AEN-176: Providing and Improving Drinking Water for Livestock

Steve Higgins | Aug. 9, 2024 (New)

Water is a fundamental requirement for livestock. Depending on the species, livestock will consume two to six times more water than forages or feed. Nevertheless, drinking water quality for livestock is commonly overlooked, which can result in huge implications to animal health, well-being, and optimal productivity. To that end, providing adequate water sources for livestock is crucial.

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AEN-175: Rain Traps for Watering Livestock in Remote Locations

Steve Higgins | Mar. 25, 2024 (New)

The availability of abundant, clean water can be the most limiting factor for a grazing operation. Rainfall has been harvested for thousands of years to provide water for crops, humans, and livestock. A familiar example is a cistern adjacent to a barn or house. This old concept still offers opportunities and, with a little ingenuity, can be used to provide abundant, clean water for almost any situation and location.

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AEN-174: Drone Sprayer Sizing for Agricultural Applications

Joshua Jackson, Karla Ladino | Mar. 6, 2024 (New)

Sprayers are essential in agriculture, since they apply products that control weeds, pests, and diseases. In recent years, drone sprayers have gained popularity due to advantages associated with their flexibility in application timing, ability to operate without being constrained by ground conditions, and ease of deployment. Given the growing number of manufacturers and the wide range of available sizes, it can be challenging to select an optimally sized drone sprayer for a user's specific needs, as this decision carries significant economic implications.

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AEN-173: Shelterbelts for Livestock

Steve Higgins | Dec. 19, 2023 (New)

Livestock must maintain a normal body temperature to optimize their production potential. Providing shade and protection from wind are two ways producers can aid in managing the impact of temperature-related stress on their livestock.

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AEN-170: When to Replace Sprayer Nozzle Tips

Tim Stombaugh | Dec. 5, 2022 (New)

Nozzle tips are critical sprayer components for achieving accurate and uniform application of chemicals. Furthermore, nozzle tips are not cheap, especially when considering how many are required on a sprayer. As with any component on a machine, they will not last forever. So when should nozzle tips be replaced? It would be nice if there were a maximum number of sprayed acres or a fixed period of time after which the nozzle tips should be changed for new ones. Unfortunately, there are too many complicating factors to give such a simple answer. This document explains the causes of nozzle tip wear and some simple ways to tell when they should be replaced.

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AEN-171: General Considerations and Requirements for Drone Spraying

Gabriel Abdulai, Joshua Jackson, Karla Ladino | Nov. 29, 2022 (New)

The purchase of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) sprayer, also known as a drone sprayer, must be evaluated carefully. For farmers and sprayer service providers who are thinking about purchasing drone sprayers for their operations, this publication will summarize the potential uses, background information, certificates and licenses required, equipment needed, utilities used, software implemented, insurance needed, maintenance and repairs executed, cost metric utilized, time allocated, and application effectiveness considerations.

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AEN-172: Decision Aid to Determine the Cost of Using a Drone Sprayer in Production Agriculture

Gabriel Abdulai, Joshua Jackson, Karla Ladino, Tim Stombaugh | Nov. 29, 2022 (New)

Similar to other agricultural equipment purchases, cost and potential for return on investment for drone sprayers must be carefully evaluated. General Considerations and Requirements for Drone Spraying (AEN-171) summarized what aspects should be evaluated prior to the purchase of a drone sprayer, or unmanned aerial systems (UAS) sprayer. These aspects include cost considerations, potential uses, certificates and licenses, equipment, utilities, software, insurance, maintenance and repairs, and time allocation.

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AEN-169: Cattle Winter‐Feeding Area Evaluation

Steve Higgins, Lee Moser | Sep. 13, 2022 (New)

Winter feeding of cattle is necessary in Kentucky, since forages are dormant from late fall to spring. To prevent damage to multiple pastures by the creation of mud from livestock and tractor traffic, producers traditionally select a small area to "sacrifice" for this task. However, poorly chosen sites for winter feeding can lead to the accumulation of mud and loss of productivity of livestock. This publication should be used as a tool to evaluate the suitability of winter‐feeding sites and to provide solutions for correcting deficiencies.

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AEN-168: Taking the Indoors Out: Creating Outdoor Learning Environments

Carmen Agouridis | Jul. 25, 2022 (New)

Outdoor learning environments or classrooms are spaces where students can learn about the natural and human-created world while in an outdoor or natural setting. In these spaces, instructors can use engaging, interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum to lead students through lessons and to encourage exploration. While often used for science and agricultural studies, outdoor classrooms are also useful for teaching mathematics, social studies, language arts, music, art, and practical living.

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AEN-167: Backyard Chickens as Garden Fertilizer Generators

Steve Higgins | Mar. 11, 2022 (New)

Having backyard chickens can be a fun, educational, and rewarding experience. There are many reasons why people keep backyard chickens, with availability of fresh, colored eggs, food security, and enjoying the birds as pets among them. However, for some, the goal is to obtain the rich manure that chickens produce to fertilize their garden. There is no better farmyard manure for the garden, as far as the nitrogen content, than poultry manure.