12-29-15.qxp:Layout 1 12/23/15 10:44 AM Page 1 Barnard wins Top Prairie 27th annual Topeka Farm Show scheduled for January 5-7 Heritage Book Award Farmers visiting the 2016 Topeka Farm Show and the Kansas Soybean Expo 2016 will Junction City Commis- have the opportunity to see the newest and latest in farm and ranch equipment, plus attend sioner and Prairie Heritage, the annual convention of the Kansas Soybean Commission. Inc. President Jim Sands The 2016 Topeka Farm Show dates are January 5th-7th while the Kansas Soybean Expo will be held Wednesday, January 6th. Show hours are Tuesday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday presented Iralee Barnard 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Thursday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. As usual admission and parking are free. Help with the Jan Garton Prairie celebrate the 27th Topeka Farm Show-“Kansas’s Premier Indoor Farm Show,” co-spon- Heritage Book Award at the sored by AM 580 WIBW Radio and the High Plains Journal. Visit with WIBW’s Kelly Junction City Commission Lenz and Greg Akagi, who will be broadcasting live all three show days. meeting on December 15, Producers, families and distributors come together for three days of education and en- 2015. The award includes a tertainment at the Kansas Expocentre. The 2016 show is once again a complete sellout check for $1000.00. with over 485 companies and over 725 display booths. The 2016 show will once again use The award honors Ms. three buildings: Domer Arena, Landon Arena and Exhibition Hall. Domer Arena is full of Barnard for authoring Field displays to include grain and livestock trailers, portable buildings and livestock handling equipment. Be sure to stop by Domer Arena and register for the Maxey Welding Trailer Guide to the Common courtesy of Hoyt Truck Center. Drawing will be Thursday, January 7 at 3:30 pm. Grasses of Oklahoma, Tradexpos staff is estimating over 34,000 farmers and ranchers will attend the 27th an- Kansas, and Nebraska, pub- nual show. On hand this year will be Community Blood Center. Located at the south end lished by University Press of of Landon Arena in the Crew Room they will be taking blood donations Wednesday 2-7 Kansas in 2014. p.m. and Thursday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Do your part to savealifenow. com by donating much “This book helps people needed blood. Stop at the VFW of Topeka Booth located in Landon Arena and support understand the prairie,” said your Freedom by purchasing a raffle ticket for a Colt 45 Pistol! Prairie Heritage board mem- Scott’s Free Horse Training Clinics are located in the Domer Livestock Arena and will ber Deliliah Hamilton. “It be held twice daily. See the best in business as Scott incorporates his unique training tech- niques. makes the science of grasses Iralee Barnard is presented the Jan Garton Prairie Her- Those attending the 2016 Topeka Farm Show are encouraged to visit the Information accessible; it’s user-friend- itage Book Award from Jim Sands, Junction City Com- missioner and Prairie Heritage, Inc. President. Desk located in Exhibition Hall Atrium or stop at the Midland Seeds booth to register for ly,” added board member 50 acres (50-units-$3000 value) of Midland® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Soybean Seed Margy Stewart. preservation of Cheyenne Cheyenne Bottoms. “Jan sponsored by your local Midland Seed dealer. The drawing will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Prairie Heritage, Inc., is a Bottoms, an ecologically es- Garton’s legacy continues,” Thursday and you need not be present to win. non-profit corporation dedi- sential wetland in Barton she said. A large variety of free health care will be available to those attending the farm show. cated to preserving the County. Ms. Barnard won the Visit the Shawnee/Osage County Health Agency’s located in the Exhibition Hall Atrium prairie and its stories. Its an- Ms. Barnard announced award in the category of nat- for the free health screening checks to include free well water nitrate testing, drawing for nual book award was en- that she would donate her ural history. A second protective ear muffs, free hearing test courtesy of The Hearing Aid Center and Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging information dowed by the estate of prize money to the Nature award in the category of so- Conservancy for the contin- cial history will be made in As in all Topeka Farm Shows there is no admission charge to any of the events, plus Kansas conservationist Jan free parking at the Kansas Expocentre. ued preservation of early 2016. Garton, famed for