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    South Albany considers new football field turf - February 22, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    South Albany High School is proposing replacing its grass football field with artificial turf, a project to be outlined at Mondays meeting of the Albany school board.

    The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the district office, 718 Seventh Ave. S.W. Also on Mondays agenda are a discussion about making up snow days and recommendations for improving school safety.

    Board members will review a proposal from South Albany High Schools administration and booster club to put in a turf field at a cost of roughly $750,000.

    Under the proposal, the district would pay or borrow about $500,000 of the project over eight years to cover the turf and the subsurface materials.

    The rest of the cost, for drainage, dirt removal, subsurface hauling and leveling, would come from in-kind donations.

    The school suggests creating community partnerships with the city of Albany, the Boys & Girls Club, Pop Warner Football, the high school booster club and others who might benefit from the field to help cover the bulk of the debt.

    Turf fields also save on watering, seeding and other maintenance costs, although the actual savings may be less than the $30,000 per year the proposal estimates.The Lebanon Community School District has saved approximately $7,000 per year since installing its artificial turf field in 2011.

    Construction excise taxes, which school districts are allowed to impose on new construction, also could be put toward the project. The district has about $1.8 million available in CET funds.

    According to the proposal, the real benefit in having a turf field is the community access it would provide.

    Right now, Souths field is used between 20 and 25 times per year, primarily for home football games. The proposal estimates a turf field would boost usage to more than 200 events per year between South Albany classes and teams and youth baseball, soccer and football programs and other community events.

    Originally posted here:
    South Albany considers new football field turf

    Make your lawn the best it can be - February 22, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Published: Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, 6:04p.m.

    Want to have the best lawn on the block come spring? Here are ideas for growing a healthy, chemical-free lawn that is gorgeous, safe, and easy-to-maintain.

    Let's start by shifting our thinking from feeding the lawn to feeding the soil. Instead of dumping on chemical fertilizers that may result in a quick, temporary green, use organic-based fertilizers that slowly release their nutrients over time, resulting in month after month of green, instead of just weeks. Using fertilizers derived from natural ingredients, rather than chemicals, means you'll be feeding all the beneficial insect and microbial life into your soil. These microscopic critters break organic matter down into usable plant nutrients and, in turn, feed our plants as they were meant to be fed, slowly and evenly.

    You can do this by adding an organic granular fertilizer once or twice a season or by topdressing your lawn every spring with a quarter-inch of finely screened compost spread via a pitchfork and a wheelbarrow or a drop spreader. Compost creates a nutrient-rich blanket that is available to plants for far longer than a chemical fertilizer. Another important reason to move away from chemical fertilizers: 75 percent of the nutrients in them run off into our watersheds before plants can use them, but 90 percent of the nutrients in natural, granular fertilizers stay in our soil and continue to feed our lawns for months.

    The next step in growing a healthy lawn is to cut high. Leaving turf grass 3- to 4-inch-tall shades out weed seedlings and generates a good, deep root system. After all, the more surface area grass has for photosynthesis, the more energy it has to promote good root growth. Deep, healthy roots mean less irrigation and fertilization, too. You'll also want to be sure your mower is capable of recycling the clippings back into the soil via a mulching feature. Since these tiny clippings are both quick to decompose and chock full of nitrogen, with a mulching mower, you are fertilizing every time you mow.

    If you want to cut down on mowing chores, you may want to consider replacing or over-seeding your existing lawn with a low- and slow-growing seed mix. Seed mixes like Pearl's Premium (www.pearlspremium.com) require mowing only three or four times a year. This particular brand is a collection of fescue varieties and newer cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye with slower growth rates. Other similar seed blends are produced by High Country Gardens (www.highcountrygardens.com) and Wildflower Farm (www.wildflowerfarm.com).

    If weeds are presenting a challenge, know that many weed problems are the result of poor soil conditions. Get a soil test through your local extension service, and follow their recommendations to boost fertility and adjust the soil pH. Remedy poor soil conditions and promote healthy grass, and major weed outbreaks become a thing of the past. Weeds like ground ivy thrive in poorly drained, compacted soils with low fertility, so aerating and dethatching the lawn every three or four years also goes a long way toward staving off this, and other, pernicious weeds.

    Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts The Organic Gardeners at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control and Good Bug, Bad Bug. Her website is http://www.jessicawalliser.com.

    Send your gardening or landscaping questions to tribliving@tribweb.com or The Good Earth, 503 Martindale St., 3rd Floor, D.L. Clark Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

    You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

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    Make your lawn the best it can be

    Bret Harte girls ready to host; Calaveras ready to hit the road - February 21, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    The Bret Harte High girls basketball team defeated Linden 56-40 Tuesday night in Angels Camp to put the finishing touches on a regular season that included 23 wins, two tournament titles and its first outright Mother Lode League championship since 2005.

    But a day later, the Bullfrogs couldnt help but feel a little disrespected when they were announced as the No. 6 seed for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs, the lowest seeding for a MLL championship team in at least 10 years.

    Bret Harte (23-4) will host No. 11 Los Banos (18-10) in a first-round playoff game at 7 p.m. Tuesday night in Angels Camp. If the Bullfrogs win, they will hit the road for Thursdays second round.

    Were really happy to be playing at home for our first playoff game, Bret Harte coach Ronnie Davis said.

    Having said that, we feel we were under-seeded and didnt get rewarded for the season we had. We have the second best record in the section andwere aleague champion and were over-seeded bya second place team with a 16-6 record (No. 2 West Campus) and a thirdplace team with a 16-10 record (No. 3 Colfax). Wehave no control overthe seeding so nowwell start preparing for tournament basketball.

    Calaveras lost its regular season finale 47-32 to Argonaut Tuesday night at home and finished third in the MLL. Megan Walters had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Calaveras on Senior Night, while fellow senior Kelly Airola had eight points, six rebounds and five steals.

    Two years removed from a section title, the Redskins

    (17-11) received the No. 9 seed for the Division IV playoffs and will travel to Citrus Heights to face No. 8 San Juan (17-9) Tuesday with the winner advancing to face top-seeded Bear River of Grass Valley Thursday in the quarterfinals.

    Kelsey Switzer scored 23 points, and Jessie Evans and Sami Seider scored 12 each to lead Bret Harte against Linden.

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    Bret Harte girls ready to host; Calaveras ready to hit the road

    Forage insurance new to state - February 20, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Chad Hart says there is good news and bad news when it comes to forage insurance in Iowa.

    He says the good news is there are programs, such as forage seeding and the forage production APH (actual production history) available.

    The bad news? Several other programs are unavailable in Iowa.

    There are programs out there that are part of a pilot project that are not available here, says Hart, Extension ag economist at Iowa State University.

    They are pretty decent programs as well.

    Among those are the forage-production index, the average vegetation index and the rainfall index.

    While available in neighboring states, such as Missouri and Minnesota, Hart says they will not become available in Iowa unless farmers ask for them.

    The forage production APH is fairly new for Iowa farmers, he says. The program covers forage on a county basis.

    Fields must consist of:

    -pure alfalfa,

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    Forage insurance new to state

    Seeding direction a tool in weed fight - February 17, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Glen Riethmuller Catherine Borger, of DAFWA, measuring light available to annual ryegrass in the inter-row space of a wheat crop.

    Seeding direction can help crops outcompete winter weeds, according to research by the Department of Agriculture and Food WA.

    Department researcher Catherine Borger said trials had shown shading annual ryegrass reduced its growth and seed production.

    "Crops and weeds compete for light, particularly during winter," Dr Borger said. "As demonstrated in five out of six trials carried out at Merredin, Wongan Hills and Katanning, annual ryegrass seed production is reduced when the weed receives less sunlight.

    "An east-west crop orientation offers a free and environmentally friendly method of reducing the growth of annual ryegrass.

    "Wheat or barley crops sown in an east-west direction, instead of north-south, generate more shade in the inter-row space in crops."

