The extremely cold weather in February continues to affect Kingfisher County.

Kingfisher County Extension Director-agricultural educator Bryan Kennedy advises that county cattle producers need to give fertility checks for their bulls before they turn them out on their cowherds.

He said the cold weather could have damaged bulls’ ability to reproduce.

If that happened the solution to the problem might be to replace the damaged bulls.

Kennedy said there is a good chance the bulls may recover naturally, and the major problem will be that a calf crop will be delayed by a month.

He recommended fertility tests for herd bulls that experienced the cold spell.

He also suggested the need to require fertility tests for any new bull being purchased to add to a cattleman’s breeding stock.

This is the time of year when many cattlemen begin turning bulls out with their cows.

Regarding county small grain prospects, Kennedy called them “real good” at this point with crops making rapid growth along with a lack of disease or insect problems.

He said some alfalfa growers are spraying for aphids at this time and advised close checking of fields as the weather warms up and chances of insect pest infestation increases.

He commented that halfinch or inch of rain would be welcome at this time but added that occurrence could trigger fungus diseases.

“We’ve got good subsoil moisture but it’s getting a little dry on top in some areas of the county,” he added.

Fertilizer applications have dropped off with the rapid growth in the small grain fields.

He said that recent increases in the price of liquid nitrogen fertilizers may mean producers will need to budget more carefully for next year.

He noted that wheat prices have followed corn prices in gaining strength, which could mean a higher market for small grains this year and next, possibly caused by inflation or hyper-inflation.

Kennedy said there is a possibility that fields of summer crops such as soybeans or milo will show up in greater numbers this year, especially in northern regions of the county where irrigation is available.