Fertilizer

David C. Sparrow of Danville is plowing a new career field - one in which he hopes to harvest a lot of votes. Sparrow, who has spent his life involved in agriculture, including his current post as a top administrator with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture and a stint of more than two decades as 4-H agent and agricultural extension agent for Boyle County, is making his first race for public office. He has filed as a Democrat to run for the 54th District House seat now occupied by Mike Harmon, R-Junction City.

As fertilizer costs escalate, farmers might want to consider what they can do to maximize productivity within their budget. The high fertilizer price is one of those issues that isn't likely to go away. How will farmers react to fertilizer prices that are likely to remain high for the next few years? My prediction is farmers will stay in business and they will figure out a way to do it, and I think it is important for me to help them decide where their fertilizer money is best spent.

Fall is the best time of year to take soil samples. Time and saving money are among the reasons to do fall soil sampling. Fall sampling gives you plenty of time to follow fertility recommendations before planting season. As soon as you receive the soil test results, look at the pH level, a measure of soil acidity. The pH or lime level in the soil as some folks call it, affects plants' uptake of all fertilizer nutrients. If the soil pH is too low, it decreases the uptake of essential nutrients.

If you want to increase crop yields or vegetable and flower garden production next spring, have your soil tested. This is the only way to determine whether the soil has the right alkalinity or acidity to release available nutrients. The measure of soil acidity is pH. It controls availability of all other nutrients. Generally, agronomic crops grow best when the pH is between six and seven. Some horticultural crops such as azaleas and blueberries require much more acidic soil conditions, in the range of 4.5. An incorrect soil pH can cause problems.

It looks like spring has finally arrived. The warm days have been very enjoyable. A lot of you took advantage of the good weather to do soil sampling, pasture renovation, and fertilization. That's great but a lot more of you need to be doing those chores this week. Please take note of my recommendations that follow because they are definitely profit makers. STILL TIME FOR CLOVER SEEDING- Follow these important steps when renovating grass fields with legumes: Have the soil tested and apply the needed lime and fertilizer.

To hear the words “let it burn” is kind of odd when they come from a fire chief, but that's what Danville chief Woody Ball said will happen if many of the agricultural companies were to catch fire. Local fire, police and medical personnel met Thursday at Danville's 911 center to discuss the unlikely but possible danger of agriculture plants and factories in Boyle County. Ball said the sites are regularly monitored, but after the recent explosion of a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, he and other officials thought it would be beneficial to share their knowledge with the community.

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture's free rinse and return program for Boyle County residents will be 10 a.m. to noon June 7 at Greenleaf Fertilizer in Danville. This is a recycling program for plastic chemical containers. Farmers and commercial applicators are urged to take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of containers. The containers must be plastic and should be rinsed with lids and secondary labels removed, but affixed labels are acceptable. For more information, contact KDA's Division of Environmental Assistance at 502-573-0282 or e-mail Mark Wilson at mawilson@wk.

Summer's heat and dry weather can take a toll on your flower garden. But with a little extra care, it is possible to bring it back to life for a few more weeks of vibrant color and texture. With both annuals and perennials, making sure they get plenty of water is always important, but even more so in late summer. Annuals, in particular, will start to decline without an adequate supply of water to keep the ground moist. The general rule of thumb for watering your plants is 1 inch of water per week.

Preston Gross pitches empty pesticide containers toward a chipping machine early Wednesday morning during the Pesticide Container Recycling program sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Each summer, farmers from 50 area counties, including Clark, collect and send their empty containers to Ag/Gro Fertilizer of Hill Street for the program. Working the chipper from TRI-Rinse of St. Louis are, on truck, Gary Thorton, left, and Marcel Hill. Handing up the bottles to the workers were Charles Bruton, left, and Tracy Burton, inmates from the Clark County Jail.

Property transfers for the week of Nov. 1 to Nov. 5. — Steven Ray Wilson to Realprop LLC, parcel 1, Moundale Avenue, $500. — Ag Gro Fertilizer Company Inc. to Kentucky Fertilizer LLC, Hill Street, $6,000. — Ag Gro Fertilizer Company Inc. to Kentucky Fertilizer LLC, various property, $669,000. — Arrow Properties LLC to Ready Mix Concrete of Somerset Inc., U.S. 6, $168,130. — Julian Harris to Douglas Mitchell Harris and Christopher Lee Harris, two parcels, Dry Fork Creek, love and affection.