6-4 FB Rain and Frost

 Water and frost caused some problems last week in the Magic Valley.

The Twin Falls county extension educator reports rain brought some needed moisture to the range over the weekend.  But everything comes at a price. Twin Falls also reports cut alfalfa got rained on over the weekend.  Here is United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service media contact Vince Matthews to describe the negative effects of mother nature’s latest offering. “It is not all that good for it because the point to cutting it is to have it dry before it gets bailed. It is not at the ideal moisture content to be bailed when it gets 1st cut. So it lays on the ground for a few days and then gets bailed. So if it gets rained on the hay gets wet again.”  The Bonneville extension educator reports areas of frost last week could have damaged grains in the boot stage. If you are wondering about the boot stage, here is thence again. “It is a growth stage where it has progressed to the point where the stem is about to elongate  and have the head of the grain come up out of the plant and develop further.”