Life Sciences Commons^™

Grazing Alfalfa — State Perspective, W. Roy Burris, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa has been grown in Kentucky for many years, but in the last decade, its acreage has increased dramatically- from 208,000 in 1978 to 350,000 in 1981 (Ky. Agri. Statistics Service). Alfalfa is generally thought of as a hay crop but the practice of grazing alfalfa has received considerable attention recently. Much of this interest was generated by "Graze-More-Beef" demonstrations which have been conducted in the state. Demonstrations in which alfalfa was grazed averaged 791 pounds per acre during 1986-1988. Alfalfa's ability to withstand dry weather and its excellent nutritional qualities make it an attractive grazing alternative to fescue - …

Do's And Don'ts Of Alfalfa Grazing, Ken Johnson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

I usually start grazing in April when alfalfa is about 10 inches tall. I like to start with enough cattle to graze a paddock clean in two to five days, then move to another paddock, returning to re-graze in about 35 days. I usually need at least eight paddocks in the system. You must rotate cattle on Alfalfa for the stand to persist. It will take seven or eight head of 500 pound calves per acre to keep up with alfalfa growth in the spring. Part of the calves will need to be removed in June and maybe some more …

Grazing Alfalfa — County Perspective, Steve Osborne

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Often the difference between successful farming operations and others is the ability of the producers to manage the available resources to their advantage. The rolling topography and plentiful supply of livestock water in Monroe County is well suited to forage production. The purpose of this program is to introduce new forage species, improve forage production, and increase producer profits.

Grazing Alfalfa — An Overview, Garry D. Lacefield, W. Roy Burris

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is the most important forage legume grown in the United States. Grown over a wide range of soil and climatic conditions it has the highest yield potential and feeding value of all perennial forage legumes. This versatile crop can be used for hay, pasture, silage, green-chop, pellets, cubes and soil improvement. Because of its many merits, especially yield, quality and versatility, it can be used successfully in many animal feeding programs.

Grazing alfalfa has not been practiced to any great extent in the U.S., but has been done extensively in other countries. Research and producer experience has shown excellent …

Quality From The Seed To The Sale To The Animal, Jimmy C. Henning, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Forages in Kentucky have been valued at over $700 million annually. This figure combines receipts from cash hay sales to indirect value from the portion of beef, dairy, sheep, and horse receipts that are attributable to pasture and stored forages. However, the key to the maintaining and even increasing the value of forages to Kentucky lies in Quality: A) Quality of seed B) Quality as it relates to sales, and C) Quality as it relates to the animal.

New Developments In Hay Harvesting, Michael Collins

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Hay and pasture crops are critical to Kentucky Agriculture and to that of the entire temperate region of the US. The sale of cattle, calves and dairy products provide 29% of Kentucky's farm income compared with 23% for tobacco. Beef cowcalf enterprises comprise the majority of cattle numbers in the state, however, dairy production is also significant. A substantial horse industry also exists in Kentucky which is an excellent market for high quality alfalfa hay. At present a substantial amount of alfalfa for feeding horses in the state is imported.

My Observations And Experiences With Alfalfa, Larry Jeffries

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

I was raised on a small dairy farm in Henry County, Kentucky. I'm the oldest of six children and wanted to leave the farm as soon as possible. Upon graduation from Transylvania College in 1956, I was quickly drafted into the U.S. Army. I was sent to El Paso, Texas, for training and remained in the southwest for 11 (eleven) years.

In 1958 I married Carolyn Billman. We have 4 (four) children: Rae Lynne, Janet, Keith, and Joy.

Upon returning home to Henry County to farm and teach school in 1967, I found a catastrophe had happened to the alfalfa …

An Alfalfa Management Program For Optimum Yields And Quality, Bill Griffith

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa popularity is not surprising because it has the highest yield potential and the highest feeding value of all perennial hay crops. While the protein value of alfalfa is of major importance, its energy content is also high and should not be discounted. High yields of alfalfa harvested at the proper stage of maturity compare favorably with corn silage in production of energy.

