As hay prices and demand for forages remain high, incentives have been developed to increase productivity in forage systems, especially alfalfa. In an effort to maximize forage production during the relatively short growing seasons of the upper Midwest, semi-dormant alfalfa varieties have been heavily promoted and widely adopted. Growing later into the fall, and breaking dormancy earlier in the spring, these lines offer potential to capitalize on more growing degree days, but increase the danger of winter injury or winterkill. During the 2012-2013 winter, nearly 750,000 acres of alfalfa in the state of Minnesota experienced winter injury and winterkill.

Very low success has been observed in replanting alfalfa into dead or injured alfalfa stands, due to low establishment year production and autotoxicity. This research, conducted by the University of Minnesota, investigates alternative production strategies employable as quick and effective responses to winter injury. The primary focus is to assess the viability of summer annual grasses as emergency forages when no-till planted into winterkilled alfalfa. These systems are intended to offer forage producers emergency production strategies that could provide forage for both grazing and haylage. Considering unfavorable planting conditions of a cold, wet spring, seeding as late as June or July may be necessary for warm season grasses to establish properly and meet yield potential.

Initial trials of the emergency forage program were conducted near Rosemount, MN, in 2013. This research assessed the following six warm-season grasses on yield potential and response to N fertilization and cutting management: Japanese millet, Siberian foxtail millet, teff, brown midrib (BMR) sorghum, annual ryegrass, and perennial ryegrass. Alfalfa was also seeded but was unsuccessful in establishment (likely due to autotoxicity). Grasses were cut (i.e. early vegetative) one month after the June 5th planting date and again first of September. Nitrogen response was assessed through the application of varying rates to the grasses, along with evaluating the subsequent effects on forage yield and quality.

Brown midrib sorghum yielded the highest of all the grasses, producing over 6 tons per acre. Teff, a warm-weather annual grass adapted to moisture regimes ranging from low desert sands to waterlogged clays, produced above 5 tons per acre, whereas perennial ryegrass was among the lowest yielding species at 1.7 tons per acre. Based on NDFd (neutral detergent fiber digestibility), BRM sorghum was among the highest quality grasses, while Siberian millet was among the lowest. Nitrogen fertilization had no effect on total dry matter production (i.e. yield of tons per acre) across all seven species, which indicated that the winterkilled alfalfa supplied enough N to meet the needs of all grasses. Forage protein content and NDFd were both improved with increasing N rates, ranging from 10% and 13% for Japanese millet and BRM sorghum, respectively.

Adapted from the previous study, the research currently underway maintains the same N rate applications and a fixed, intensive, cutting schedule. According to forage performance in the initial year, this experiment continues to utilize Japanese millet, teff, BMR sorghum, and annual ryegrass, with the introduction of sudangrass, sorghum sudangrass, Italian ryegrass, and a red clover/annual ryegrass biculture. This research is in place at the Southern and Rosemount Research and Outreach Centers at Waseca and Rosemount, MN, respectively, and will be maintained for two years.

Alfalfa was terminated with glyphosate to simulate winterkill at both locations. All species were no-till planted into the alfalfa residue. The research location in Waseca required re-spraying and re-planting due to alfalfa and dandelion persistence after the first glyphosate application. Harvest intervals began 30 days after planting and will take place every 30 days, concluding in early September. Following the final harvest and termination of warm season forages, Forage Plus Oats will be planted across all treatments and harvested in late October to assess yield and quality.

Yield data from the first harvest in Rosemount is available, providing insight to preliminary results. Sudangrass produced the greatest average yield across N rates at 1.41 tons per acre, closely followed by BMR sorghum (1.40 tons per acre). Japanese millet returned the lowest average yield potential (0.67 tons per acre). BMR sorghum, Italian ryegrass, red clover/annual ryegrass mix, and teff showed consistent yield response to increased N (Figure 1). BMR sorghum with 100 pounds N per acre produced the greatest treatment yield (1.64 tons per acre).

