Nitrogen

Last week I began a two-part column about air pollution and discussed three of the six most common air pollutants as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. This week, I'll take a look at the other three. As a refresher, the most common air pollutants are ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and lead. This week, I will take a closer look at nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides and lead. Just as with the three pollutants I talked about last week, nitrogen oxides form from emissions from motor vehicles and power plants.

Over the last year, Hometown Tire has been doing its own hometown research on nitrogen, and its owners say they're sold. Owner Jon McWilliams had read about adding the gas to tires instead of compressed air, but waited it out. "I wanted to make sure it wasn't just another fad," McWilliams said. Several industry reports on the overall benefits of nitrogen changed his mind, so he and others at the shop tried it out on their own vehicles. "We all liked it, and could notice the difference," McWilliams said.

At the first sign of green grass in the spring, it is tempting to dust off the fertilizer spreader and apply nitrogen to the lawn. If you applied nitrogen late last fall or winter, there's no need to apply nitrogen this spring because the lawn already should be starting to green up. Applying nitrogen now also will make grass less heat and drought tolerant and cause more problems with weeds and diseases. Weeds compete with grass for moisture and nutrients. But if you did not fertilize the lawn last fall, applying nitrogen this spring will be beneficial because it will green the lawn and make it look better for a few weeks.

At the first sign of green grass in the spring, it is tempting to dust off the fertilizer spreader to apply nitrogen to the lawn. If you applied nitrogen late last fall or winter there's no need to apply nitrogen this spring because the lawn already should be starting to green up. Applying nitrogen now also will make grass less heat and drought tolerant and cause more problems with weeds and diseases. Weeds compete with grass for moisture and nutrients. But if you did not fertilize the lawn last fall, applying nitrogen this spring will be beneficial because it will green the lawn and make it look better for a few weeks.

Late fall and early winter are the best times to fertilize landscapes with mixed plantings of grass and woody plants. But how much fertilizer should you apply? First, take eight to 10 soil samples from several areas of the yard. Mix the samples together and take them to the Boyle County Cooperative Extension Service office to be submitted for analyses to determine soil pH (soil acidity or alkalinity) and whether you need to apply other necessary nutrients including phosphorus and potassium.

Late fall and early winter are the best times to fertilize landscapes with mixed plantings of grass and woody plants. But how much fertilizer should you apply? First, take eight to 10 soil samples from several areas of the yard. Mix the samples together and take them to the Boyle County Cooperative Extension Service office to be submitted for analyses to determine soil pH (soil acidity or alkalinity) and whether you need to apply other necessary nutrients including phosphorus and potassium.

HARRODSBURG - Kentucky Utilities has agreed to spend $135 million to upgrade its Mercer County power plant and to pay a $1.4 million civil penalty in a settlement reached with the U.S. government. The Environmental Protection Agency claimed that the E.W. Brown Generating Station on Dix Dam Road was in violation of the Clean Air Act after its largest coal-fired electrical generating unit was modified in 1997. A complaint filed in 2007 alleged that the modifications, which allowed the generating station to burn more coal, also increased the amount of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions.

If you have grass pastures or hay fields, following some simple renovation techniques will increase their productivity. These practices include planting a legume such as red clover, controlling pests and adding lime and fertilizer. Adding legumes to pasture and hay fields has several benefits including higher yields, improved quality, nitrogen fixation, and more summer growth. Seeding legumes increases the total forage yield per acre. One study compared adding red clover to a fescue pasture with fertilizing the grass with nitrogen.

Agri-tourism is a hot commodity for Kentucky farm families. This is a way to add value to your business as well as diversify the agriculture operation. The Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and the Small Business Development Corp. are joining forces to sponsor agri-tourism How-to Workshops in Frankfort and Somerset. This is open to anyone interested in starting an agri-tourism business or learning more about expanding an idea. The first series, "Jump Start Your Business Plan," begins April 13 at the Franklin County extension office in Frankfort.

