Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

You Can Make Money Producing And Marketing Alfalfa In The 80'S, David C. Petritz

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

We are today, as we were during most of the 70's, concerned with the future of the forage enterprise and the livestock species that depend on it. Will they survive an environment in which the emphasis is on grain exports? Will they survive in an environment in which consumers are not able (but hopefully willing) to pay prices for red meats which are profitable for all segments of the livestock industry? Will they survive in the 80's when real interest rates will be relatively high?

Marketing Alternatives For Kentucky Alfalfa: Needs, Challenges And Opportunities, J. Kenneth Evans

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

There are unquestionable needs for more high quality alfalfa in the Southeastern U.S. From these needs arise the challenge and opportunities for those who are researching, informing, teaching, and even promoting alfalfa. Likewise, there are income opportunities for those who own resources which could be used in producing and marketing alfalfa. This paper will discuss some of the factors which should be considered in hay marketing, i.e., (1) a dependable supply of hay; (2) producing high quality hay; and (3) planning to supply the highest quality hay to the highest priced market.

Hay - The National And International Traveler, Harry D. Gates Jr.

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Prior to 1883, packing, shipping and hauling hay was an irregular business. There was no established custom to govern, and every transaction was typical of the parties engaged in it.

The hay crop had become the leading agricultural product in value, and its importance commercially was appreciated. The amount of hay leaving the farm had steadily increased, but trade environment did not offer much encouragement for businessmen of regular methods, or the capitalist to embark in the business, and it was apparent to every thinking person that for the proper development of so important an industry it was necessary in …

Development Of Local Hay Association, Roger Sparrow, Eric Hinton, J. H. Ragland

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The need for a Hay marketing "system" had been obvious to hay sellers and agricultural leaders in Larue County for some time. Five or six hay producers had been selling mainly alfalfa hay to truckers, who would transport the hay to a buyer and reap the profit. Hay was mostly sold by the bale and at a low price. Because of the land and soil type, Larue County had a good potential to produce alfalfa as a cash crop. The development of this potential was being limited by an unreliable and unprofitable market. Given these conditions, the development of a …

Alfalfa From The Consumer Standpoint, John Williams

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Traditionally, horsemen in this part of the United States have fed grass hay mixed with good red clover hay to their horses in training as well as their horses on the farm. Knowing that legume hay is high in protein, horsemen found this is a good source of the needed protein for their animals no matter what activity they were engaged in. A few problems were found with clover hay. First of all, it was usually dusty and, if not made under ideal circumstances, the hay was dark and in some cases moldy. The hay could never be purchased in …

Innovations In Hay Harvesting And Storing, V. L. Lectenberg, D. A. Holt

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Haymaking in the humid parts of the U.S. is the most risky operation that farmers engage in. Standing hay is extremely high in moisture and must be dried to at least 25% moisture less before it can be stored without spoilage. Most farmers rely on natural field drying processes to cure their hay. Natural drying is often slowed by high relative humidity. Rainfall frequently occurs before the hay has dried which further slows the drying process and can result in serious nutrient and yield losses. Haymaking is also a labor-intensive farming operation and, until recently, involved a large amount of …

Breaking The Alfalfa Yield Barrier, J. Paul Mueller

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

During the past one-hundred or so years, alfalfa production has spread and flourished in the United States. It has contributed to progress in many phases of the livestock industry.

No-Till Establishement Of Alfalfa, Harlan E. White, Dale D. Wolf

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The no-till concept has been widely accepted in Virginia for corn and soybean production. However, alfalfa is still commonly established by plowing and tilling the soil into a fine seedbed. Each year many tons of productive topsoil is eroded by rainfall on those prepared seedbeds. The resulting gullies remain in the hayfield for the life of the stand to damage equipment and "rattle the teeth" of the operator.

Current Disease Problems In Alfalfa, William C. Nesmith

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is attacked by many fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes which USDA estimates reduces hay yields by 24% annually in the U.S. Even greater losses occur in Kentucky. However, it is the diseases of the root and crown which cause the greatest damage because they limit the number of years a stand can remain productive.

Quality Alfalfa Seed Production In The West, Vern L. Marble

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa seed production in the western United States has become a specialized business, and can no longer be considered as a "catch crop" to be harvested along with a hay production program in historical production areas in the Plains and Rocky Mountain states which produced approximately 80 percent of all of the seed produced in the late 1940's and early 1950's. In 1981 the seven western states of California (47.8 percent), Idaho (12.2 percent), Nevada (8.7 percent), Washington (7.7 percent), Oregon (4.2 percent), Montana (4.5 percent), and Utah (3.2 percent) produced 87.5 percent of the total 1981 production of 117 …