Field observations at Waseca indicate that intensive weed management may be critical to stand establishment. Sudangrass and teff appear to have established and maintained the strongest persistence despite heavy weed pressure in all treatments. Higher fertilized treatments of BMR sorghum and Japanese millet also appear to be faring slightly better than other treatments. Sorghum sudangrass, annual ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, and the red clover/ryegrass mixture have generally performed very poorly in this weedy location thus far. This emergency no-till forage research will continue over the next few years with the goal of developing a set of tools for producers faced with extreme winterkill in alfalfa or prevented planting. As the study progresses, future results will be presented at University of Minnesota Extension Forage Website.

(Corresponding author. mswells@umn.edu; office phone: 612-625-3747)

The rest is here:
Alfalfa winterkill? Use warm season grasses as emergency forage

Rain in August in Kansas! Wow! What a welcome relief! If there was ever a question in your mind that water would green up your yard take a look around. Even yards full of weeds are looking good. (This is what drought does to a gardeneranything green looks good.) Some of us have lost grass that just couldnt wait for the summer rains. This means that we need to think about over-seeding our lawns. Make plans now but wait to overseed until about the first of September and be done overseeding by about October 15. For now, assess your yard and measure the square footage in the damaged areas. Next, consider the following when choosing grass seed.

Use - The front lawn is usually ornamental, meant to be attractive and inviting to guests. It makes a statement and can add value to your home. First impressions are important especially if you plan to put your home on the market. It is not normally subject to wear and tear or foot traffic. Kentucky Bluegrasses and tall fescues work well here.

Back yards typically receive a lot more wear and foot traffic. Tougher tall fescues do better than Kentucky bluegrasses especially in hot dry summers or where irrigation and fertilizing are not used to help maintain the turf.

Light Turf grasses need at least 4 hours of direct sun or bright light each day. No turf grass grows well in deep shade. It suffers enormous stress and requires constant attention. Pruning trees can aid in allowing more light to hit the ground. But, if the tree is large and dense, pruning may be a losing battle. The best idea for deep shade areas is to grow another type of groundcover such as pachysandra, ivy, vinca, and liriope or mondo grass.

Full Sun is a site that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun or dappled sunlight (as through tree leaves) almost daily. This is the ideal condition for turf grasses to thrive.

Part Shade is a site that receives at least 4 hours but less than 6 hours of direct or dappled sunlight over the course of the day.

Full Shade is a sited that receives less than 4 hours of bright light each day. Areas under dense tree cover can be in deep shade. Pachysandra or ivy are green, very low maintenance and promote tree health. They, or mulching, would be a better choice than turf.

Maintenance is somewhat related to how you want your turf to look.

Low maintenance turf means different things to different people. To some it means NO maintenance (no water, no fertilizer, no/infrequent mowing, no/little pest control), much like roadside turf. Buffalograss is best in this category. But its drawbacks are: it becomes straw-colored with the first hard frost and doesnt green up until mid- to late May, will not tolerate heavy, constant traffic, prone to weed invasion if over-fertilized or over-watered, and may invade flower beds. It doesnt like to be mowed and therefore can look unkempt.

Kentucky 31 or K-31 can be a low maintenance grass. It is very drought tolerant, but tends to be light green and has a variety of weedy looking grasses in the blend. Thinking it should look better, people over fertilize causing more mowing and they use more weed killers.

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At Home Living: What is the best grass for your yard?

VERNON, AZ (CBS5) -

Crews are working to restore the 1,220 acres in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest that were damaged by the San Juan Fire earlier this summer.

The San Juan Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) said their efforts are nearly finished.

Last week, crews performed aerial seeding of 60,000 pounds of sterile barley and native seed mix over the 1,220 acres burned south of Vernon, AZ.

BAER spokesman Paul Brown said the grass seed mix can sprout quickly and develop roots to reduce soil erosion.

BAER crews have also removed hazardous trees, stabilized roads, set up warning signs and installed gates.

The nearly 7,000-acre fire straddling theFort Apache Indian Reservation and the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in the White Mountains was reported just before 12 p.m. June 26.

