using onions, a Crittenden County commercial vegetable producer and a University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension associate demonstrated this growing technique to other area producers....
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Technology is focus of Trigg County Farm Tour

Agricultural technology is rapidly growing and improving as farmers across the nation look for ways to increase profits. Keeping up with all the advances can be time consuming and costly, but many farmers who use the technology believe it's well worth the investment.

Representatives from three Trigg County farms discussed the benefits of different agricultural...
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East Kentucky tobacco growers on alert for blue mold

Recently, blue mold was found on tobacco in Clark and Montgomery counties. Growers located in the vicinity and east of the initial find, especially those with young plants, should scout their fields for the disease and apply a preventative fungicide, said Kenny Seebold, extension plant pathologist in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

 The disease was present on nearly 100 percent of tobacco in two fields totaling about 15 acres, and significant levels of the disease were present in nearby fields. The disease likely arrived over the July 4 weekend....
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Marion County Field Day focuses on beef industry, family fun

For Kentucky producers to make profits in the beef industry, it's important for them to look for ways to improve their herd, reduce production costs and increase profits.

Marion County beef cattle producers learned ways to get the most productivity from their herds at the county's recent field day on a local producer's farm.

"The beef industry...
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