===== PAGE 1 ===== # THE KENTUCKY COLONELS ‘KERNEL “Scion” of the Kentucky Nut Growers Association Kirk W. Pomper – Editor/Publisher (502) 597-5942 Volume 2-49 Number 1 Spring 2019 ## OFFICERS Danny Ganno, Henderson, KY – President (270) 860-8362 Fred Blankenship, Rhodelia, KY – Vice President (270) 272-7670 Larry Daulton, Nicholasville, KY – Vice President Cole Hamilton, KY–Vice President David Spainhoward, Spottsville, KY – Vice President Harold Upton, Waynesburg, KY – Vice President Doug Hines, Paris, KY – Secretary Dr. Kirk W. Pomper, Frankfort, KY – Editor/Publisher Carl Ray, Philpot, KY – Treasurer (270) 281-4800 John Brittain, Upton, KY – Recorder/Asst. Treasurer (270) 369-8551 ## DIRECTORS (from KY): Hugh Ligon, Henderson, KY Joe Ballard, Owensboro, KY Kenny Beard, E'town, KY Dr. John Strang, Lexington, KY Clifford England, McKee, KY Karl Klein, Crestwood, KY Chairman of Hickories Fred Blankenship (270) 272-7670 Chairman of Pecans John Brittain (270) 369-8551 ## NOMINATING COMMITTEE Three Years – Doug Hines, Paris, KY - Expires 2019 Three Years – Danny Ganno, Henderson, KY - Expires 2019 Three Years – Fred Blankenship, Rhodelia, KY - Expires 2019 ## OTHER STATES Don Compton, Marengo, IN Vince Raddle, Cape Girardeau, MO Ed Fackler, Salisbury, IN Ken Farnsley, New Albany, IN Danny Vessels, Chandler, IN ## KENTUCKY NUT GROWERS ASSOCIATION SPRING MEETING, SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2019 A Date to Remember: The Spring meeting of the Kentucky Nut Growers Association will be held this year on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at the Hardin County Extension Office, 201 Peterson Dr., Elizabethtown, KY 42701 at 9:00 am ET. The Extension Office Building is located just off U.S. 62 about two miles west from downtown Elizabethtown—directly behind the Cecilia Auto Sales Lot. In approaching Elizabethtown from western Kentucky on U.S. 62, turn left at Peterson Drive—first street past the Manakee Funeral Home. Eastern and northern Kentucky arrivals driving west on U.S. 62 through Elizabethtown must turn right at Peterson Drive—first street past the Auto Sales Lot. KNGA signs will be posted. The luncheon will be potluck. If you bring something that will need to be heated or warmed, there is a well-equipped kitchen that can be used for that purpose. Additionally, please bring nuts for people to taste and items, such as plants and trees, which can be used as door prizes and for an auction. For more information about KNGA contact Dan Ganno at (270) 860-8362 or danganno@yahoo.com. See full program on page 4. ## Inside This Issue
Remembering Jerry Lehman......2
Fruit Crop News............3
KNGA Spring Meeting Program and other upcoming meetings............5
Regional Pecan Grafting Workshop............6
Message from the President............7
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April 28, 1936 - April 1, 2019
Jerome W. Lehman, 82, of Terre Haute, passed away on April 1, 2019, at Terre Haute Regional Hospital. He was owner of Motorola Service Stations (MSS) in Terre Haute, Bloomington, Vincennes and Evansville. He was born April 28, 1936, in Berne, Indiana, to Lewellyn and Florence (Graber) Lehman. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Barbara L. (Swettenam) Lehman; children, Charles Lehman, Mark Lehman (A.J.), Jennifer Lehman and Cynthia Carnes; four grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and sisters, Marilyn Spurgeon (Charles), Norma Brandenburg (Ralph) and Elaine Mikesell (Garry). He was preceded in death by his parents. Jerome was a veteran of the United States Army. He was a member of the Canal Society of Indiana. He served as a volunteer photographer and member of Honey Creek Fire Department as well as being a board member. After retirement Jerry became interested in growing and hybridizing and sharing knowledge of persimmons and pawpaws. He was a member of Indiana Fruit and Nut Growers Association and Northern Nut Growers Association for many years. Jerry bred the pawpaw varieties Maria's Joy, 275-56, 250-39 and 250-30; the persimmon