Agriculture

Farmers who suffered losses of livestock due to the recent storms and flooding in Kentucky are reminded that they have 30 days after the livestock loss was apparent to submit a notice of loss with their local Farm Service Agency office. The notice of loss is the first step toward applying for partial reimbursement under the Livestock Indemnity Program.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agriculture ranks as one of the most hazardous industries in the country. In fact, between 1992 and 2007, the CDC reports that 8,088 farm workers in the U.S. died from work-related injuries.
The leading cause of death: tractor rollovers, accounting for an average of 96 deaths annually. Additionally, the Farm Safety Association declares that about half of all fatal tractor accidents are caused by rollovers.

Several diseases can affect tobacco seedlings in float beds.  These include anthracnose, blue mold, collar rot, pythium root rot, damping off (soreshin), blackleg, and target spot. Pythium root rot and target spot usually are the most common. Let’s look at target spot today.
Target spot begins in localized areas and commonly occurs after the plant canopy has fully formed. Small, water-soaked lesions appear on leaves and will expand rapidly under conditions of warm temperatures (greater than 75 degrees) and high humidity.  

The 2011 survey program to locate the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer has begun.
The Emerald Ash Borer, an Asian insect, was first found in the United States in 2000, making its way to Kentucky by 2009.
 In the larval stages of development, the borer burrows deep underneath the bark of the ash tree, cutting off the circulation of nutrients throughout the tree’s system, ultimately leading to the trees demise.