the Learn more about the 2016 Topeka Farm Show 24/7 at www.tradexpos.com Old World Bluestems – an asset or threat? By Donna Sullivan, Editor grasses is largely a function go back to grass, planted five marks on controlling Old native Bluestems, except in native warm season grasses Old World Bluestems – of precipitation. sections to Old World World Bluestems where and dry years,” Fick said. were substantial, reaching love it or leave it, was the Speaking first was Rick Bluestems. when necessary. Fick has studied the use 100% kill four months after topic of one of the break-out Furnish, foreman of Hitch Furnish said they will Old World Bluestems ma- of both glyphosate and treatment and recovering lit- sessions at the Kansas For- Ranch, which encompasses graze the pastures for two ture earlier than warm sea- imazapyr for controlling tle after a year. The imaza- age and Grassland Council 20,000 acres in the Oklaho- years, then hay it the third to son native grasses, and de- Caucasian Bluestem. In a pyr at one pound per acre winter conference and annu- ma Panhandle, northern clean up rogue plants. They velop more quickly. “They 2006 study, glyphosate ap- showed a decrease in native al meeting on December 15 Texas Panhandle and south- have seen very little en- will shoot that seed head plied at a rate of two pounds vegetation of 62% after four in Manhattan. In what was west Kansas. They feed croachment of the Old quicker than native grasses, per acre had 42% control months and 32% after a year. intended as a point-counter- around 100,000 head of cat- World Bluestems into the which then makes for lower four months after treatment At 1.25 pounds per acre it point presentation, it became tle per yet. While the alarm native species, and have quality,” he said. He cited a and 76% one year after treat- had a 35% kill rate after four apparent that the grasses are is being sounded on Old even tried to establish it into study done in Hays over sev- ment. At three pounds per months, but after a year the neither a silver bullet nor the World Bluestems around native grass but were unsuc- eral years on solid seeded acre it had 75% control four warm season grasses showed bane of a forage producer’s Kansas, his experience with cessful. stands of Old World months after treatment and a 10% increase. existence. Their value and them has always been posi- Precipitation seems to be Bluestems which found that 94% after one year. Imaza- Fick also described wip- compatibility with other tive. the mitigating factor, accord- the individual steer gains, pyr applied at one pound per ing or wicking herbicide “I really don’t have a dog ing to Walt Fick, from the along with gains per acre, acre saw 99% control four rather than broadcasting in this fight,” he admitted. “I Department of Agronomy at were lower in animals graz- months after treatment and glyphosate, but recommend- live on a ranch down there Kansas State University, as ing the Old World Bluestems 99% after a year. 100% con- ed mowing or burning to re- and we planted some of this the area around Hitch Ranch as opposed to those on trol was seen four months move the old growth first for grass and we’ve gotten along has not seen normal rainfall monocultures of switch after treatment when applied the treatment to be most ef- pretty good. I understand since 1999. grass, western wheat grass at 1.25 pounds per acre and fective. According to one that everything is different “There’s a tremendous and native prairie. held at 96% after a year. Un- study, it took two passes two and what we can have in one difference in precipitation “It’s generally not pre- fortunately, the effects of years in a row to get control place and what other people between the two areas,” he ferred by animals over the glyphosate treatment on the similar to foliar treatment. can have is two different pointed out. “There are things.” places where it can be used When severe drought and other areas where it’s forced them to stop row more of a concern.” A good Advertising Deadline cropping, they planted ten indicator of whether Old circles of Old World World Bluestems should For the January 5, 2016 issue, all advertising Bluestem into wheat for raise a warning flag in a must received by 5:00 p.m. on graze-out. “When we saw given area is whether or not the first spreading of the red cedars are a problem. Wednesday, December 30. grass in the spring, we “Where we have eastern red pulled the cattle out and we cedar problems, we will Happy New Year from the staff of got good stands on all of probably have Old World them,” Furnish said. In 1999 Bluestem invasion prob- Grass & Grain and Ag Press.