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Forage Testing Program, Michael Judge
Forage Testing Program, Michael Judge
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Livestock farmers who need hay can find it right here in Kentucky. Listings of farms with hay for sale can be found on the Hay and Forage Program page of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Web site, www.kyagr.com.
Why Dairy Farmers Need And Want High Quality Alfalfa Hay: Quality Of Hay = Performance And Profitability, Donna M. Amaral-Phillips
Why Dairy Farmers Need And Want High Quality Alfalfa Hay: Quality Of Hay = Performance And Profitability, Donna M. Amaral-Phillips
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Why do dairy farmers want high quality forages, including alfalfa hay, to feed to their milking herds? Feeding high-quality forages results in greater feed intake and as a result, dairy cows produce more milk, and they often times can produce this milk more economically. With advancing stage of plant maturity, fiber digestibility and protein content of the alfalfa plant decreases while the amount of fiber increases. Consequently, less energy is available to the cow when it consumes more mature alfalfa. Energy is the nutrient that most often limits performance in dairy or beef cattle - not protein. The take home …
Alfalfa Hay For Horses, Robert Coleman
Alfalfa Hay For Horses, Robert Coleman
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
When horse owners consider hay for their animals a number of criteria are generally considered. Of major importance is the hay must be free of mold and dust, it needs to contain nutrients needed by the horse and it must be palatable. If these criteria are met, the type of hay should not matter. However, that is not the case with many horse owners. When discussing hay, many owners first consider the type of hay. Can it be alfalfa or should it be a grass or how about a mix of grass and a legume. If a group of horse …
Interpreting Forage Quality Test Reports, Donna M. Amaral-Phillips
Interpreting Forage Quality Test Reports, Donna M. Amaral-Phillips
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Forages are the foundation for building diets for beef and dairy cattle, horses, sheep and goats. The quality of these forages directly impacts forage intake, animal performance, and, ultimately, the profitability to their owners. As the quality of forages decline, consumption of that forage decreases and the amount of grain or byproducts which must be fed increases. The cost for a unit of performance increases and/or the animal can not perform (i.e. milk or gain) to the optimum level thus lowering profitability to the animal owner. These relationships are especially true with young and high performance ruminants, such as high …
Moisture Management In Hay Making And Storage, Tom Keene, Doug Overhults
Moisture Management In Hay Making And Storage, Tom Keene, Doug Overhults
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Making hay in central Kentucky can be one of the most trying on farm endeavors a producer can undertake. Our plentiful moisture, rolling topography, and climate make Kentucky ideal for producing high quality forage for either grazing or hay making. However, that same moisture, either in the form of rain or high humidity, can sometimes make it devilishly hard to make hay here in Kentucky.
Storing Alfalfa As Round Bale Silage, David C. Ditsch
Storing Alfalfa As Round Bale Silage, David C. Ditsch
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Hay is the most popular method for storing alfalfa because it stores well for long periods and is better suited to cash sale and transportation than silage. However, silage may be a suitable option when and/or where hay curing is difficult. Due to numerous improvements in baling and wrapping equipment, it is possible to make high quality round bale silage using long (unchopped) alfalfa crops.
Alfalfa As A Grazing Crop, Garry D. Lacefield
Alfalfa As A Grazing Crop, Garry D. Lacefield
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Over the past decade we have had several people address “Alfalfa as a Grazing Crop” including Warren Thompson, Jim Moutray, Gary Bates, Ken Johnson, Jason Sandefur, Byron Sleugh, and myself. Each has done an excellent job discussing the merits of this remarkable crop and the opportunities it offers for grazing. At the end of the Conference last year, I (as I always do) asked for your suggestions concerning topics for this years’ conference. As it has been for the past decade, “Grazing” was the most requested topic. In today’s presentation, let’s go back and revisit the question, “Is Grazing Alfalfa …
Fertilizing Alfalfa For Profit, Greg Schwab
Fertilizing Alfalfa For Profit, Greg Schwab
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Alfalfa is a high quality, valuable forage crop that can be successfully produced on most well drained soils in Kentucky. Fertilizing alfalfa can be uniquely challenging because it is a perennial crop. In addition, high yielding alfalfa removes a tremendous amount of soil nutrients when compared to other crops grown in Kentucky. A thorough understanding of alfalfa’s growth habits, nutrient requirements, and the soil nutrient supply mechanisms for alfalfa is necessary to effectively manage fertilizer inputs and maximize profitability.
Principles And Practices Of Successful Alfalfa Establishment, Gary Bates
Principles And Practices Of Successful Alfalfa Establishment, Gary Bates
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Alfalfa is the most widely known forage crop, due to its high quality and the versatility of use. There are few forages that are as widely distributed as alfalfa, and none that can produce the high yields and high quality. Even with all of the positives of alfalfa, growing this crop profitably is often difficult. An evaluation of alfalfa budgets shows that a key factor in the success with alfalfa is the stand life. Because of the establishment expense, an extra year or two of production can increase the lucrativeness of the stand. The start of having a long life …
Advances In Alfalfa Seed Coating, Bill Talley
Advances In Alfalfa Seed Coating, Bill Talley
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Seed coating for alfalfa has been available since the mid to late 70’s. Over the last 30 years, advances in the industry have made it the choice of many producers. The purpose of the coatings at that time was mainly to add weight to increase the ballistic properties and to be a carrier for the rhizobia. Through research and new technology, coatings have evolved and shown great agronomic benefits. Seed coating can provide an opportunity to supply effective quantities of needed materials to each seed, which can influence both the physical property, and the microenvironment of the seed. Coatings can …
New Alfalfa Varieties, S. Ray Smith
New Alfalfa Varieties, S. Ray Smith
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
Commercial alfalfa breeding companies have continued to make great strides in the development of new varieties with unique traits. New traits include Roundup Ready®, potato leafhopper resistance, hybrids, lodging resistance, rapid regrowth, higher quality, resistance to new diseases, and more… I will address some of these new developments in the following pages. In addition, producers often ask the question: “Are improved varieties really worth the higher seed cost?” Dr. Jimmy Henning recently summarized 24 location years of Kentucky alfalfa yield data and found that the best 5 varieties in each test yielded 0.9 tons/A higher than the checks. Over a …
Foreword And Recipients Of Kentucky Alfalfa Awards [2006], Garry D. Lacefield, Christi L. Forsythe
Foreword And Recipients Of Kentucky Alfalfa Awards [2006], Garry D. Lacefield, Christi L. Forsythe
Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
No abstract provided.