Plant Sciences Commons^™

Update On Options For Managing Thin Alfalfa Stands, Jimmy C. Henning

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is the highest yielding, highest quality hay crop grown in Kentucky. Well cured alfalfa and alfalfa‐grass hay is in high demand for dairy and in particular, horse owners. Alfalfa stands in Kentucky remain productive from four to as long as 8 years or more depending on several factors. Long stand life is favored by:

1. Using an improved variety with high resistance to the major diseases of Kentucky and that is proven to be high yielding in relevant trials such as conducted at the University of Kentucky.

2. Deep, well drained soils,

3. Soils that have been limed to …

Attacking The Yield Plateau: Assessing The Nutrient Status Of Kentucky Alfalfa Stands, W. R. Fleming, C. D. Teutsch, E. L. Ritchey, J. H. Grove

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Soil and tissue analyses indicated that alfalfa yields may be limited in some cases by soil fertility. Soil pH was below the optimal range in more than 40% of the fields sampled. This may result in decreased nitrogen fixation and nutrient availability. Potassium was reported low in approximately one‐quarter of the sampled stands according to tissue analysis. This was not unexpected since hay production removes large quantities of potash. Sulfur and magnesium were reported low in 13 and 23 percent of stands, respectively. More work is needed to better understand if these two 2023 Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference …

Hay Mechanization And New Equipment, Noah Pendry

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Review of the latest developments in hay mechanization equipment.

Options For Hay Mechanization: Collecting And Storing Small Square Bales, Dennis Wright

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

A producer's evaluation of the various available methods for collecting hay, including traditional flat wagon, stack wagon, accumulators, and bale banders.

Hay Production In The Deep South: Bermudagrass And Alfalfa A Perfect Combination, Jennifer J. Tucker

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

National Producer And Consumer Survey: Increasing Alfalfa Hay Sales To Horse Owners, Krista Lea, Bob Coleman, Laurie Lawrence, Jen Zimmerman, Ray Smith

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Horse owners were surveyed regarding their hay feeding choices. Unique factors of this market are discussed.

Round Bale Silage – Farmer Results In Kentucky, Jimmy C. Henning, Jeff Lehmkuhler, Brandon Sears, Corinne Belton, Levi Berg, Don Sorrell, April Wilhoit

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The ability to make silage in round bale packages allows producers to avoid rain damage and produce high quality stored forage. The proliferation of bale wrappers (both individual and inline types) has made this technology more available to producers. Although the process for making baleage is well documented, producers have experienced poor fermentation and in some cases botulism toxicity from baleage. The parameters of good silage are well known and include pH below 5.0 and lactic acid concentrations above 3% on a DM basis. However, tests of farmer produced baleage reveals that often these target values are not achieved. To …

Optimizing Quality With Bale Density And Time Of Wrapping, Jessica Williamson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Alfalfa Insect Update: 2021 Growing Season, Lee H. Townsend

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa weevils (AW) and fall armyworms (FAW) were newsmakers for very different reasons during the 2021 alfalfa growing season. An AW control failure with a pyrethroid in Kentucky drew attention to practices to manage insecticide resistance. A regional outbreak of FAWs resulted in significant damage to alfalfa and grasses along with a reminder of the unpredictable nature and difficult detection of this pest. While there are several effective FAW control options, it is challenging is to detect infestations in time to act.

Mowing And Conditioning For Round Bale Silage: Equipment Adjustment And Harvest Management, Jessica Williamson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Harvest Timing And Moisture Determination: Forage Drying Rates And Moisture Probe Accuracy, Benjamin M. Conner, Jimmy C. Henning

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Scott County Kentucky currently has a beef cattle herd of 28,509 head (USDA, 2017). These cattle utilize forage as a large part of their diets. Baleage is bales of wilted, high moisture forage which have been wrapped in several layers of UV‐resistant plastic and allowed to ensile like traditional chopped silage (Henning et al., 2021). Baleage has become another way for farmers to harvest and store forage to be used in cattle diets. It has some advantages over the traditional hay production in Kentucky. One advantage is it can be harvested, baled, and stored in a shorter period of time, …

Species And Variety Options For Baleage, S. Ray Smith

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Any forage species can be made into baleage or silage. While baleage is a form of silage, I’m defining it here as baled forage (typically round bales) that is wrapped in plastic (individually or in a line) for the ensiling process to take place. And silage is typically chopped forage that is ensiled in an upright or bunker silo or blown into a silage tube. The chopping mixes all the material together and allows tight packing to remove oxygen therefore encouraging faster fermentation. With baleage there is no chopping to mix the forage, so it’s essential that the forage is …

Forward Of Kentucky Alfalfa And Stored Forages Conference [2022], Jimmy C. Henning, S. Ray Smith, Christopher D. Teutsch

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Options For Managing Thin Alfalfa Stands, Jimmy C. Henning

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is the highest yielding, highest quality hay crop grown in Kentucky. Well cured alfalfa and alfalfa-grass hay is in high demand for dairy and in particular, horse owners. Alfalfa stands in Kentucky remain productive from four to as long as 8 years or more depending on several factors. Long stand life is favored by:

1. Using an improved variety with high resistance to the major diseases of Kentucky and that is proven to be high yielding in relevant trials such as conducted at the University of Kentucky.
2. Deep, well drained soils,
3. Soils that have been limed to pH 6.8 and …

When Weather Doesn't Cooperate: Which Fields Do I Cut First?, Dennis Wright, Brad Hines, Clayton Geralds

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Videos of this session are available on YouTube:

• Dennis Wright's presentation
• Brad Hines's presentation
• Clayton Geralds's presentation

Maturity Differences In Orchardgrass And Alfalfa: Implications For Forage Quality, S. Ray Smith

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Every forage producer knows that maturity is the most important factor in determining forage quality. When hay is harvested at the vegetative (leafy) stage, then there is a high likelihood that the forage quality will be high. Grass stands harvested at the boot stage (before seedhead emergence) will have increased yield over vegetative stands, but the quality is lower. Usually though, boot stage harvests provide a good compromise between yield and quality. The quality of grass stands continues to decline once the seedhead emerges and especially after anthesis (pollen shed) and when the seed starts developing.