    Dr Borger said with weeds continuing to develop resistance against herbicides, in-crop weed control with grass-selective herbicides could be difficult.

    "Sowing east-west crops reduces the light available to the annual ryegrass in the inter-row space, which reduced annual ryegrass seed production by an average of 51 per cent," she said.

    "The effectiveness of this technique depends on seasonal conditions, such as how quickly the annual ryegrass germinates and how tall or competitive the crop is."

    She said the east-west crop orientation may be impractical for farmers whose paddock did not allow east-west sowing, or farmers who do not use auto-steer. In addition, this method does not apply where weeds grow taller than the crop.

    Here is the original post:
    Seeding direction a tool in weed fight

    Basketball: Poly Boys Snubbed From Open Division - February 16, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    On Friday afternoon, the CIF Southern Section office released the teams that have been selected for their first ever Open Division postseason tournament bracket. The stated goal of the Open Division was to take the best teams from across all divisions and place them into one gauntlet featuring Southern Californias best teams.

    Of course, with any selection process, whether its the BCS or the Open Division, conversation was bound focus on who was left off the list as much as it focused on who made it. From Moore League, Compton, made it in, but the biggest surprise of the day across all of SoCal was that Long Beach Polys boys team didnt make it.

    On a scale of 1 to 10 (as far as a surprise factor), tweeted Ronnie Flores, one of the editors of Cal-Hi Sports, not having Long Beach Polyis a 10.

    The Jackrabbits had been on the Open Division Watch List issued weekly by the CIF-SS for the entire season, and every single media prediction in SoCal had them as a lock entry, with Cal-Hi Sports mock bracket seeding them 10th out of the 16 teams selected.

    Poly coach Shelton Diggs was at the postseason Moore League coaches meeting when the list was released, and said a charge went through the room at the surprising news.

    Its a slap in the face, plain and simple, he said.

    At issue is the fact that Compton, who finished second place in the Moore League behind Poly, did make the list.

    "Us in over Poly? asked Tarbabes coach Tony Thomas. They're the best team in the area over the last four years, period. I just don't get it.

    As was the case across much of the Southland, coaches saw the grass on the other side of the fence as greener regardless of whether they made the list or were left off. For Diggs, it was a matter of respect. If that division is the best we want to be there, thats the Poly way, he said.

    Truthfully, being left off puts the Jackrabbits in a better spot. If last weeks rankings stay the same, Poly would enter the Division 1AA bracket as the top seed, as they were the top-ranked team to not make the Open Division. Poly was ranked No. 6, the next highest team to stay in 1AA is Rancho Cucamonga, at No. 8.

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    Basketball: Poly Boys Snubbed From Open Division

    Lawn & Garden: What can be done with a lawn gone bad? - February 14, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Question: After years of neglect, my "lawn" is a complete wreck. It is green, all right, consisting of every green weed known to man. Should I get my soil tested? Should I chemically treat and kill the lawn and start over?

    Answer: The answer to your first question is easy: Yes. Getting your soil in good shape is the first step toward growing a healthy lawn, whether you decide to try to save the one you have or start over. A soil test will tell you which nutrients your soil is lacking, so you can feed it accordingly. It will also tell you the soil's pH level, which determines whether the grass plants can use the nutrients in the soil.

    There are other things you can do to improve your lawn, including giving it a core aeration and top-dressing it with compost. Mowing properly is important, too, because it helps the grass stay healthy so it can out-compete the weeds.

    From your description, however, it sounds like you're going to have to renovate the lawn, either by over-seeding or replacing it. Over-seeding involves dethatching and aerating or slitting the lawn, and then spreading seed over the existing grass. Replacing the lawn is what you referred to: killing the existing grass and planting new.

    -- McClatchy-Tribune News

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    Lawn & Garden: What can be done with a lawn gone bad?

    Growing Together: Scoffing at the Season: Banish winter by starting seeds indoors - February 14, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    May 1 (two to three weeks) squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini, watermelon, muskmelon.

