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Agricultural Science

2024

Soil fertility

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Bale Grazing To Improve Soil Fertility In Kentucky Pastures, N. Roy, J. W. Lehmkuhler Feb 2024

Bale Grazing To Improve Soil Fertility In Kentucky Pastures, N. Roy, J. W. Lehmkuhler

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

A long-term project on a small Kentucky beef farm has demonstrated that bale grazing is an effective means of improving soil fertility. With the cooperation of a beef cattle producer, Extension personnel have been able to measure improvements in soil fertility using both high density and moderate density bale grazing practices. Initial efforts demonstrate that high density bale grazing improved soil fertility quickly by increasing soil test phosphorus from 15 to 45 ppm and potassium from 52 to 175 ppm on Melich III soil test extraction method. High density bale grazing was also shown to serve as a strategy to …


Assessing The Nutrient Status Of Alfalfa Stands In Kentucky, William R. Fleming, Christopher D. Teutsch, Edwin L. Ritchey, John H. Grove Jan 2024

Assessing The Nutrient Status Of Alfalfa Stands In Kentucky, William R. Fleming, Christopher D. Teutsch, Edwin L. Ritchey, John H. Grove

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial forage legume and is sometimes referred to as the “Queen of Forages” due to its high nutritional value. Alfalfa is commonly produced as hay for use in the dairy and equine industries. Alfalfa yield increased exponentially from the 1950s to the1980s due to new breeding and management innovations. However, during the 1980s yields plateaued at around 7.5 Mg/ha and remain there today. The overarching goal of this study was to determine the role of soil fertility in the observed yield plateau. Fifty alfalfa stands in Kentucky were sampled to gather information about …