Agriculture

With the faint hue of green appearing in thousands of gardens and farms, the growing season has officially begun in Kentucky. While most of the resulting produce is destined for store shelves and personal pantries, there is growing demand for it to appear in kitchens that haven’t seen locally-grown fruit and vegetables for decades but are keys to children’s nutrition.

Taste of LaRue County
The Taste of LaRue County event will start at noon June 7 at the Extension Service office. The event will feature recipes and cooking techniques using locally grown food or Kentucky Proud products. Space is limited, must have a ticket to attend. Cost is $3, stop by or call 358-3401 for a ticket. Sponsored by the LaRue County Farmers Market, County Homemaker organization and LaRue County Cooperative Extension Service.

Rabies Clinic

Although new crop corn and soybean prices are near record highs, planting conditions remain poor for some of the corn crop. About two-thirds of the corn crop has been planted in the state, but grain farmers are concerned whether they can get their entire corn crop out in a timely manner.
An associated question is when should a grower stop planting corn and switch to soybeans. In order to help answer this question, growers need to estimate potential yield losses for late planted corn and compare the associated profitability against soybeans.

Soybeans are in the fields for about six months of the year in LaRue County. Let’s look at a brief summary of grower actions during these months.
May: Full‑season soybean planting should begin by mid May. Growers will burn down or till weeds prior to planting. Roundup Ready soybeans are grown most often now. Pre-emergence herbicides can be applied immediately after planting and before the crop emerges. Stand counts should be conducted to determine the quality of the stand.