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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)

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Alfalfa winterkill? Use warm season grasses as emergency forage

Matapos ang 10 taon ng paghihintay ay mapapanuod na ang karugtong ng Feng Shui na pinagbidahan ni Kris Aquino noong 2004.

Bakit hindi po tatawagin na Feng Shui 2 kundi Feng Shui ang movie na ito?

Kris: Ayaw ni Direk Chito dahil ang sinabi niya, ayaw niyang gumawa ng sequel, ang gusto niya ay continuation ng story nung unang Feng Shui.

Pero Kris, ikaw ba ang may idea na magkaroon muli ng Feng Shui?

Kris: Actually si Coco, Juan Dela Cruz presscon yun, di ba? Nabanggit niya dun na gusto niyang mag horror. At nagustuhan niya yung Feng Shui. Nabasa ko yun, sabi ko, Oh My God!

Sino-sino yung makakasama na bagong cast members dito sa continuation ng Feng Shui?

Si Cherry Pie Picache at Jonee Gamboa lang ang mga dating cast members na kasali. Pero the rest bago na tulad nina Carmi Martin, Joem Bascon, Martin Escudero, Ian Veneracion, etc.

Dream project mo ba ito Coco? Saka anong pakiramdam mo na part ka ng continuation ng Feng Shui?

Oo naman! Actually kinakabahan ako. Sabi ko nga pangarap kong makagawa ng horror, tapos kung gagawa rin lang ako ng horror gusto kong makasama si Ate Kris.

Saang part ka kinakabahan?

Continued here:
[Movies] Kris Aquino, Coco Martin: no romantic angle with each other in Feng Shui 2014

Matapos ang 10 taon ng paghihintay ay mapapanuod na ang karugtong ng Feng Shui na pinagbidahan ni Kris Aquino noong 2004.

Bakit hindi po tatawagin na Feng Shui 2 kundi Feng Shui ang movie na ito?

Kris: Ayaw ni Direk Chito dahil ang sinabi niya, ayaw niyang gumawa ng sequel, ang gusto niya ay continuation ng story nung unang Feng Shui.

Pero Kris, ikaw ba ang may idea na magkaroon muli ng Feng Shui?

Kris: Actually si Coco, Juan Dela Cruz presscon yun, di ba? Nabanggit niya dun na gusto niyang mag horror. At nagustuhan niya yung Feng Shui. Nabasa ko yun, sabi ko, Oh My God!

Sino-sino yung makakasama na bagong cast members dito sa continuation ng Feng Shui?

Si Cherry Pie Picache at Jonee Gamboa lang ang mga dating cast members na kasali. Pero the rest bago na tulad nina Carmi Martin, Joem Bascon, Martin Escudero, Ian Veneracion, etc.

Dream project mo ba ito Coco? Saka anong pakiramdam mo na part ka ng continuation ng Feng Shui?

Oo naman! Actually kinakabahan ako. Sabi ko nga pangarap kong makagawa ng horror, tapos kung gagawa rin lang ako ng horror gusto kong makasama si Ate Kris.

Saang part ka kinakabahan?

See more here:
[Movies] Kris Aquino, Coco Martin: no romantic angle in Feng Shui 2014

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio - While at the Valley Art Center's Upcycled Art Sale, this past weekend I checked out the used books table. There I found what could be the solution to my problems: Quick Feng Shui Cures written by Sarah Shurety.

As a red-blooded American, I'm all about quick cures. And, with an author named Shurety, as in sure-thing, what could possibly go wrong? Besides, at 50-cents, the price was right.

Lots of people I know have an opinion on whether something is feng shui or not. Here, at least I have a reference book.

Feng shui is a 3,000-year-old Chinese method of achieving balance and harmony, I read. So far, so good. Feng represents wind energy and Shui is water energy.

The image of a hurricane immediately came to mind when I read that. This amused me because my prior understanding of feng shui was that it is all about de-cluttering, using the right color scheme and having the proper accessories placed just-so.

I was oddly calmed by the image of a hurricane, it fit the current state of my home. You see, for the past five months, a construction project has been underway to create a bathroom upstairs where there's never been one. Of course, you could argue that there are practical reasons for that, but we went ahead with it anyway.

In order to proceed, a bathroom on the main floor was torn apart to gain a pathway for pipes, drains, vents and things of that ilk. That meant the formerly working toilet was yanked out along with plumbing in the basement, because we may as well replace the old cast iron pipes, etc. That meant tearing apart the basement storage area and displacing all the stuff stored there.

And, during one of this summer's monsoon rains, we did have some water that seeped into the basement. And, well, you get the idea.

At this point I must tell you that we do have another first floor bathroom that remained intact throughout the process, so there's no need to call the health department.