Alfalfa Production And Trends In Kentucky, David D. Williamson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is often referred to as the "Queen of U.S. Forage Production". Looking at all hay production alfalfa should be called "The King". In 1991, 83.8 million tons were harvested in the United States -- 55 percent of all the hay harvested in the United States. This total does not include the many tons harvested as green chop, which is an especially common practice among dairy farmers. But, why shouldn't alfalfa be popular? This deep rooted leguminous plant is generally the forage leader in yield, protein, and TDN.

Foreword [1993], Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

Hybrid Variation For Yield, Crude Protein, Feed Value And Percent Lysine Of Corn Grown In The 1991 Kentucky Hybrid Corn Performance Test, C. G. Poneleit, K. O. Evans, Michael Collins, D. O. Liptrap

Agronomy Notes

These data are the results from the second year of protein analyses of corn hybrids grown at three locations in the Kentucky Hybrid Corn Performance Test. These analyses were supported. by a grant from the Kentucky Corn Growers Association.

Field Calibration Of A Transient Model For Broiler Misting, Richard S. Gates, Douglas G. Overhults, Robert W. Bottcher, Shu Hui Zhang

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A transient model to predict temperature within a tunnel ventilated broiler house during misting is developed. The model is calibrated with field data to obtain steady-state constants; transient predictions are compared to measured temperatures during cyclic misting for two different size birds. Measured temperatures during cyclic misting are shown to swing between steady-state asymptotes predicted from the model. Transient response of the model was faster than measured temperature data, in part due to temperature sensor dynamic response. The model predicts the length-wise temperature profile within the building during misting, and can be used to investigate alternate misting strategies and designs. …

Mechanical Backup Systems For Electronic Environmental Controllers, Richard S. Gates, Douglas G. Overhults, Larry W. Turner

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A series of mechanical backup systems for electronic environmental controllers is presented for a typical finishing swine barn and a typical tunnel ventilated broiler house. The systems consist of mechanical thermostats and timers used in parallel with the electronic controller, designed to ensure animal survival in the event of controller or related hardware failure. For swine housing, three distinct mechanical backup functions are identified; for broiler housing, four distinct mechanical backup functions are identified. Schematic diagrams of the mechanical backup functions are provided and their implementation is described.

Factors To Consider In No-Till Small Grain Production, John H. Grove, Lloyd W. Murdock, James H. Herbek, David C. Ditsch

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

Winter annual small grains, especially wheat and barley, are an important part of the cropping systems used in Kentucky. They are a source of early cash flow and livestock feed, and serve as cover crops to reduce soil erosion during the winter.

The early spring growth of winter annuals takes advantage of spring rains and stored soil moisture. Prompt, timely harvest permits the planting of either soybeans or grain sorghum as a second or double crop, making this cropping system profitable and widely adapted. Much of the increased acreage sown to small grains since 1967 has occurred primarily on sloping, …

Trends In Cropland Acreage And Fertilizer Use In Kentucky Since 1980, Kenneth L. Wells

Agronomy Notes

Cropland acreage and patterns of fertilizer use varied considerably during the period 1980-1991. Variation in cropland acreage is largely related to commodity prices, available markets, land ownership patterns, and government programs. Patterns of fertilizer use are affected by cropland acreage, the nature of the fertilizer supply industry in Kentucky, weather, and improved efficiency in use of time and labor by farmers. The situation in the early 1990's is different than it was in 1980, and the following discussion highlights changes that have taken place. Fertilizer use data are those reported by the University of Kentucky's Division of Regulatory Services in …

Growing Soybean Varieties From Multiple Maturity Groups Can Reduce Yearly Yield Volatility, Todd W. Pfeiffer

Agronomy Notes

In the Kentucky Soybean Performance Test program, varieties of maturity groups (MG) 3, 4 and 5 are tested to provide information on their relative yields. The difference in maturity between the earliest and the latest maturing variety in the test in any year is approximately 30 days. In general, although some regional differences appear, the long-term state-wide and within region yield of the different maturity groups (average yield of a 11 varieties in a maturity group) is equal (Table 1). As I've inspected results from the Kentucky Soybean Performance Tests for the last decade, it appeared that some of the …

