Busy as a Bee

Week Two McCracken County
By: Cole Bell

Cattle on the left were implanted in the ear, cattle on the right
received none.  Before slaughter data will be collected from
both groups for study.                                                                      

     Week two was spent mostly out of the office.  Monday was Memorial Day so I got to have a day off.  First thing Tuesday morning I was off to Princeton for the Pasture to Plate Program held at the Research and Education Farm.  The first half of the program, speakers shared about the objectives of the pasture to plate program.  Others shared about the process of getting your cattle home from the sale safely and quickly to minimize stress and maximize growth.  Sickness and disease were also topics covered that morning.  The latter half of the program was held outdoors at the feed lot.  We took part in worming, ear tagging and notching, and implanting the cattle that will be worked with for the duration of the Pasture to Plate program.  Later that day it was back to McCracken County for a building committee meeting and district board meeting held at the office.

     Wednesday morning I took a few phone calls then I was off to the research garden and then to a local women’s group home to check on some raised beds that were put in by a Boy Scout troop. Then it was off to Green Silo Nursery to check Spotted Wing Drosophila traps to collect samples to send to the entomologist.  Soon I was back to the office to identify a weed a homeowner brought in.  The sample was Creeping Charlie; I found publications to give to the homeowner about the weed as well as herbicide recommendations.  Read and follow label instructions!  Next I was off to the Paducah Scholar House to look at a proposed site for some additional raised beds.  The site looked good and I talked to BUD 811 to be safe.  I finished the day with a 4-H leaders meeting. 

Who can spot the queen bee?

     I was back in Princeton Thursday morning for Grain Crops Training. We spent most of the day in the field learning of Fusarium Head Blight, Leaf, and stripe rust in wheat; as well as fertilizer requirements of corn.  When training in Princeton was over it was back to McCracken County to meet with the state Apiarist and Ag agents from McCracken and Livingston Counties at the home of a beekeeper and a beekeeping business.  It was great to hear the beekeepers express their concerns with us about their relationships with other farmers.  Beekeeping is very important to our state and many people underestimate the important role that bees play in the pollination and production of other crops aside from the honey that they produce. Oh and I got to wear a bee suit too!

     Friday morning I assisted our Ag agent with putting together a budget for the raised beds at the Paducah Scholar House.  Later a homeowner came in with a damaged leaf from his Cherry tree.  We did a home visit and found that his Mountain Laurel was also being damaged.  We took samples of the leaves and pests to be sent to the lab along with the appropriate paper work.  Then I was off to Lowe’s to pick up the materials for the raised beds, I would finish out the day cutting out the lumber and assembling the beds.