Farmers Market set to open Saturday
The Farmers Market opens this Saturday. Now, I know it’s early but we have growers that have bedding plants for your garden and flower beds, shrubs and trees for your yard and maybe even some early spring onions and lettuce available.
J. B. Brown will have his hydroponic lettuce at the market Saturday. The market will be open Saturdays only until Wednesday May 2. The market building is located at the same spot that weve had for the past 17 years, the city parking lot located behind 1st National Bank downtown.
Last year’s early April freeze should remind everyone that it’s a little early for warm season vegetables like tomatoes and pepper, but it’s not too late to plant potatoes, onions and all manner of spring greens. It always amazes me how early some of these folks can get started. The market is also a good place to buy some ornamentals or vegetable plants for your own landscape and garden.
This coming Saturday morning will be a good opportunity to find those flowers and other plants that you want to get planted. If you are interested in selling produce at the market give us a call here at the Extension office (473-8484) for the full details on association membership.
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CATTLEMEN’S MEETING MONDAY NIGHT
Monday night, April 7, we will have our regular beef cattle meeting. The meeting will be held at the Extension office and will start at 6:30 p.m.
Todd Jennings from Merial will be here to present a program on parasite control in beef cattle. Todd is a veteran of many years dealing with problems in beef cattle and will be here with an interesting program and to answer your questions about de-wormers and vaccines. It will be a good program.
We’ll have hamburgers and all the trimmings at 6:30 p.m., so plan to come out and be with us. You need to make your reservations for the meal by calling the Extension office (473-8484) or Warren Farmer’s Co-op (668-4151) by Friday, April 4.
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SIGNALS FROM YOUR LAWN
Your lawn can’t tell you when something is wrong. But it can send you signals to warn you of certain problems. If you notice some of these weed signals your lawn may be trying to tell you something.
White clover ‘ The presence of white clover may indicate the need for nitrogen fertilization. Actively growing lawn grasses usually require more nitrogen than clover. Clover is tolerant of wet, compacted or poorly drained soils and may become competitive during cool, wet conditions.
Algae ‘ These minute, single-celled green plants may form a dense green or blackish-green crust on soils in areas of the lawn with few lawn grass plants. This crust often restricts the movement of water and air into soil. Algae thrives on compacted, water-logged soils.
Mosses ‘ These small plants often survive a wide range of soil and weather conditions. Mosses may produce a thick, green mass in full sun or shade on both dry and wet soils. They may grow in areas of your lawn where both light and air movement are limited.
Prostrate knotweed ‘ A common problem of many heavily trafficked lawns, playgrounds and athletic fields, this low-growing, summer annual, broadleaf weed is well- adapted on poorly drained, compacted soils. The plant grows from a thin, long taproot. Wiry, leafy stems that radiate from the root produce a dull, blue-green mat well below the mower blade.
Yellow nutsedge ‘ This grass-like perennial weed with a distinctive, triangular stem is often found growing in infertile, disturbed soils along Tennessee highways. Yellow nutsedge is tolerant of wet and poorly drained soils.
The best defense against troublesome weeds is a healthy, dense and actively growing lawn. By mowing your lawn often at an appropriate cutting height, fertilizing and liming according to soil test results and core aerifying to reduce soil compaction, you may help provide an environment more favorable for lawn grasses than lawn weeds.
You may increase the amount of light reaching your lawn under tall, isolated trees by pruning limbs below 10 feet. Air movement across the surface of your lawn may be improved by thinning, transplanting or eliminating selected plants growing nearby. If youre getting signals from your lawn that you dont understand or need more information on give us a call here at the Extension office (473-8484).
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USDA Prospective Plantings: Wheat & Soybeans Up, Corn & Cotton Down
USDA released its crop report earlier this week and there were no big surprises.
Corn growers intend to plant 86.0 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2008, down 8 percent from last year when corn planted area was the highest since 1944. Expected acreage is down from last year in most States as favorable prices for other crops, high input costs for corn, and crop rotation considerations are motivating some farmers to plant fewer acres to corn.
Despite the decrease, corn acreage is expected to remain at historically high levels as the corn price outlook remains strong due in part to the continued expansion in ethanol production.
Soybean producers intend to plant 74.8 million acres in 2008, up 18 percent from last year, but 1 percent below the record high acreage in 2006. Acreage increases are expected in all States, except in West Virginia, which is unchanged from last year. The largest increases are expected in Iowa and Nebraska, up 1.25 million acres and 1.20 million acres from 2007, respectively. Increases of at least 800,000 acres are also expected in Indiana, Minnesota, and South Dakota. If realized, the planted acreage in Kansas, New York, and Pennsylvania will be the largest on record.