Where did we store the uprooted toilet, you might ask. Why, in our front foyer, a most un-feng-shui location, sure to bring a pox upon us. And, at our other entrance to the house from the garage, we stored a new toilet in its box and destined for the new bathroom. Another pox upon us.

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There are no quick cures with feng shui: Valley Views

By Roger Aylworth

raylworth@chicoer.com @RogerAylworth on Twitter

CHICO >> Colorful chalk messages, bright smiling faces and wrought-iron fences were part of the first day of school on some of the Chico Unified School District campuses Monday.

The first day of school found CUSD Superintendent Kelly Staley playing a helper role at Chapman School.

Staley was shuttling documents around the campus Monday morning. She said all of the district administrators were assigned to a school to help in whatever way they could.

The superintendent said she saw lots of parents and "lots of smiling, happy children. It's a happy place."

The district is tentatively hoping there might be a slight rise in enrollment this year.

Staley said if the student population does climb, it could be because of the "transitional kindergarten" program. This is the third year of the program that allows 4-year-olds to attend what amounts to "pre-kindergarten."

Students in the transitional program will have two years in kindergarten. She said the popularity of the program has grown each year.

Across town at Pleasant Valley High School, students arrived on campus to find something that if done at other times, in different places, using different tools, would not have been the source of happiness.

Link:
First day of school in Chico brings smiles, chalk, wrought iron

Osmin Soto had been downsized from two jobs in the construction industry and had gone to work for his dad, a general contractor in Los Angeles, when he decided it was time to make a change. At age 29, he could claim only a high school diploma and a certificate in computer-aided drafting and design, from a local vocational school. He sought a new trade that would get him a higher-paying job.

This is how he found his way to a school called WyoTech in Long Beach, California. He could earn a degree in less than a year. A representative promised help with career placement. The price tag: $23,000.

I was in dire need of something better for myself, Soto says. When I went in for the initial meet, they promised me a better job, better wages, that students made a lot more money coming out of school.

Soto is due to graduate next month, but he now wonders if his degree will have any value. He is one of approximately 70,000 students across the country caught in the collapse of Corinthian Colleges, WyoTechs owner, amid allegations of false job placement data, and multiple state and federal investigations.

In June, the Department of Education restricted Corinthians access to federal financial aid the source of approximately 85 percent of its revenues sending the for-profit college company into a financial tailspin, and ultimately resulting in a deal: regulators agreed to keep some money flowing to the company, and Corinthian agreed to sell 85 of its 107 schools within six months, and close a dozen others.

Far from the board room machinations of a profit-making corporation squaring off with regulators, many students at Corinthians campuses have found themselves struggling to gain answers to simple yet crucial questions: Whats going to happen to my school? Will the degree that was supposed to be a big investment in a brighter future turn out to have been a very expensive mistake?

When I graduate, when youre going to have a diploma from a school that disappeared or closed down, will I really be taken into consideration? Soto says. Can I put that on my resume?

Corinthian's Bad Grades

Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, Corinthian bills itself as a company focused on meeting the job-oriented needs of nontraditional students through its Everest, Heald and WyoTech brands. CEO Jack Massimino led the company to $1.6 billion in revenue, offering programs ranging from medical assisting to criminal justice, and motorcycle technology. In its most recent annual report, Corinthian claimed that it placed 69 percent of its graduates in jobs.

But the for profit-college industry has increasingly come under fire for leaving students mired in debt, sans well-paying jobs, and the Obama administration has proposed more stringent accountability measures, known as the gainful employment rule.

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In Corinthian Colleges Collapse, Students Wonder What's Next

St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch Tom Gannam / AP

FERGUSON, Mo. - The Missouri prosecutor overseeing an investigation into the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown has deep family roots among police: his father, mother, brother, uncle and cousin all worked for St. Louis' police department, and his father was killed while responding to a call involving a black suspect.

The connections now are being cited by some local residents and black leaders who question whether St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch can remain impartial. Brown, who was black, was fatally shot in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson on Aug. 9 by local police officer Darren Wilson, who is white.

Grand jurors may begin hearing the case Wednesday, though it could be weeks before they decide whether to indict Wilson on state criminal charges. The U.S. Justice Department is conducting a separate civil rights investigation, which could also result in charges.

President Obama said Monday that he is dispatching Attorney General Eric Holder to Ferguson to meet with FBI agents and Justice Department personnel conducting the federal criminal investigation into the shooting.

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Although a private autopsy done for the family of Michael Brown revealed that the 18-year-old was shot six times, the pathologist who performed t...