Immune Responses Of Systemic And Mucosal Lymphoid Organs To Pnu-Imune Vaccine As A Function Of Age And The Efficacy Of Monophosphoryl Lipid A As An Adjuvant, Manju Garg, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

A murine model system was established to study immune responses to the Pnu-Imune vaccine, which is made up of 23 different pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides. In this animal model, antibody-forming cell responses to 21 of 23 individual polysaccharides in the vaccine were detected. The Pnu-Imune vaccine elicited good antibody responses from the spleens and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of young mice, whereas a variety of other peripheral lymph nodes were unresponsive. The immunoglobulin M plaque-forming cell (PFC) response in the spleen to the Pnu-Imune vaccine (given intraperitoneally or subcutaneously) decreased dramatically with increasing age. However, the spleen and MLN differed in …

A Survey Of Electronic Environmental Controllers, Richard S. Gates, Douglas G. Overhults, Larry W. Turner

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Sixteen commercially available electronic environmental controllers were evaluated. The units were classified according to enclosure type, analog versus microprocessor based control, power supply, sensors, alarms, control relays and triac output, interval timers, outside temperature feedback, and retail price. An assessment of these controllers indicated several critical limitations in the application of this technology.

The use of integrated controllers for animal production has the potential for substantial improvements in production efficiencies. If the limitations observed in the present controller technology, as represented by this sample, are addressed, industry acceptance of the technology can be accelerated. A uniform standard to address this …

An Early-Planted, Early Maturing Soybean Cropping System: Yield And Harvest Losses, Larry J. Grabau, M. V. Kane, H. Lin, Dennis B. Egli

Agronomy Notes

Most soybean varieties used In Kentucky, whether grown full season or double-cropped behind wheat or barley, are from Maturity Groups (MG) IV or V. Some MG III varieties are also grown; however, virtually no MG 1/ or earner varieties are planted. Agronomists and soybean producers in Kentucky· have generally felt that MG IV and V varieties produce the highest yield. Since the driest months in Kentucky are August, September,and October, MG IV and V varieties frequently encounter moisture stress during the important seed fill stage. The use of earlier maturing varieties was initially proposed as a means of getting a …

Transient Overvoltage Testing Of Environmental Controllers, Richard S. Gates, Larry W. Turner, Douglas G. Overhults

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The integrated electronic control system will provide a new method for the day-to-day management of environmental control of animal production systems. No standards are currently accepted for transient overvoltage protection of these controllers. To assess the adequacy of existing designs, a test circuit was designed and used for a transient open circuit over-voltage waveform (ANSI/IEEE C62.41-1980) of 16 environmental control units: a maximum spike of 770 V was applied to the power supplies, and a spike up to 100 V was applied to temperature sensor lines. For these relatively mild tests, no failures were noted due to power supply transients, …

Dollars And Sense Of Alfalfa: Marketing Your High Yield, High Quality Alfalfa At High Prices, David C. Petritz

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

It seems every farmer wants to be in the commercial hay business--growing hay for the cash market. Have you ever stopped to think about the amount of hay that would be produced if everyone who talked about producing hay actually produced hay?

Chemical, Biological And Machinery Aids For Quality Haymaking, Michael Collins

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Hay and pasture crops are critical to Kentucky Agriculture and to that of the entire temperate region of the US. The sale of cattle, calves and dairy products provide 29% of Kentucky's farm income compared with 23% for tobacco. Beef cow-calf enterprises comprise the majority of cattle numbers in the state, however, dairy production is also significant. A substantial horse industry exists in Kentucky which is an excellent market for high quality alfalfa hay. At present a substantial amount of alfalfa for horse feeding in the state is imported.

Alfalfa In My Cash Hay Operation, Nicky Baker

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

I'm Nicky Baker, a fifth generation farmer from the Fredonia Valley's area in Western Kentucky. My current farming operation consists of 65 acres alfalfa, 100 · acres of row crops, (basically a corn, wheat, soybean double-crop rotation) and 2.5 acres of burley tobacco. I also have a 50 cow beef herd.

