Ag Updates from the Extension Agent

Agriculture news and notes from County Agent Bruce Steelman – UT Extension Service.

Bruce Steelman and Extension Office Staff
are featured Tuesday mornings on Farm and Family on WBRY.

Staying Healthy- I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy and adjusting to the “new normal”. For those of us in Extension, whose job it is to plan and conduct educational events and dealing with many people in a day, these times are presenting a whole new set of challenges and rewards. For those of you who were signed up for the upcoming Master Beef class, please know we are eagerly looking forward to being able to re-schedule our class and getting together again.

For those of you who have not completed the Restricted-Use Pesticide Private Applicator Re-Certification class yet, please know that we will be getting in touch with you regarding the dates and times for re-certification sessions. Once we are able to resume business as usual when all gathering restrictions have been lifted we will schedule several re-certification meetings to get everyone taken care of by the June 30 deadline.

Soil Sampling- Normally, this is the time of year when those who want to complete a soil test come by the Extension Office and pick up a soil sample form and box. The good news is that the UT Soil Lab is still processing samples. With the Extension Office being closed, give me a call at 615-542-1364 and we will make sure to leave boxes, submission sheets, and instructions at the UT Cannon County Extension Office for clientele’s convenience. I am still conducting one on one farm visits and plans are being made to plant our annual corn and soybean variety plots. Things are looking up and we will get back to some type of normal in the near future.

Online Resources- During this time of social distancing, our Extension specialists and others have been working feverishly to provide information in new formats. I would like to make everyone aware of some sites with numerous helpful hints, publications, videos, and much more. Please go to the UT Cannon County Extension Facebook page for updates on all the programs offered by our office. Kristen, Sarah and myself are still working remotely and utilizing Facebook and our weekly Farm and Family radio show on Tuesday morning to update clientele.

For everything beef and forage please visit the UT Beef and Forage Center website at: http://utbeef.com/ here you will find some wonderful publications regarding forage planting, harvesting, and numerous articles about pasture weeds, fertilization, grazing, and much more. There are also numerous articles on the site from our Extension Vet. Dr. Strickland. Many of these articles are also on video on the site as well.

Gardening- Our Consumer Horticulture Specialist Dr. Natalie Bumgardner has created a wonderful one-stop shop for all things gardening. Please visit https://www.uthort.com/ and click on the Educational Resources tab. There will be eight subject tabs for you to select from ranging from flower gardening to insect and disease control.

Finally, with any questions regarding crops such as corn and soybeans, the ever popular UT Crops website is buzzing with activity. Please visit http://utcrops.com/ for the latest information regarding weed control, marketing, and emerging issues with our crops.

If you are active on Facebook, please visit the UT Cannon County facebook site for more information on other resources. If I can help you with anything, please reach out at tsteelm2@utk.edu or 615-542-1364 and I will be more than happy to help you any way I can. Again, stay safe and healthy and I look forward to seeing everyone very soon.