Monarch Butterflies Fall is here, and so are the monarch butterflies! You may have noticed them as they embark on their incredible migration. These winged wonders travel thousands of miles to their wintering grounds.

October Garden Calendar Vegetables & Fruits • Plant garlic cloves for next summer's harvest. Fall planting gets a jump on spring conditions.

Fall Soil Testing of Hay Fields Knowing the soil nutrients is a requirement for establishing an adequate soil fertility program for forages. Soil testing can be done on hayfields in spring or fall. Given a choice, fall would be the preferred time because it gives the producer some flexibility for planning nutrient applications.

Wheat Insect and Mite Pests Most wheat insect and mite pests may be effectively managed in the fall by planting as late as agronomically feasible and by destroying all volunteer wheat at least two weeks prior to planting. Wheat pests most affected: Aphids—There are 20+ species of aphids that may utilize wheat as a host, whether volunteer or domestic-they don't differentiate. Aphid feeding by itself may cause some plant stress in the fall, especially under dry conditions. But, the more serious problem, any of these aphids may vector some of the viruses that cause Barley Yellow Dwarf, which can be much more problematic to those plants that become infected with the virus. If there is no wheat, there will be nothing for the aphids to feed on, and thus, there will be no virus reservoir from which the aphid will become infected.

Faith and harvest Greg Doering, Kansas Farm Bureau Corn harvest is ramping up across Kansas and while every field will be different, reports from across the state range from better than expected to a great crop. Prices, however, are just ugly. As the calendar marches toward October, soybean harvest and wheat planting will make already crowded schedules even busier.

Test Forages to Prevent Nitrate and Prussic Acid Poisoning Many Kansas livestock operations rely on some type of harvested feed to use in the winter months, and common among those sources are forage sorghum, millets, sorghum- sudangrass, and sudan. Forages in the sorghum family are prone to two different problems when feeding nitrate poisoning and prussic acid (hydrocyanic acid, HCN) poisoning. Millet (proso and pearl) do not contain prussic acid but can have nitrates. Prussic acid and nitrate poisoning are easy to confuse because both result in a lack of oxygen availability to the animal and are more likely to occur when the plant is stressed (fertility, hail, and drought).

Farmers all around the country are in harvest mode. Harvesting our dryland corn was quick and smooth. Moving to the first field of sorghum, which was beautiful and looked ready to go, but the moisture tested too high by a few percentage points. The wait was frustrating. The days drug on with a sprinkle of rain one day and others that weren’t hot or windy enough to dry the crop. Going back and forth in a combine can feel like time is dragging on, but cutting a load or two and then having to stop and try tomorrow day after day can feel excruciatingly slow. Fall harvest often feels like a marathon lasting for months in comparison to the dozen or so days we spend sprinting through wheat harvest. In the fall, most farmers are harvesting several crops. Some crops are planted early and others are double cropped behind a winter crop. Dryland and irrigated versions of the same crops vary in yield potential meaning different genetics, length of growing time and inputs. Shorter days and lower temperatures can cause crops to take longer to dry down. Some crops are better at waiting to be harvested than others. Switching equipment and coordinating help for all the different crops can be a logistical nightmare.

Assistance Programs For Producers and Landowners The Kansas Water Office recently launched a new GIS Application that details financial and technical assistance programs available to producers and landowners. The Conservation Assistance Directory highlights programs from many governmental, non-profit, and private entities.

Late Summer and Fall Insect Pest Control in Livestock As we transition into the latter part of the growing season, it's crucial to be proactive in considering late summer and fall pests. Both stable and horn fly populations tend to decline over the dry, hot part of summer but can resurge in late summer into fall if sufficient rainfall occurs. Horn flies are found on the back and belly of the animals and stay constantly associated with the cattle host, making early intervention with topical insecticides (pour-ons, sprays, and ear tags) an effective control method with appropriate rotation. Stable flies, in contrast, feed preferentially on the legs of the animal for a short period of time (2-4 minutes), 1-2 times a day. This low contact time with the host makes chemical control difficult to achieve. Decaying hay and plant material is a primary breeding site for stable flies, so early attention to hay bale and feed wastage and surrounding crop fields is key.

Birdshot in Beef: The Hidden Defect Birdshot or shotgun shell pellets have been found and reported in the beef supply since the first National Beef Quality Audit in the early 1990s and the incidence of this foreign material in the beef we produce is not subsiding. In fact, the opposite may be true.