I remember having alfalfa on our farm before the weevil days of the '60's caused farmers to stop growing it. In those days, most of the farms had alfalfa and the majority of them had dairy cattle. The grain explosion of the '70's further curtailed alfalfa acreage, thereby providing …

Alfalfa In Our Horse Operation, Ben H. Crawford

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

"There's nothing better for the inside of man than the outside of a horse and there's nothing better for the inside of a horse than alfalfa hay".

Our operation consists of approximately 500 acres of rolling clay land. We lease an additional 100+ acres for alfalfa and other hay production. Our rotational program includes com, soybeans, wheat, oats followed by either red cloverorchardgrass or alfalfa-orchardgrass for hay and pasture.

Alfalfa In The Shirley Dairy Operation, Gary Tilghman, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Mr. Larry Thomas Shirley grew up on a small dairy farm in southern Barren County, Kentucky where they milked 25 cows by hand. In 1960 he graduated from Austin-Tracy High School and attended Western Kentucky University for 2 years. He has also taken several other hours of class time at night. In 1962, he married Martha Spillman and they have 3 children; Debra 26, John 14 and Ben 11.

Mr. Shirley's first job was as a computer operator for Malone & Hyde, a wholesale grocery company. He worked in this position from 1962-1968. In 1968 he worked for Glasgow Manufacturing …

Alfalfa In My Beef Operation, Jay Quisenberry

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

I have had two failures seeding alfalfa in the past few years. Once I seeded into land that had been in no-till com only one year. I found that fescue came back into that stand of alfalfa and took it in several years. Another time I seeded alfalfa into land that had been in com for a few years but had not been seeded down properly. I thought I could no-till alfalfa in that piece of ground and there would not be too much competition. But I was wrong again. I realize that both times I could have come back …

Alfalfa In Beef Backgrounding Programs, G. D. Cantrill

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa can be a very important part of most beef backgrounding operations. Today I want to look at two ideas about alfalfa.

First, why we should consider making alfalfa our most important crop on a farm that's backgrounding. Secondly, what are some of the ways to best utilize the alfalfa we do produce?

We can say a lot of positive things about why alfalfa can be important to a beef backgrounder. In preparing for this presentation, I talked with several producers about why they grow and feed alfalfa. Most often I came away with the thought: Alfalfa improves cash flow.

Advances In Grazing Alfalfa, Charles T. Dougherty

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Many farmers are reluctant to develop a new enterprise based on the grazing of alfalfa if they have had no experience with grazing of this species. Their first negative reaction is usually based on their fear of legume bloat. Often their second reaction is that grazing will destroy the alfalfa stand in short order. Another response is that grazing is a wasteful and inefficient use of a valuable resource generating less income than conventional uses, such as hay and silage. Another reaction is based on the fear Alfalfa grazing, according to other sceptics, also requires lots of capital for fencing …

Is Ridomil Recommended When Seeding Alfalfa?, Paul C. Vincelli

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Ridomil 2E® fungicide received a federal label in 1991 for control of seedling diseases of alfalfa caused by Pythium and Phytophthora fungi. Pythium fungi are widespread in Kentucky soils but can be controlled with Apron^® seed treatment. Phytophthora is less common in Kentucky soils. Where present, Phytophthora can usually be controlled with a combination of resistant varieties and Apron seed treatment. Occasionally, yield increases may be observed using Ridomil in fields highly infested with Phytophthora. However, broadcast applications of Ridomil at seeding are not recommended for most alfalfa fields in Kentucky.

Alfalfa Varieties, Jimmy C. Henning, Linda Brown, Garry D. Lacefield, Leonard M. Lauriault

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is the highest yielding, highest quality legume forage crop raised in Kentucky. This crop forms the basis of Kentucky's cash hay enterprise and is an important component in dairy, horse, beef and sheep diets. In 1990, 320,000 acres of alfalfa were produced in Kentucky, averaging 3.4 tons of dry matter yield per acre. At $75 per ton, the value of this alfalfa to Kentucky farmers would be $81.6 million.

This report will provide current yield data on alfalfa varieties currently in the Kentucky Alfalfa Variety Trials. Also, guidelines on selecting alfalfa varieties will be discussed.