Last week I began a two-part column about air pollution and discussed three of the six most common air pollutants as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. This week, I'll take a look at the other three. As a refresher, the most common air pollutants are ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and lead. This week, I will take a closer look at nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides and lead. Just as with the three pollutants I talked about last week, nitrogen oxides form from emissions from motor vehicles and power plants.

Late fall and early winter are the best times to fertilize landscapes with mixed plantings of grass and woody plants. But how much fertilizer should you apply? First, take eight to 10 soil samples from several areas of the yard. Mix the samples together and take them to the Boyle County Cooperative Extension Service office to be submitted for analyses to determine soil pH (soil acidity or alkalinity) and whether you need to apply other necessary nutrients including phosphorus and potassium.

At the first sign of green grass in the spring, it is tempting to dust off the fertilizer spreader and apply nitrogen to the lawn. If you applied nitrogen late last fall or winter, there's no need to apply nitrogen this spring because the lawn already should be starting to green up. Applying nitrogen now also will make grass less heat and drought tolerant and cause more problems with weeds and diseases. Weeds compete with grass for moisture and nutrients. But if you did not fertilize the lawn last fall, applying nitrogen this spring will be beneficial because it will green the lawn and make it look better for a few weeks.

HARRODSBURG - Kentucky Utilities has agreed to spend $135 million to upgrade its Mercer County power plant and to pay a $1.4 million civil penalty in a settlement reached with the U.S. government. The Environmental Protection Agency claimed that the E.W. Brown Generating Station on Dix Dam Road was in violation of the Clean Air Act after its largest coal-fired electrical generating unit was modified in 1997. A complaint filed in 2007 alleged that the modifications, which allowed the generating station to burn more coal, also increased the amount of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions.

Drought-stricken, non-irrigated lawns are either dormant, dead or seriously thinned. Lawns or portions of lawns growing on good soils and showing some green at the base of the leaves are likely to recover quickly following a soaking rain event. Lawns showing no green, growing on south or west slopes, growing on clay or sandy soil and mowed short during the drought may be more than 50 percent killed. September and October are normally the two driest months of the year and most Kentucky soils are very, very dry throughout the root zone.

Stockpiling is a very good practice. Stockpiling tall fescue will extend pastures later into the season than any other grasses that we have and the data continues to show that everyday grazing is cheaper than feeding hay. More and more producers are seeing the importance of stockpiling and making more efficient use of their pastures throughout the year. Producers are seeing the profit potential in beef cattle and are putting more effort toward that. Cattle producers can make some inexpensive changes that could improve the quality of their animals and the management of those animals.

Over the last year, Hometown Tire has been doing its own hometown research on nitrogen, and its owners say they're sold. Owner Jon McWilliams had read about adding the gas to tires instead of compressed air, but waited it out. "I wanted to make sure it wasn't just another fad," McWilliams said. Several industry reports on the overall benefits of nitrogen changed his mind, so he and others at the shop tried it out on their own vehicles. "We all liked it, and could notice the difference," McWilliams said.

At the first sign of green grass in the spring, it is tempting to dust off the fertilizer spreader to apply nitrogen to the lawn. If you applied nitrogen late last fall or winter there's no need to apply nitrogen this spring because the lawn already should be starting to green up. Applying nitrogen now also will make grass less heat and drought tolerant and cause more problems with weeds and diseases. Weeds compete with grass for moisture and nutrients. But if you did not fertilize the lawn last fall, applying nitrogen this spring will be beneficial because it will green the lawn and make it look better for a few weeks.

If you have grass pastures or hay fields, following some simple renovation techniques will increase their productivity. These practices include planting a legume such as red clover, controlling pests and adding lime and fertilizer. Adding legumes to pasture and hay fields has several benefits including higher yields, improved quality, nitrogen fixation, and more summer growth. Seeding legumes increases the total forage yield per acre. One study compared adding red clover to a fescue pasture with fertilizing the grass with nitrogen.