    Materials needed

    Use soil-less seed starting mixes like Jiffy Mix, Miracle Gro Seeding Mix or one recommended by your local greenhouse.

    Containers should be about 2 inches deep, such as greenhouse trays, pie tins, egg cartons or any trays with bottom drain holes added. Use separate trays for each type because seeds grow at different rates. Also needed are wooden or plastic labels or stakes. We make our own by cutting plastic milk jugs into stakes 4 inches long and 1 inch wide.

    Why not seed directly into the final larger pots or cell-packs? Why seed into trays and then transplant? Because its easier to provide optimum germination conditions for a seed tray than a larger grouping of pots. Seedlings become stockier as you transplant them slightly deeper into the final container.

    Procedure

    1. Moisten the seeding mix the previous day by adding water to the bag and stirring by hand. Dry mixes can be difficult to water after seeding.

    2. Fill containers almost to the top with mix, then gently firm and level.

    3. Seeds may be broadcast over the surface of the mix or planted in rows. Being of German stock, I prefer neat rows. Press a ruler or pencil into the mix to make shallow furrows.

    4. Planting depth is important, and its usually shallower than we might expect. Small seeds like petunia can be merely pressed into the mix after sowing. Larger seeds can be sown into a furrow and covered with mix, or place the seeds on the surface and sprinkle mix over the top. As a rule of thumb sow seeds at a depth equal to two or three times the seeds diameter. Its better to err on the shallow side.

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    Growing Together: Scoffing at the Season: Banish winter by starting seeds indoors

    Plan now for summer forages and grazing - February 13, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    You probably don't want to think about summer forages and grazing with all of the talk about dangerous wind chills, the polar vortex, and lots of snow. However, you should be because spring and summer are just around the corner.

    This is a good time to study new developments in forage varieties and pasture grass species.

    The 2014 seed and forage guides are out, and varietal test results have been published. If seed is not yet ordered for frost seeding, planned renovation, new pasture development, or for summer annuals, it should be done before supplies are reduced. Key points in pasture and forage development include choice of adapted varieties and species that will persist for several years and adding legumes to provide nitrogen. Some research has recommended diversifying pasture and forage systems to include warm season species in the summer and annual cool season species in the fall. Why should summer annuals be considered by all dairy producers? They are very drought tolerant and can fill a gap in feed when other species experience the "summer slump". They are great emergency forages during dry weather and are multipurpose, so you can be use them for grazing, silage, or for baling.

    During the summer of 2013, we planted two summer annuals for grazing for the first time at the University of Minnesota West-Central Research and Outreach Center dairy in Morris. BMR sorghum-sudangrass and teff grass were planted to create a more uniform and extended forage supply. These grasses were seeded with a drill on May 28, 2013, but because of the late spring, this was about 2 weeks later than what we had planned.

    BMR sorghum-sudangrass has increased in popularity due to the BMR gene and increased NDF digestibility (5 to 10% higher than regular sorghum-sudangrass). The plants have thick stems and are very leafy. Sorghum-sudangrass has moderate regrowth potential, but you should not graze or cut for forage until the plants are at least 18 inches tall to reduce prussic acid concentration. The ideal height for forage is 18 to 36 inches tall. When grazing sorghum-sudangrass, animals should be moved so they leave 6 to 8 inches of stubble, but they might waste 20 to 30% of the forage through grazing. Lastly, sorghums and sudangrasses are luxury consumers of potassium, so they should not be used for dry cow forages. For seeding rate, we seeded our fields and pastures at 20 pounds per acre.

    Teff grass is native to Northern Africa. Teff is drought tolerant and can be seeded into many different soil types. With this grass, you will have high yield with competitive forage quality, and will have rapid growth for 9 to 12 weeks. The seed is very, very small, and we seeded our pastures at 8 pounds per acre.

    Both of these annuals should be planted at 60 to 65 degree soil temperature and planted 1 to 1.5 inches deep. Perhaps manure should be added as a fertilizer before planting because they have nitrogen requirements that are similar to corn.

