Hot, dry weather continues to take its toll

Several places got rain early last week, some of it enough to measure but generally most folks are suffering from the hot, dry weather.

Pastures and hayfields saw the crabgrass jump last week it?s a shame that it won?t make a fall hay crop. The fair?s coming up in just another week or so and you?ve still got time to register. We?ve got fairbooks here at the office and you can turn your entries in here as well. You can also find what you need to know about the fair by going to; warrencountyalfair.com. This website will provide you information about entering items at the fair, the schedule, the people and other interesting information about the fair. The deadline for fair entries in most departments is Friday, September 1st. Give us a call here at the Extension office (473-8 for more information.

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Shady Lawns

Is your lawn too shady for grass? I get calls every year from folks who try to grow grass under heavy shade conditions. There are some things that we can do to help get more sunlight on our lawns and nows the time to be thinking of this very topic.

Falls a great time to make improvements. By trimming lower limbs and dead wood from large trees, you can greatly increase the amount of light reaching your lawn.

Plants with dense foliage along the southwest perimeter of your landscape block the prevailing wind. You can improve air movement and lower relative humidity by pruning or transplanting understory plants.

Remove algae and moss from you lawn by raking or applying copper sulfate. Since grasses growing in shade are usually weak and spindly, remove fallen leaves as soon as possible. You can also establish some shade tolerant ground covers instead of grass. You certainly should try some Creeping fescue. This is the best fescue to try to grow under shade conditions. Your efforts this fall may be rewarded by a healthy, dense lawn next spring. Just keep in mind that grass dont grow in the woods.

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FOURTH WEST NILE VIRUS HORSE DIAGNOSED IN TENNESSEE!

A fourth West Nile Virus (WNV) horse has been diagnosed in Tennessee. The latest case is in Obion County. Three of the four positive WNV horse cases are in West Tennessee. The other two are in Shelby and Tipton counties with the fourth horse in Middle Tennessee in Franklin County.

There are still no reported cases of WNV in birds yet this year. This indicates that horses are serving as a reliable sentinel of the presence of WNV in an area. Shortly after the WNV horse case in Shelby County was reported, a human case was diagnosed in Shelby County.

It is probably that there will be additional WNV horse cases yet this year. There were only 7 horse cases in 2005, and we are already near 60% of that number with September and October ahead of us. September and early October have been high months for West Nile Virus cases in previous years.

It is not too late to for horse owners to vaccinate their horses. Horses that were given the initial two injection series last year require only a booster now. Such owners need to immediately contact their veterinarians, as they are the only persons legally authorized in Tennessee to vaccinate for and dispense the WNV vaccine.

Hey, don?t forget those fair entries!

FEEDER SALE PRICES ARE GREAT!

If you sell feeder calves you?ll have to agree with this headline. I went back and looked at state auction prices two year ago and 600 pound calves were bring around $1.20/pound. Here it is two years later and we?re still seeing about the same price. Enjoy them while you can.
Below are the prices from last week?s feeder calf sale at the McMinnville barn. Prices are for #1 and #2 quality calves from the black, black baldy, and Charolais cross pens. The feeder sale price for calves usually beats the regular auction prices across TN by 4-6 cents per pound due to the larger number of calves available.

Steers Med & Lg 1 Heifers Med & Lg 1
400-450 lbs 133.50-143.75 400-450 lbs 115.00-118.50
450-500 lbs 129.25-134.50 450-500 lbs 113.75-114.75
500-550 lbs 125.00-129.50 500-550 lbs 110.50-114.50
550-600 lbs 118.50-121.00 550-600 lbs 107.75-111.50
600-700 lbs 115.60-118.50 600-700 lbs 103.75-107.75
700-800 lbs 110.85-115.85 700-800 lbs 94.00-98.50
Steers Med & Lg 2 Heifers Med & Lg 2
350-400 lbs 130.00-155.00 350-400 lbs 117.50-118.00
400-450 lbs 128.75-136.25 400-450 lbs 115.00-119.00
450-500 lbs 124.50-131.00 450-500 lbs 112.00-114.00
500-600 lbs 118.00-121.00 500-600 lbs 104.00-109.75
600-700 lbs 112.50-117.85 600-700 lbs 96.50-99.75
700-800 lbs 107.50-112.75 700-800 lbs 91.00-91.50

The next feeder calf sale will be held on Wednesday, September 13.