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It's not too late to enter the soybean yield contestBy Richard C. Snell Barton County Extension Agent, agriculture We have some great looking fall crops in our area. Maybe among the best we've had in the 22 harvests I have seen in this area. This is a perfect year to enter one of the crop yield contests. I especially would encourage farmers in our vicinity to enter the Kansas Soybean Yield contest sponsored by the Kansas Soybean Association. There are two reasons I am pushing the soybean contest. One is that you don't have to pre-enter way in advance like you do on the corn and grain sorghum. You can just do it when you are ready to cut the field. So you still have time to enter. On the other two, you are out of luck if you haven't enrolled at least a month ago. The second reason is that I believe the soybeans (especially the non-irrigated), have a greater yield potential as compared to normal than all the other crops. Normally, we do good to raise 20 bushel soybeans and this year we could have some make 40 bushels plus. What do you do to enter? It's easy. The contest is open to any soybean grower in Kansas, but the contest is divided into 6 regions and 4 divisions. That way you aren't competing with growers in eastern Kansas on the dryland side. There are divisions for both irrigated and dryland and conventional tillage and no-till. You only need 5 acres, which I would be glad to come out and measure and witness the harvest. You can also use FSA measurements to verify the size of the field. There is no entry fee for Kansas Soybean Association members. Entry fee is $10 per entry for non-members. Entries do have to be completed by Nov. 30.
Farm safety the year round "Agriculture has always been a vital part of America's economy and culture, and our farmers and ranchers are among the best stewards of our land." Who said that? It was President George W. Bush, proclaiming National Farm Safety and Health Week. I messed up, which is not unusual. This Sept. 21 to 27 was National Farm Safety Week and I forgot to put it in my column. I saw some nice advertisements and write-ups by others though. Farm safety shouldn't just be a once a year thing though. I want you to think safety all the time. As you know, agriculture can be a very dangerous occupation, with a lot of accidents. Stress and hurry add to the accidents total. We have a good record in Barton County and I want to keep it that way. The theme for this year was "Farm Safely--Protect Your Investment." The theme highlighted the value of the safety and wellness of the agricultural producer and his or her family and the importance of protecting lung function, hearing, vision, skin, and the musclular-skeletal system. It's not only watching out for you, it's watching out for others. In central Kansas, as we are planting wheat and harvesting fall crops and forage crops, let's plant some seeds of good safety habits and harvest some yields for a lifetime. Sweet potatoes I love sweet potatoes and not just at Thanksgiving. Sweet potatoes are being planted more and more as gardeners recognize their health and nutritional benefits. Sweet potatoes should be dug in late September to early October, depending on the variety you grow and how early they were planted in the spring. Sweet potato roots do not mature, but keep getting larger as the season progresses. Dig a plant or two and, if the roots are the size you prefer, harvest all of the plants. If roots are too small, let them grow another week or two. The vines are very susceptible to freezing, so listen for the weather report and dig the crop before any impending frost. If they cannot be harvested before frost, leave the foliage on the plant. This serves as a blanket to protect the roots from cold temperatures. To keep sweet potatoes for extended periods, they should be "cured." Put the unwashed roots in a warm (80 to 90 F), humid (use damp towels or pans of water) location for 7 to 10 days. This allows bruises and scratches to "heal over" so the potatoes won't rot in storage. Sweet potatoes are a tropical crop and require warm storage temperatures above 50 throughout the winter. Beef Stocker Conference K-State will hold their annual beef stocker conference Oct. 2. The field day will be held at the KSU Beef Stocker Unit on West Marlatt just west of Manhattan. Registration cost is $25 if sent by Sept. 29. Registration at the door is $35. Topics to be covered include: The importance of temperature in diagnosing sick cattle, making rational choices for stocker therapy, the use of by-products, how much do cutting bulls really costs, proper injections, implications for heavier cattle being fed fewer days, feed additives and the new realities of conducting business in the stocker segment. If you would like a ride, give me a call. 10/6/08 Date: 10/2/08
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