Role of Clover Down on the Farm

In an effort to evaluate the Role of Clover ”Down on the Farm”, a survey was developed and then e-mailed to Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agents in Kentucky. Agents were asked to complete the survey based on their estimate of use and importance of clover in their particular county. Thirtytwo (32) surveys were returned. The following is a summary of those returned surveys

Making Round Bale Silage – Lessons Learned From an On-Farm Survey of Baleage in Kentucky

The ability to make silage in round bale packages allows producers to avoid rain damage and produce high quality stored forage. The proliferation of bale wrappers (both individual and inline types) has made this technology more available to producers. Although the process for making baleage is well documented, producers have experienced poor fermentation and in some cases botulism toxicity from baleage. The parameters of good silage are well known and include pH below 5.0 and lactic acid concentrations above 3% on a DM basis. However, tests of farmer- produced baleage reveals that often these target values are not achieved. To better understand the fermentation characteristics of Kentucky baleage, a survey was conducted of round bale silage samples from several Kentucky counties in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Moisture content (MC) at baling was the greatest determinant of fermentation success as measured by pH and lactic acid concentration. Moisture contents were highly variable, with more outside the recommended range of MC (40 to 60%) than within. Farmer practices including wilting time and equipment used were recorded for the 2019 samples. All the well-accepted practices for making baleage were confirmed in this survey (cutting on time, wilting to proper MC, dense bales, achieving and maintaining anaerobic storage conditions). Baleage samples exceeding 65% MC had elevated butyric acid concentrations, indicating secondary fermentation by clostridial bacteria

Round Bale Silage – Farmer Results in Kentucky

The ability to make silage in round bale packages allows producers to avoid rain damage and produce high quality stored forage. The proliferation of bale wrappers (both individual and inline types) has made this technology more available to producers. Although the process for making baleage is well documented, producers have experienced poor fermentation and in some cases botulism toxicity from baleage. The parameters of good silage are well known and include pH below 5.0 and lactic acid concentrations above 3% on a DM basis. However, tests of farmer produced baleage reveals that often these target values are not achieved. To better understand the fermentation characteristics of Kentucky baleage, a survey was conducted of round bale silage samples from several Kentucky counties in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Moisture content (MC) at baling was the greatest determinant of fermentation success as measured by pH and lactic acid concentration. Moisture contents were highly variable, with more outside the recommended range of MC (40 to 60%) than within. Farmer practices including wilting time and equipment used were recorded for the 2019 samples. All of the well‐accepted practices for making baleage were confirmed in this survey (cutting on time, wilting to proper MC, dense bales, achieving and maintaining anaerobic storage conditions). Baleage samples exceeding 65% MC had elevated butyric acid concentrations, indicating secondary fermentation by clostridial bacteria

Aphanomyces-Resistant Alfalfa: A Solution to a Common Problem in Spring Seedings

For several decades, farmers have experienced a common stand-establishment disease syndrome when spring-seeded alfalfa was followed by extended periods of wet weather. Seedlings affected by this syndrome exhibit severe stunting as well as yellowing and reddening of seed leaves (cotyledons), but they do not wilt or collapse, as they might from a damping-off disease. Commonly, the problem affects most or all of the field. Based on research that began in the 1980\u27s, we suspected that a fungus called Aphanomyces euteiches (hereafter simply called Aphanomyces) was responsible. This root-rot fungus can be found in the majority of alfalfa fields we have sampled in central and western Kentucky. However, for many years we lacked conclusive proof that Aphanomyces was, in fact, the cause of this common problem in spring-seeded alfalfa. We also did not have rigorous proof that the syndrome could be avoided by sowing Aphanomyces-resistant alfalfa varieties, which started becoming commercially available in the early 1990\u27s. In this report, we provide a brief summary of research to support our new recommendation: that spring-seeded alfalfa should be sown only with varieties having an R or HR rating to Aphanomyces root rot (ARR)

UK Ag Equine Programs 2015 Calendar: A 12-Month Planning Calendar for the Care and Use of Your Horses

The information in this calendar is provided to aid owners in planning for the care and use of their horses. When necessary, information is discussed in the month prior to application to allow horse owners adequate time to plan for activities such as weed control, soil testing, and vaccinations. Contact your local veterinarian for health-related issues and your county extension agent for further information. Phone numbers are listed at the end of the calendar

UK Ag Equine Programs 2016 Calendar: A 12-Month Planning Calendar for the Care and Use of Your Horses

The information in this calendar is provided to aid owners in planning for the care and use of their horses for the whole year. When necessary, information is discussed in the month prior to application to allow horse owners adequate time to plan for activities such as weed control, soil and feed testing, vaccinations, etc. Contact your local veterinarian for health-related issues and your county extension ANR, 4-H, or FCS agent for further information. County office phone numbers are listed at the end of the calendar

UK Ag Equine Programs 2014 Calendar: A 12-Month Planning Calendar for the Care and Use of Your Horses

The information in this calendar is provided to aid owners in planning for the care and use of their horses. When necessary, information is discussed in the month prior to application to allow horse owners adequate time to plan for activities such as weed control, soil testing, and vaccinations. Contact your local veterinarian for health-related issues and your county extension agent for further information. Phone numbers are listed at the end of the calendar

MYC is a major determinant of mitotic cell fate

Taxol and other antimitotic agents are frontline chemotherapy agents but the mechanisms responsible for patient benefit remain unclear. Following a genome-wide siRNA screen, we identified the oncogenic transcription factor Myc as a taxol sensitizer. Using time-lapse imaging to correlate mitotic behavior with cell fate, we show that Myc sensitizes cells to mitotic blockers and agents that accelerate mitotic progression. Myc achieves this by upregulating a cluster of redundant pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins and suppressing pro-survival Bcl-xL. Gene expression analysis of breast cancers indicates that taxane responses correlate positively with Myc and negatively with Bcl-xL. Accordingly, pharmacological inhibition of Bcl-xL restores apoptosis in Myc-deficient cells. These results open up opportunities for biomarkers and combination therapies that could enhance traditional and second-generation antimitotic agents