The fire grew from an initial 100 acres to 2,000 acres by 5 p.m. that day, according to officials with Apache Sitgreaves National Forest and mandatory evacuations were ordered. More than 600 personnel were assigned to fight the fire that is believed to be human-caused.

According to the White Mountain Independent, between 200 to 300 Boy Scoutsfrom Gilbert were in the White Mountains when the fire started.

Matthew Wright was withthe group and an additional 100 adults and chaperones who were camping in the area. A group of them split off and headed for a ridge at about 9,000 feet and noticed the smoke. They then went back to base camp and told the others it was time to go.

More:
Seed scattered over 1,220 acres burned in San Juan Fire

SILVER CITY >> The Gila National Forest Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team announce the completion of emergency treatment and stabilization of areas burned as the result the Signal Fire, which started 10 miles north of Silver City on May 11, according to a news release.

In the aftermath of the Signal Fire BAER Team members moved in quickly assessing the burned areas and recommending emergency treatments to minimize threats to life, property and natural and cultural resources. BAER's first-aid immediate stabilization treatments reduce downstream values at risk from wildfires.

The BAER Team assessed and has completed the following:

Installing water erosion bars on FR154-Signal Peak Road and FR 855A-Lockney road to provide drainage and reduce negative effects to the roads

Cleaning and clearing road ditches to allow water to move freely through them

Removing drainage culverts and replacing them with drive-able low-water crossings

Installing a closure gate on Signal Peak Rd. and Meadow Creek Rd. for public safety during monsoon rains

Installing warning and hazard signs at area entry points

Aerial seeding high severity burn areas

The road work on Signal Peak Road is intended to prepare the road for increased erosion and runoff from the fire area during monsoonal rains. The installation of the low-water crossings and removal of drainage culverts allows water and debris to flow freely across roadbeds and not clog up the culverts and wash out the road. Road storm patrol and response will continue throughout the monsoon season.

Link:
Signal Fire burn area stabilized

More than a week after music fans rocked out at Lollapalooza, two mud-slopped fields in Grant Park remained closed to the public for the repair work that is set to begin Wednesday. The price tag for the post-fest repairs is estimated at $266,000, the Chicago Park District announced Tuesday.

Thanks to rain during the fest, concertgoers left the turf fields torn up, particularly at the southern end of Grant Park where about 30 acres of the park was blocked off Tuesday.

The three-day music festival, which was held Aug. 1-3, is hosted on 115 acres of Grant Park. The entire park is 325 acres including the high-traffic areas of Millennium Park and Buckingham Fountain.

On Tuesday, chain-link fences surrounded the swampy Lower Hutchinson Field from Balbo Avenue to 11th Street where headliners Eminem, Outkast and Kings of Leon performed on the Samsung Galaxy stage. Also closed off was mushy Upper Hutchinson Field from Balbo Avenue to roughly 8th Street where Iggy Azalea and Chance The Rapper graced what's known as Perry's stage.

The rest of Grant Park was open to the public, including Buckingham Fountain, the gardens and Butler Field where puddles, mud pockets and dozens of geese were spotted at the park's north end.

"For all intents and purposesI was at Grant Park yesterdayit's basically open other than the one area down at the south," said Bob O'Neill, president of Grant Park Conservancy. "People are using it as if nothing happened there," he said of the rest of Grant Park.

A day after the fest, Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents said it saw more damage to parts of Grant Park compared to 2013 due to heavy rains Aug. 3. Last year, the Chicago Park District estimated the repairs to cost $210,000 to $220,000.

But it wasn't as bad as 2011, when it cost roughly $800,000 to repair Grant Park after three inches of rain soaked festgoers, O'Neill said.

Representatives from C3 and the park district as well as an independent third-party contractor assessed the condition of Grant Park before and after the festival.

Under the terms of the concert agreement, C3 is responsible for picking up the repair tab.

Continue reading here:
Repairs to Grant Park after Lollapalooza could cost $266,000

DAVID LEADBETTER will officially open his new Leadbetter Golf Academy at Spain's five-star La Manga Club resort in September, and Golfmagic will be in attendance.