varieties Celebrity, Deer Magnet, Deer Candy and Lehman's Delight; and was responsible for introducing several Asian persimmon hybrids to the US from Japan. ===== PAGE 3 ===== ## Fruit Crop News John Strang, U.K. Extension Horticulturist and Matt Dixon, U.K. Ag. Meteorologist Compiled from Kentucky Fruit Facts March and April/May 2019 Newsletter Growers are juggling jobs to keep up with the rapidly warming temperatures. Pears are blooming and apple bloom is beginning. Eastern tent caterpillar eggs are hatching, so watch for these on orchard trees. The U.K. Ag. Weather Center reports that the state averaged 9.08 inches of rainfall for the month of February, which makes this the second wettest February since data were recorded beginning in 1895. The wettest year was 1989 with 9.85 inches of rainfall. Our average rainfall for February is 3.67 inches. I think that everyone can remember when the polar vortex slid into Kentucky at the end of January. Figure 1 shows the low temperature minimums for the first part of 2019. It felt cold, but fortunately we don't think that it was cold enough to cause injury to our fruit crops over most of the state. In the most northern counties where temperatures dropped below 0circF we would expect some damage to thornless blackberries and some injury to grapes, particularly those that are less hardy or stressed/weak. Fruit growers are concerned with the actual low temperature minimums which injure fruit plants and not with the wind chill which affects people and warm blooded animals. We have noted a little more peach flower bud winter kill than expected at Princeton and in Lexington, however this still left plenty of surviving flower buds for a full crop. We are not positive as to when this damage occurred. The temperature dropped to 2.4 and 9.5°F at Lexington and Princeton respectively with the polar vortex on January 31, but buds were fully hardened at this point. We suspect that the damage occurred on February 9 when the temperature dropped to 15.6°F and 17.4°F at Lexington and Princeton respectively. This minimum temperature is not that low, but the temperature drop was proceeded by five days in the 60's and we reached 70°F in Lexington on one day and significant dehardening likely occurred. The other possible date for injury was March 5 when the temperature dropped to 9.7°F and 12.3°F in Lexington and Princeton. This however drop was proceeded by four days of cooler temperatures, but there were warmer temperatures prior to this. The freeze on the morning of April 1 likely killed more peach flower buds and flowers (Figure 2). This was more of an advective freeze with a cold air mass moving in from the north involving wind that mixed the air column making most frost protection techniques ineffective. Figure 3 shows Growing Degree Day (GDD) accumulations for this season and several previous seasons including the 2007 Easter Freeze season. The faster growing degree days accumulate the more rapidly trees bud out and bloom. I consider 2018 to be an average season with respect to fruit harvest dates. So this year we are running slightly behind the 2018 season. The U.K. Ag. Weather Center reports that we will probably be somewhat warmer than normal with normal rainfall for the next month. Our March precipitation was below normal, which is the first month with below normal precipitation since October 2018. ===== PAGE 4 =====
Kentucky Minimum Low Temperatures
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Data Courtesy: National Weather Service and Kentucky Mesonet
Figure 1. Lowest temperatures (\circF) experienced across the state on January 30/31, 2019.
Morning Low Temperatures: April 1, 2019 Data Courtesy: National Weather Service and Kentucky Mesonet
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Figure 2. Lowest temperatures (\circF) experienced across the state on the morning of April 1.
Lexington GDD Accumulations Base 50 (2007, 2016-2019)
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Figure 3. Growing degree day accumulations (base 50circF) for 2019 and past years.