Adjusting Equipment To Minimize Field Losses, Jordan Milewski, Philip Eby

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

What Does Past Research Tell Us About Alfalfa Drying Rates?, Jordyn Bush

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Today I’m going to give everyone a brief overview of a literature review I’ve been working on at the request of a local farmer. While writing this literature review, I looked at the factors that influence how quickly alfalfa dries down. I also read past research that has been conducted in an attempt to predict when hay will be dry or how long it will take to do so. The ultimate goal of this literature review was to determine the feasibility of creating some sort of hay drying prediction or forecasting system for Kentucky.

Using Forage Quality To Market Hay, Tom Keene

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Measuring Forage Quality: Sampling And Interpretation, Christopher D. Teutsch

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Forage quality is often described with terms like crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, in vitro dry matter digestibility, neutral detergent fiber digestibility, and the list goes on! Perhaps the best definition of forage quality is the ability of a forage to produce a desired animal response. This concept is quite simple, but the process of getting from forage to actual animal performance is quite complex (Figure 1). It is important to realize that there is no perfect measure of forage quality. However, measures that are based on fiber digestibly provide better estimates of energy and dry matter …

Forward Of Kentucky Alfalfa And Stored Forages Conference [2021], Christopher D. Teutsch, S. Ray Smith, Jimmy C. Henning

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Making A Profit With A Cash Hay Alfalfa Operation--Integrating All The Pieces, Clayton Geralds

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

What’S New In Alfalfa Weed Control?, Jonathan D. Green

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The importance of weed control in alfalfa production should not be overlooked, especially when you consider the high investment associated with forage legumes. Weeds have the potential to reduce forage yield by competing for water, sunlight, and nutrients. For example, yield obtained from the first cutting of alfalfa can be significantly reduced by a heavy infestation of common chickweed and other winter annual weeds. In addition to yield losses, weeds can lower forage quality, increase the incidence of disease and insect problems, cause premature stand loss, and create harvesting problems. Some weeds are unpalatable to livestock or, in some cases, …

Updates On An Online Alfalfa Management Tool Under Development, Travis Howle, S. Ray Smith

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Integrated Management Of Alfalfa Diseases, Kiersten A. Wise

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa diseases can reduce forage quality and the longevity of alfalfa stands. Integrated management of diseases can minimize disease impact and improve forage stand and quality. There are several important pathogens that cause disease on alfalfa, and the occurrence of these diseases, as well as the severity of damage, depend on several factors, including the type of pathogen, the environment, and the level of resistance of the host to a particular disease. In addition, disease presence and severity are also influenced by agronomic practices, particularly sowing dates, cutting dates and frequency, and fertility programs.

Moving Past The Routine: Precision Management For Alfalfa And Hay Crops, Joshua M. Mcgrath

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Soil testing is made up of four distinct activities, collecting the soil sample, analyzing the sample, interpreting the results, and providing fertilizer recommendations that account for the fertilizer source, timing of application, rate of application, and placement of the fertilizer. Traditionally, collecting a soil sample was viewed as the limiting step because a recommendation is only as good as the sample that it is based on. With traditional soil sampling, we attempt to represent the field’s average nutrient status. Typically, you would want one sample for every 10 – 20 acres. A sample should be collected to the depth prescribed …

Smarter Alfalfa Weevil Management, Ricardo Bessin

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa weevil is the primary insect pest attacking the first cutting of alfalfa reducing both quality and yield. The tiny 1st and 2nd stage larvae chew on tip leaves producing tiny pin holes which may seem minor, but 3rd and 4th stages feed extensively shredding leaves resulting in significant damage. A heavy infestation can cause the field to appear grayish. While an individual larva feeds for about 3 weeks, eggs hatch over an extended period, so total damage within a field will accumulate over 5 to 6 weeks.

Getting The Full Benefit Of Your Lime/Fertilizer Dollar, John H. Grove

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Start with a soil test, even if soil testing is not a perfect way to identify nutrient needs. There are no one-size-fits-all formulas for starting a field of alfalfa – every field is ‘fertility unique’. Your prior knowledge of the field will cause you to make your initial soil test either well ahead of, or rather closer to, alfalfa seeding. The major driver of the timing of the initial soil test is soil acidity. If field soil acidity is suspected, soil test well ahead of seeding – 6 to 12 months ahead. Lime takes time to more thoroughly neutralize higher …

Forward Of Kentucky Alfalfa And Stored Forages Conference [2020], S. Ray Smith, Jimmy C. Henning, Christopher D. Teutsch

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Survey And Adjourn, Kentucky Alfalfa And Stored Forages Conference

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.