Regarded by many as the leading golf instructor in world golf, Florida-based Leadbetter is set to fly in to perform the opening ceremony on Monday September 15 at his latest academy, which provides the centrepiece of a 1million redevelopment of La Manga Clubs extensive teaching and practice centre.

Among the new facilities on offer, the new academy the only such facility in mainland Spain will have two tuition rooms, both equipped with the latest technology including Trackman, SAM PuttLab and K-VEST.

The first David Leadbetter Golf Academy was established in 1983 and the opening of the new La Manga Club facility means that there are now 28 full-time David Leadbetter Golf Academies spread across 13 countries.

Jose Asenjo, general manager at La Manga Club, said: Its a great honour and privilege for everyone at La Manga Club that David Leadbetter has interrupted his busy schedule to open the new academy. His reputation precedes him as one of the worlds foremost golf coaches and I cant think of a better and more fitting way to officially open our new world-class teaching and practice facility.

The significant investment that has taken place in the new state-of-the-art facilities here at La Manga Club will help to ensure that the resort is truly in a class of its own in terms of golf and sports coaching facilities, enhancing our reputation as the destination of choice for top amateurs and professionals.

During a coaching career spanning more than three decades, Leadbetter, 62, has taught some of golfs biggest stars including four former world number ones Sir Nick Faldo who he famously helped to win six Majors after rebuilding his swing Greg Norman, Nick Price and Lee Westwood.

His players have amassed more than 100 individual worldwide tournament victories and his current crop of stars include Rafael Cabrera Bello and ladies trio Michelle Wie, Lydia Ko and Suzann Pettersen, who are all ranked inside the world top ten.

As part of his visit to La Manga Club, Leadbetter will also give a series of one-to-one tuition sessions to a limited number of resort guests, local juniors and selected members of the media, where they can experience the award-winning venues outstanding new practice facilities.

Over the last nine months, La Manga Clubs practice centre has undergone a dramatic transformation and, as well as the new Leadbetter Academy, it also boasts four short game areas for bunkers and chipping, three large putting greens and four teaching classrooms which are ideal for visiting professionals on tuition breaks.

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News: Golf Courses

More than a week after music fans rocked out at Lollapalooza, two mud-slopped fields in Grant Park remained closed to the public for the repair work that is set to begin Wednesday. The price tag for the post-fest repairs is estimated at $266,000, the Chicago Park District announced Tuesday.

Thanks to rain during the fest, concertgoers left the turf fields torn up, particularly at the southern end of Grant Park where about 30 acres of the park was blocked off Tuesday.

The three-day music festival, which was held Aug. 1-3, is hosted on 115 acres of Grant Park. The entire park is 325 acres including the high-traffic areas of Millennium Park and Buckingham Fountain.

On Tuesday, chain-link fences surrounded the swampy Lower Hutchinson Field from Balbo Avenue to 11th Street where headliners Eminem, Outkast and Kings of Leon performed on the Samsung Galaxy stage. Also closed off was mushy Upper Hutchinson Field from Balbo Avenue to roughly 8th Street where Iggy Azalea and Chance The Rapper graced what's known as Perry's stage.

The rest of Grant Park was open to the public, including Buckingham Fountain, the gardens and Butler Field where puddles, mud pockets and dozens of geese were spotted at the park's north end.

"For all intents and purposesI was at Grant Park yesterdayit's basically open other than the one area down at the south," said Bob O'Neill, president of Grant Park Conservancy. "People are using it as if nothing happened there," he said of the rest of Grant Park.

A day after the fest, Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents said it saw more damage to parts of Grant Park compared to 2013 due to heavy rains Aug. 3. Last year, the Chicago Park District estimated the repairs to cost $210,000 to $220,000.

But it wasn't as bad as 2011, when it cost roughly $800,000 to repair Grant Park after three inches of rain soaked festgoers, O'Neill said.

Representatives from C3 and the park district as well as an independent third-party contractor assessed the condition of Grant Park before and after the festival.

Under the terms of the concert agreement, C3 is responsible for picking up the repair tab.

