Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Ken Kelley

Regional Extension Agent

Animal Science

June 16, 2009

Some things to be aware of…

As we enter the beginning of the summertime, there are a number of things that are being asked by producers that we should all be aware of. First, this is not the best time to be spraying weeds in your pastures…or in your lawn, or most anywhere else for that matter. Herbicides should have been applied to pastures and hayfields several months ago, say in late March through early May. In fact, many of the spring and summer weeds that we see can be sprayed quite effectively in the fall and get exceptional control (think about those thistles that you don’t “see” until spring…they are there in the fall and quite susceptible to low doses of herbicide).  However, if you do need to spray something this time of the year remember that you must be aware of things around you that herbicides can harm. Anything that can control broadleaf weeds (pretty much anything other than grass) will also “control” other broadleaf plants that you may not want “controlled”.  For example, you might be simply trying to spray a fencerow that has become overgrown with things like dogfennel or ragweed (or most any other weed). You have identified the weed, called your local extension agent and decided on the best herbicide choice available, purchased the chemical and now you are ready to spray. You get out early, there is only a slight breeze blowing and you spray your fencerow. At this point you fell quite well about the situation. You have controlled unwanted fencerow weeds. However, what you didn’t take into account were the other plants in the area that were quite sensitive to what you sprayed. The herbicide drifted (without you even being aware) onto (1) your neighbors cotton field, (2) your other neighbors elaborate garden and courtyard, and (3) onto your wife’s elaborate garden and courtyard. Now you have a situation where several folks are quite upset at you for destroying desirable plants, and to add insult to injury you aren’t really sure that the herbicide worked as well on your fencerow as it did on their plants. The moral of this story is (to repeat) this is not an ideal time to spray, and if you do find it necessary to spray please be aware of what is around you.

Another common topic of conversation is fire ant control on the farm. The best way to treat fire ants on a farm is through the use of baits. The length of time that it takes for the baits to work varies depending on which active ingredient is used on the baits. As a general rule, the baits that work quicker tend to not be effective for as long a period…and vice versa the baits that take a little bit longer to work tend to give longer control. There are some baits that are combinations of the quicker acting and longer lasting baits. These baits give pretty quick control, as well as longer lasting control. Fire ant baits are labeled for different situations, so if you would like to know which bait is labeled for your situation you can call me at 241-238-0373 or visit the publications section of our website at . I would also mention that there are a couple of tricks to using bait effectively that folks need to know. First, the mating flights of the queen and male fire ants (yes they do fly…in fact a pretty good distance) occurs about this time of year….because the environmental conditions are right. Therefore, this is a good time to put out the baits. The baits will either sterilize or kill the ants …and yet many of the workers will live anywhere from 3-6 weeks, allowing them time to kill many of the fertilized queens that might be landing in their area. By the time that the fire ants that have been treated begin to die out, the frequency of incoming queens will be far less than what it will be over the next month. Second, don’t put out fire ant bait at noon in June, July, or August. In order for the baits to work, the worker ants must pick up the bait and take it back into the mound. Fire ant workers are like most of us…when it is 100 degrees they are looking for a cool place to go. Fire ant workers won’t actively forage this time of the year except early in the morning or late in the evening as the temperature cools somewhat. The way we check to see if the fire ants are foraging is a highly scientific methodology that I will gladly share with you. You will need either a hot dog or a bag of chips. Take the hot dog or chips and place it on the ground (you only need a piece of dog or a couple of chips). Walk away. In 10-15 minutes walk back. Look at the chips or hot dog. If it is covered with fire ants it is time to put out bait…if it is not covered with ants wait 20 or 30 minutes and try again. Like I said, highly scientific….There are several other things to consider when selecting/applying baits that we don’t have time to cover here. If you have any further questions check out the website, shoot me an email at kellewi@aces.edu or give me a call at 251-238-0373.

The last thing that I would mention is that we have some livestock producers in the area that I would like to applaud. Many times we produce a product that we want to produce without giving a lot of consideration to the consumer. However, some of our guys are trying to produce products that will meet the needs of a growing group of consumers looking for something a little bit different. Whether that be home grown, grass fed, all natural, organic or whatever…there is a demand and these guys are trying to fill it. While I don’t think this is a market that everyone would want to (or need to) get into, it is certainly a market that is out there. I encourage any of our folks who are looking for this type of product to investigate local producers and buy local if at all possible.

As always, I am available if you need me. Please feel free to call or send an email, and I will get back to you as quickly as possible. I encourage each of you to check out the Alabama Cooperative Extension website (www.aces.edu), the Alabama Cooperative Extension Animal Science website (www.aces.edu/animalforage), and the “E”xtension website (www.extension.org). These are great resources that are available for free.

Email address: kellewi@aces.edu

Phone number: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.