AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES
NEWSLETTER ~ JUNE 2024

Inside This Issue:

Harvesting Blueberries and Blackberries for Full Flavor

Summer months are the harvest season for blueberries and blackberries, both of which have the potential to grow very well in Kentucky. Blueberries, which are native to North America, are harvested from early June through early August.

Controlling Flies on the Farm

Flies can be a problem on farms during the summertime especially around livestock. Some warm weather and breeding sites are all they need to reproduce in large numbers but, there are ways to reduce fly problems.

Good Care of Hanging Baskets

If that hanging basket plant you got for Mother's Day has the doldrums, a regular diet of plant food and water will rejuvenate it in no time. Inadequate fertility is a common problem in hanging baskets because plants eventually use all fertilizer in the soil.

Blossom End Rot Can Ruin Tomato Harvest

Nothing can ruin a mouth-watering tomato more than reaching for one on the vine only to find an ugly, flattened spot on it. If the ugly spot is located on the fruit opposite the stem end, it is likely blossom end rot, a disease caused by a lack of calcium that commonly occurs in tomatoes but can also affect eggplant, peppers, and many cucurbits.

Controlling Mosquitos Where You Live

Controlling mosquitoes is challenging to say the least. You may even think you are fighting a never-ending battle. With mosquito-borne diseases like the Zika virus becoming more prevalent, it is even more important to know how to take control of these pests around your home environment.

You Can Control Corn Earworm in Sweet Corn

One of the most potentially damaging problems facing sweet corn producers is controlling insects that feed on the ear. During the summer months, if you grow sweet corn, you need to watch for corn earworm. Earworms are moderately hairy larvae that vary in color from yellow to green to red to brownish black, but they all have a brown head without markings and numerous microscopic spines covering their body.

Cattle in Ponds

Throughout my life I always wondered when it was hot outside why the cattle would stay in the pond? You're probably thinking that is a crazy question and the answer is as simply as because it's hot. .... but the answer is actually not that simple. If you are like me than most of our grass in our pastures is Kentucky 31 tall fescue. Kentucky 31 has endophyte, this raises their internal bodyt temperature. So, not nonly is the animal dealing with the outside heat but also the internal body temperature as well.

Prevent Disease in Your Roses

Spectacular blooms and diverse types and varieties make roses a favorite of many Kentucky gardeners. However, warm, humid growing conditions create an ideal environment for serious problems each year with black spot and powdery mildew. Gardeners can nip these fungal disease in the bud by planting resistant or tolerant varieties and creating an unfavorable environment for disease development.

Help Livestock Beat the Heat

Humans are not the only ones that suffer from the heat of summer. Farm animals are feeling the heat, too. There are ways to know when your livestock may be in danger from the heat and what to do to reduce their plight. The Agriculture Weather Center regularly monitors heat indices across the state and provides and index of its own - the Livestock Heat Stress Index - to help producers know when heat stress could create a problem for their animals.

Provide the Right Amount of Water to Summer Veggies

You might think vegetables will be the best quality only if they get adequate water throughout the growing season. It is important that you water vegetables well while they are being established and ruing flowering, but sometimes the best quality garden produce results when water is somewhat limited.

Manage Pastures for Optimum Production

Good pasture management practices are essential to increasing quality livestock forages by reducing undesirable weeds and plants. The goal is to encourage growth of a vigorous, dense stand of desirable forage grasses, yet limit weed germination and growth.