Here is the original post:
Lolla park repairs to cost $266,000

Incidentally, the mutabile part of the name, meaning variable, refers not to its performance but to the colour change of the flowers, which, as you say, open pale yellow and gradually fade to a mauve-ish pink.

It is an extremely beautiful wallflower, but alas as you and I have found, variable in quite the wrong way.

Mole spurge

Q: Were hoping you can help us. We first noticed a curious seedling when it was about 2in high. It is now some 5ft high and 3ft across with odd green flowers. We have no idea what it is or where it came from, and have been unable to find it in our reference books. Can you shed any light on what it might be, please?

Jill and Derek Watkins, via email

A: The plant in the picture that accompanied your email is called mole plant (Euphorbia lathyris), and is generally regarded as a weed of waste ground. Even if you are enjoying it (from the tone of your email, it seems that initial curiosity has given way to a certain amount of alarm), you should take care around it because the milky sap is a skin irritant. It is a biennial (just leaves in the first year, rapid expansion and flowers in the second, followed by the shedding of masses of seeds and death). If you let it seed around this year, you will get a small forest of seedlings next year that will flower in 2016.

Some people really like this wild plant and encourage it to grow in gardens because it has a certain architectural quality, especially in its leafy first year.

There are those who mistakenly believe that somehow its presence in the garden will deter moles (the in-the-ground type). The truth is that the common names mole plant or mole spurge came about because in former times the irritant sap was used to burn off moles (the on-the-skin kind).

Those nasty caterpillars again

On the July 26 subject of readers nasty little caterpillars (destructive in the foliage of birch and alder trees). Andrew Halstead from the RHS has gently pointed out to me that I have got my bugs and thugs a tad confused. The little black beetles and their offspring on the alder are Agelastica alni, while the loopy caterpillars responsible for the birch leaf devastation are the larvae of geometrid moths. The bit I didnt get wrong was the fact that neither is life-threatening to either tree. My apologies for the error and thanks goes as always to all those observant readers like Andrew, who really do deserve to be called experts.

Here is the original post:
Thorny problems: why won't my wallflower flower?

With the 2014 PGA Championship in the books, the action is beginning to leave Valhalla beginning Monday.

A massive undertaking is underway as crews strip away some of the stands and risers that you can see in the back ground and repair the greens back to tip-top shape.

Its a years worth of work coming down to be put back up for the next PGA event.

Its been years in the making for this PGA Championship and in just seven days it all has to come to an end.

Once we start building its a long process, its about, for this PGA it was about two-and-a-half months to construct it and today taking it down another two months, said Sal Urso, operations manager for PGA Championship

Its all hands on deck taking down scaffolding and risers from the PGA Championship.

Everything gets packed up, moved out, and on the next leg of the PGA events.

But the course itself needs some attention after the greats have played on it for over a week.

We do our best to be proactive and create a list of possible things and help everyone as quickly as we can to get things going, said Urso.

With more than 40,000 people a day, Urso says, The course is in better condition than they expected.

Read more:
Crews begin massive cleanup at Valhalla

Published: Monday, August 11, 2014 at 11:58 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, August 11, 2014 at 11:58 a.m.

It took someone with a little TLC who knew their ABCs about XYandZ vegetables to create a productive garden in a 20x30 plot.

Elizabeth Simmons appeared in timely fashion to come up with the right formula.

She works as a peer counselor for breast-feeding moms at the Davidson County Health Department and actually stumbled across the opportunity when she made a trip to the county recreation department to set up a support group for her clients.

"I looked out the window and thought, what a shame to let that spot go to waste."

She was eyeing a small, fallow section of property behind the Davidson County Parks and Recreation Department's gym. "It had leaves and grass grown over it. It just looked abandoned," she recalled.

Simmons, who grew up gardening, was unaware that a couple of years age the county health department, the Lexington, Thomasville and county recreation departments, and Davidson County Cooperative Extension received a grant to fund community gardens.

County employees, through their Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance, could earn wellness points for seeding and tending a 4x6 section of the garden.

"Twenty minutes of gardening can burn up to 200 calories," Simmons offered.

Last year there was no garden.

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Community garden yields food for needy