Supporting local farmers – Tim Reed’s status as a Certified Crop Advisor allows him to certify that farmers are in compliance with ADEM Environmental Regulations.   This year he completed the annual ADEM-required Qualified Credentialed Professional inspection for 3 poultry farmers and helped these farmers complete all their record keeping requirements and adapt improved management practices for utilizing their poultry by-product resources.  The number of farms designated as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s) continues to rise in county and the Extension office work closely with NRCS staff to keep CAFO and smaller poultry operations comply with environmental regulations.

 This year Franklin County had 500 acres of wheat planted for grain.  Tim Reed helped the 4 farmers who planted this wheat to obtain information about which varieties to plant.  He also helped farmers decide if they should cut wheat for hay or harvest it for grain after the Easter freeze significantly cut yield potential.  Tim helped a farmer conduct a wheat variety trial at Tharptown which provided info about how different varieties perform after incurring cold-weather damage. During November of this year Tim procured 25 bags of donated wheat seed and helped a farmer plant another variety trial near Russellville with 17 different wheat varieties. Tim obtained a donated container of herbicide to spray the wheat variety trial. Tim helped several farmers make corn replanting decisions after an Easter freeze hit corn.  Much of the corn in the east half of county had to be replanted and 2 farmers replanted some corn in the west half of the county.  Tim helped farmers inspect their soybean fields to help them make insect control decisions and decide whether or not to cut drought-stressed beans for hay or combine them for grain.  Tim also helped several farmers get their cold-damaged wheat tested for nitrate nitrogen to insure it was safe to feed to livestock.  This service was provided free of charge.  Tim co-wrote a grant that funded a corn variable rate seeding study plus a study to compare corn yields when corn was planted in twin rows vs. regular 30" row spacing.  He also co-wrote a $9,300 grant that was funded by the Alabama Wheat and Feed Grains committee that supported on-farm research to determine the optimum rates of broiler litter and commercial nitrogen fertilizer to use on corn.  Yields were obtained with a combine equipped with a GPS yield monitor. One study was conducted at Newburg and it showed that no yield benefit was obtained when litter was applied at a rate of 2 tons per acre when preplant commercial nitrogen was applied at a rate of 75 pounds per acre and sidedress nitrogen was also applied at a rate of 80 pounds per acre.  A similar study that was funded last year encouraged farmers to wait until after February 15 to apply litter to row-crop land in 2007 to conserve nitrogen.  This year Tim also helped conduct an on-farm study in Lamar county which provided information about optimum litter and commercial nitrogen rates for irrigated and dryland corn. Tim advised several farmers about the optimal permissible rates of litter they can apply to row crop, pasture and hayland.  Tim informed one farmer that he was applying much more fertilizer than Auburn University recommended and this will help him significantly reduce fertilizer costs in 2008.

Tim helped row crop farmers make forward pricing decisions on this year’s corn and soybean crops and also helped them decide if they would be able to deliver all the corn they booked when yield potential dropped during the drought.  Tim helped farmers get saved seed tested for germination at Auburn.

Tim helped several people obtain study materials that allowed them to become certified or recertified as Certified Animal Waste Vendor’s.  The main benefit of CAWV status is that poultry farmer who gives/sells litter to a CAWV is relieved of all liability associated with this litter.  Tim helped a farmer obtain RC&D cost share assistance on a large litter storage facility that was built at Halltown.  This storage barn will hold 600 tons of litter.

Tim helped several farmers this year ID problem weeds in their pastures and helped them select the appropriate herbicide for these weeds. He also helped with fire-ant management questions and forage establishment questions. 

Tim provided several people with information about their questions related to biofuel production.  Some individuals had an interest in building facilities to make biofuels.  Tim took 3 people to a meeting in Belle Mina where they were shown how to make biodiesel from waste vegetable oil.  Tim made arrangements to get some used vegetable oil from county school cafeterias to use in an on-farm biodiesel project. The cooperating farmer in this project produced and utilized a small quantity of biodiesel.

Tim helped several people successfully complete their exams to obtain their restricted-use pesticide permits so they could buy restricted crop protection chemicals such as Grazon and Atrazine. He also helped individuals calibrate large and small spray machines.

Tim helped farmers calculate optimum fertilizer blends for pastures and used the internet to retrieve copies of soil test reports that farmers had lost. Tim helped commercial vegetable growers ID weed, insect and disease pests.

Tim hosted monthly meetings of the Northwest Alabama Small Farmers Improvement Association at the Extension office and provided these limited-resource farmers with educational information.

Tim conducted an on-farm demonstration to assess the feasibility of growing lovegrass for grazing and grain production.  The cooperating farmer planted a total of 5 acres of this grass in the Tharptown area.  The grass grew well and showed excellent potential as a forage crop.  However, the very small seed made harvesting with a combine difficult.  A lack of registered herbicides for this crop will also be a severe limitation for increased utilization of this summer forage.

Home Horticulture Efforts – The Extension office helped homeowners ID weeds, insects and wildlife damage and select best management strategies for their lawns and gardens.  Two Regional Extension Agents aided in this program.  The office also helped a local pest control operator ID insects and spiders infesting homes. The office helped homeowners interpret their soil test reports and helped pond owners ID aquatic weeds and advised them about optimum weed control strategies. Tim reed conducted educational program at an assisted living complex in Russellville on attracting purple martins.

 Support for the Local Farmers Market- Tim Reed helped a Russellville City Councilman deal with numerous issues at the Russellville Farmers Market.  Tim recommended the council use a part-time manager to help maintain order at the market and to make sure all individuals who sell at the market sign an agreement to abide by all the market rules.  The Extension office issued grower permits to 42 people which allow them to sell the produce they grow at the market.

Youth Education Program

Tim Reed participated in the annual Franklin County Envirothon and prepared training information on alternative energy and provided it to teams from each school in the county.  The comprehensive lecture which he prepared included information on current U.S. and world energy consumption and the potential that alternative energy sources have for reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.  Students were given comparative BTU levels of different energy sources.  Other topics covered included the impact that the ethanol boom was having on grain and food prices, status of development of electric and hydrogen powered cars and the status of solar and wind power technologies.  Belgreen High School placed first in the county Environthon and 2^nd in the state competition.

Tim Reed served on the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association Board of Directors helped the Franklin Cattlemen each of the 7 days they conducted a ribeye steak sandwich sale for college scholarships. He also helped select scholarship recipients this year and presented 4 scholarships in May at Phil Campbell High’s Awards Ceremony.

Tim helped the Franklin County Farmers Federation get the names of county students who are or planning to major in agriculture so that the students could apply for their $500.00 Ag scholarship.  Cody Johnson from Pleasant Site was the recipient of this year’s scholarship.

Farm-City Banquet – Tim Reed serves as Chairman of the Franklin County Farm-City Banquet Committee and hosted the planning meeting for this annual event. The Extension staff helped prepare tickets and the program for the banquet. Tim helped distribute tickets for the event. Tim delivered banquet tickets to the 2 winners of the Farm-City poster contest.  This program was promoted in the schools by 4-H agent assistant Kathy Borden who picked up the poster entries and arranged for judges to score. Tim prepared an updated summary of the economic significance of different farm commodities in Franklin County which the banquet emcee shared with banquet attendants. Tim Reed received an award of appreciation from the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District during the banquet.