    The table shows averages for forage quality of BMR sorghum-sudangrass, teff grass, and cool-season grasses during 2013. The cool-season species consist of mixtures of smooth bromegrass, orchardgrass, red and white clover, and alfalfa. The dry matter of the sorghum-sudangrass was low because the cattle grazed the fresh forage in the early vegetative state. The summer annuals were not as high in crude protein as the cool-season grasses. However, with lower crude proteins, we probably improved nitrogen utilization of the milking herd. The ADF values of the grasses were very similar and are within the range of low 30s to mid-50s. All of these grass species were high in digestibility. The NDF levels were higher for the summer annual grasses compared to cool-season species. However, the total tract NDF digestibility (TTNDFD) was lowest for the teff grass. The TTNDFD is a measure of how much of the fiber is digestible, how fast the fiber digests, and how long a cow holds the fiber in the digestive system. The summer annuals were similar to the cool-season grasses for sugar and non-fiber carbohydrates, and they provided similar net energy for lactation and milk per ton as the cool season grasses.

    Remember, sorghum-sudangrass and teff grass are not replacements for cool-season forages, but should be added to a forage program to complement the cool-season grasses. If there is a drought or dry weather, these two forages may prevent you from having to buy expensive hay during a drought. If you need any assistance with these unique forages or would like more information please contact me at 320-589-1711 or hein0106@umn.edu.

    Results for forage quality of BMR sorghum-sudangrass, teff grass, and cool-season grasses during 2013 at the University of Minnesota-WCROC dairy.

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    Plan now for summer forages and grazing

    AFSC reminds producers of Feb 28 deadline for hay and pasture insurance 0 - February 13, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    As the February 28 deadline approaches for Fairview-area farmers to insure their pasture and hay land this year, above-average to normal snow cover across the Peace region and much of the province has livestock producers feeling hopeful about the potential growth theyll get on their hay and pasture once the snow melts this spring.

    We had a relatively dry fall so all of the snow weve gotten so far this winter should definitely help kick-start growth on forage crops in the spring depending on how slow or fast it melts and how much of that moisture soaks in. There is very little frost in the ground so that should help in terms of snow melt moving into the ground this spring, says Calvin Yoder, a forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) in the Peace region. He adds the thick blanket of snow should also help insulate perennial forage plants, reducing the risk of winterkill this year.

    Dry Soil Conditions Beneath the Snow

    In the M.D. of Fairview, provincial moisture maps show that soil moisture beneath the snow as of late January is generally moderately low to low. Snow cover is generally moderately high.

    Perennial hay and pasture crops depend on plenty of moisture early in the spring for healthy growth, says Yoder. So in the end, it always comes down to spring moisture and rainfall in late May and early June. Thats what really makes or breaks our forage production across the region every year, he says.

    Last year, dry conditions in early spring and late summer triggered more than $4.4 million in hay and pasture insurance in some areas across the province, including the M.D. of Fairview, says John Kresowaty, with Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC). AFSC is the Crown corporation that provides crop insurance to Alberta farmers on behalf of the provincial and federal governments.

    When the rain finally came in late May and June, we ended up with strong growth on hay and pasture in most regions, says Kresowaty. He notes last years total payout is among the lowest in more than a decade due to favourable precipitation and good growing conditions in June and July. The highest payout years for hay and pasture insurance were during the droughts of 2009 when $56 million was paid in claims, and 2002 when $89 million was paid out.

    Of course, nobody can predict what will happen this spring, says ARD provincial soil moisture specialist, Ralph Wright. It could be wet or the snow could melt quickly and things could turn hot and dry. If its a cold spring, the snow could linger, delaying hay and pasture growth. Theres still two months of winter left. Anythings possible. Its really a wait-and-see game because weather is so random, says Wright.

    7.5 Million Acres Insured

    Unpredictable weather is the biggest reason Alberta producers insure about 7.5 million acres of hay and pasture across the province every year through AFSC Perennial Insurance programs, says Kresowaty.

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    AFSC reminds producers of Feb 28 deadline for hay and pasture insurance 0

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