===== PAGE 5 ===== ## 9 :30 am-2:00 pm KNGA Nut Display. One of the main attractions at our meeting is the nut display. These exhibits afford our members the opportunity to see and examine first-hand the fine nuts that are grown in Kentucky and adjoining states. KNGA Swap-Shop and Scionwood Exchange. These spring meetings offer a great opportunity to obtain scarce scionwood for nut tree cultivars and other plant material. Please bring a good supply of scionwood from your best producing pecans, hickories, black walnuts, Persian walnuts, persimmons, pawpaws, and various fruit cultivars. Please bring plastic bags or moisture proof wrappings, rubber bands, and labels for the scionwood. Please take care to label everything carefully for distribution at the meetings to avoid scionwood mix ups. 9:45 am. KNGA Board of Directors Meeting. If members have items to discuss or proposals to make, this is the time to present them. The fall KNGA meeting site will be determined. 10:45 am. General Business Meeting, NNGA meeting review, and other Announcements 12 Noon. Potluck Luncheon. If you bring something that will need to be heated or warmed, there is a well-equipped kitchen that can be used for that purpose. 12:30 pm. The KNGA Annual Spring Auction Sale. In order to make the traditional spring sale the best ever, we request members bring items from their orchards, yards, farms or nurseries that they wish to donate for this occasion. Almost any items are appropriate - seeds, plants, nuts of any kind, and especially grafted fruit and nut trees. Please label the items that you donate to auction. Your donations are greatly appreciated by the KNGA. Many members, nurserymen and others donate plant material and other items for door prizes. ## Other upcoming meetings: July 28-31, Northern Nut Growers Association/North American Fruit Explorers Conference, Graduate Hotel, 210 South Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. For meeting specifics and registration see: https://nutgrowing.org/nnga-2019-annual-meeting/ ===== PAGE 6 ===== # REGIONAL PECAN GRAFTING WORKSHOP Presented by Dr. William Reid and Ralph Voss Scottsburg, IN @ Virgil Family Pecan Far ## May 18th, 2019 - 9:00am EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) This workshop is open to anyone interested in asexual propagation of hardwood trees. Personalized training of various grafting techniques at the bench and in the field will be given. For more information go to : https://www.infga.org/ Registration/Catered lunch 14.00 per person. Payment must be received by May 1st 2019. Please include names and addresses of attendees. Check or money order payable to Indiana Fruit and Nut Growers Assoc. (INFGA). ## Mail payment to: Vaughn Family Pecan Farm 1208 W. Craig Rd. Scottsburg, In. 47170 (812) 752-4929 ## Directions: Scottsburg is approximately 30 miles north of Louisville, KY on Interstate 65 exit 29. Highway 56. West to first stoplight. South on Lake Rd 4.5 mi. Turn west on Craig Rd. First driveway on right. ## Agenda: 9:00 am EDT: Dr. William Reid will take the lead and go to Ralph Voss for additional tips and tricks while covering the following subjects: > Why graft > When to graft > Tools for grafting > Collecting and storing scions > Three flap grafting > Bark grafting > Break into small groups to practice under the watchful eye of an experienced grafter. Noon-1:00 pm: Lunch 1:00 pm: > A fast auction of trees, etc. > A short INFGA business meeting > More grafting in the orchard with additional techniques being demonstrated. ===== PAGE 7 ===== # Message from the KNGA President Hello KNGA Members, Finally spring has arrived, I am looking forward to warm weather, tree grafting and a good nut- growing season. Our spring meeting is coming up the last Saturday in April and I would encourage you to come join us at the Hardin County Extension Facility in Elizabethtown. Please bring scionwood for swapping at the next meeting, nut samples and any extra trees, flowers, or plants you wish to donate for the annual sale. Also don't forget to bring a side dish for our potluck luncheon, the meat will be provided by KNGA. Looking forward to visiting with you and to meeting some of our new members. See you there and please feel free to contact me at any time. Best Regards Danny Ganno 270-860-8362 danganno@yahoo.com ## Annual Dues Information NOTICE: the year listed immediately after your address label indicates the year through which your membership dues are paid. Please note that dates highlighted in pink indicate that your KNGA membership is past due. Please renew your membership. Thanks! Please Check out the Kentucky Nut Growers Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/Kentucky-Nut-Growers-Association-1599224510355036/ England's Orchard & Nursery
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