A private autopsy, commissioned by Brown's family, was conducted Sunday. But CBS correspondent Bob Orr reported that it is not likely to be considered by prosecutors. Dr. Michael Bade, the pathologist who did the autopsy said he did not find gunpowder on Brown's body, which suggest the shooting was not at close range, but he couldn't be sure because Brown's clothes were unavailable.

He also did not see X-rays taken that would show exact bullet wound locations on the body. However, an autopsy done by St. Louis County will be used by prosecutors. But because of wide public distrust, the Justice Department will conduct a third autopsy on Brown.

McCulloch's spokesman, Ed Magee, said Monday that the prosecutor plans to remain in charge of the case, despite mounting pressure to step aside amid violent clashes between police and protesters demanding that Wilson be charged.

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Background of prosecutor in Ferguson case has some questioning probe's credibility

Staff Photo by Joe Sarno

The driveway and parking lot at the North Boulevard Elementary School was recently repaved due to its poor condition.

The North Boulevard Elementary School's parking lot was repaved early last week, Board of Education Business Administrator Barbara Decker said Tuesday, and the refurbishment will be complete before school starts on Sept. 3.

"The [parking lot] looks beautiful," Decker said. "They should be in good shape."

The resurfacing, which was done by the Fairview-based J.J. Sinisi Asphalt Paving, cost about $93,000 and included small sidewalk repairs. The funding came from the district budget's capital reserve.

Decker said previously that the lot, which also features a long driveway that leads onto the Boulevard, was in such poor shape that patching would not have been adequate.

Striping was scheduled for this weekend.

Steve Janoski

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Fresh paving and striping for fresh year at North Boulevard

Baldwin, WI (WEAU ) -- A church that's been up more than 100-years is coming down. Demolition began this weekend on Peace Lutheran church in Baldwin.

The tear down comes after members of the church voted earlier this summer to demolish the so called "Red Church" citing safety concerns and the cost of repairs.

Earlier this summer protestors gathered to boycott the demolition of what they called "a landmark".

After 109 years, the Red Church is coming down.

"We were all sad to see the church come down, but it had served its purpose, so we could move on," says Dorothy Larson, a member of Peace Lutheran since 1972.

"It was emotional but again, it has served us well and it's served many, many people, says Dorthoy who was present during the start of demolition on Friday, August 15th.

Pastor John Hanson says the demolition of the structure is mostly due to safety concerns. He says a 60 pound brick fell off the roof one day, and questions what would have happened if someone had been standing there.

Hanson says the decision to take down the church was a difficult one, and a lengthy process but that the demolition isn't taking very long, due in part to the volunteers that are coming together to be a part of the churchs final days.

We thought it would be done best by the people who love the church and utilize their skills, which were skills in carpentry, plumbing, electricity," says Hanson.

Hanson says the congregation is thankful nobody has been hurt by the crumbling structure. He says the space will now be utilized and honored.

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Demolition begins on "Red Church"

Hebron, occupied West Bank - Sobbing, Ghada Qawasmeh stares at her destroyed home, a two-story stone villa the family built over the course of nine years. The mother of seven is inconsolable, thinking of her husband, Hussam, who is now in an Israeli prison. "This is collective punishment," she says. "What did I or my children do?"

Before dawn on Monday, Israeli troops destroyed the Qawasmeh family's house in Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli officials said the demolition was carried out as punishment for Hussam Qawasmeh's alleged involvement in the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli settler teens in June, andcame after Israel's supreme court affirmed the army's position.

Last month, Israel accused three men of being behind the disappearance and subsequent death of the Israeli youths, who were hitchhiking from a Jewish settlement near Hebron: Hussam and Marwan Qawasmeh, and Amer Abu Eisha.

Abu Eisha's family home was also demolished on Monday, while Marwan Qawasmeh's was sealed off with cement.

"We are determined in bringing the ruthless murderers of Gilad, Eyal and Naftali to justice. The demolition of the terrorists' homes conveys a clear message to terrorists and their accomplices that there is a personal price to pay when engaging in terror and carrying out attacks against Israelis," said Peter Lerner, an Israeli army spokesperson, in a press statement.

While Marwan and Abu Eisha are in hiding, the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, said Hussam admitted to receiving funds for the operation from Hamas operatives in Gaza. But Hamas officials have denied any involvement, and so far, no evidence against the three men has been divulged.

The demolition of the terrorists' homes conveys a clear message to terrorists and their accomplices that there is a personal price to pay when engaging in terror and carrying out attacks against Israelis.

- Peter Lerner, Israeli army spokesperson

Ghada also maintains that her husband is innocent, that the real killers are still at large, and that destroying her home is merely an act of revenge. "By demolishing the house theyll destroy my life and my childrens. Theres a million ways [to deter attacks] without destroying peoples lives," said Ghada, whohas now moved in with her in-laws.

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Israeli demolitions 'collective punishment'