Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Marketing Programs And Strategies, J. Kenneth Evans

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Hay has never been widely perceived as a cash crop, therefore, it has historically accounted for a very small part of the total cash sales by farmers. It has been estimated that more than 90% of all hay baled in the state is retained on the producing farms. Most of that which is sold is transported very short distances and of course if one farmer in a community has a good hay year, all do. Organized marketing efforts have been minimal in both scope and successes. In 1978, efforts were initiated toward a more organized system of marketing Kentucky hay. …

The Economics Of Stand Life In The Production Of Alfalfa, W. Donald Shurley

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is a crop which once established, can provide production of hay for several years thereafter. The productive years of the established crop are often referred to as the stand life. The life of an alfalfa stand is variable depending on many factors including variety grown, soil, weather conditions during the production period, insect and weed pressures, and of course the management skills of the producer in timely harvesting and other production jobs.

Alfalfa In Livestock Feeding Programs, Gary T. Lane

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

A magazine article entitled "Bidders Paid More For Quality at Wisconsin Hay Auction" caught my attention. Did they really pay more money for higher quality. I could not help but think of some hay sales which I have witnessed. One dollar per bale, large bales, small round bales, sixty dollars per ton, and $275 per ton are all some quotes I have heard recently in connection with hay purchases. Not much is said about quality. We may hear relative terms such as good, not much grass, cut early, not rained on or others but not much about nutrient content or …

Grazing Alfalfa, Charles T. Dougherty

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa (Medicaao sativa) is a native of an area south of the Black and Caspian seas and it still grows wild in Iran and eastern Anatolia. Alfalfa was the chosen forage for the fighting horses of ancient armies as long ago as 1800 B.C. when the Kassites conquered Babylon. The spread of alfalfa followed the pathway of armies through the Mediterranean, Europe, and the New World. For ages before man used alfalfa to fuel his fighting animals natural selection processes worked on the evolution of alfalfa and its predecessors. A scenario which would account for the morphology and …

Chemical Preservation Of Alfalfa Hay, Dan O. Riddell

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Kentucky farmers harvest about 3 million tons of hay annually. In order to minimize dry matter losses and quality deterioration, hay should be baled with about 20% moisture. Unfortunately, adequate time required to field-dry hay to 20% moisture is often not available due to weather conditions. This is especially true for the first cutting of alfalfa in the spring. Many farmers are forced to choose between letting cut hay get rained on or baling hay wetter than is recommended. Hay baled with more than 20-25% moisture generally becomes moldy and undergoes a heating process which makes part of the protein …

Biological Control Of Alfalfa Insect Pests, Chris M. Christensen

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is a succulent plant that obviously is good feed for large herbivores such as cattle and horses. Therefore, it should not be surprising that a large number of small herbivores such as insects also find this plant delicious. Fortunately, most of these insects are not major pests. However, we do have a couple pest insects that annually attack this valuable crop and often cause economic damage.

Controlling insect pests is expensive and time consuming. However, not controlling them can be disastrous to the profit margin of the alfalfa producer. Entomologists who work on the insect pests of alfalfa have …

Weed Control In Alfalfa — Present & Future, Charles H. Slack

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

To achieve maximum alfalfa production and maintain excellent stands and forage quality for a number of years, producers need to start including weed control in their management program. Unfortunately good stands are not being established because of early weed competition where herbicides are not used. Alfalfa stands tend to play out before achieving their maximum number of years of production unless maintenance herbicides are used. Fortunately there are now herbicides registered to meet most every phase of alfalfa production.

This paper will deal primarily with the herbicides that are currently labeled for use on alfalfa. Several herbicides that are not …

Fertilizing Alfalfa For Optimum Production, Lloyd W. Murdock

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is a high producing crop. Therefore, it only makes sense not to limit its production or longevity by establishing it on unsuitable soil and by the use of unsound fertility practices. It is the aim of this paper to propose practices which will not limit the production of alfalfa, but, also allow it to be done as efficiently as possible with only the necessary inputs.

No-Till Alfalfa — Research And Observations, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

In previous addresses to this Conference, I have suggested four basic goals be included in your alfalfa program: 1) attention to details prior to and during establishment such that you establish a thick, weed-free stand; necessary management to; 2) keep the stand productive for five years; 3) produce five tons per acre per year, and; 4) market your harvest product either as a cash crop or through your livestock program for profit. In the presentations to follow today, information will be presented which, if adapted to your program, will permit you to reach and surpass the above goals.

The topic …

Kentucky's Soils Potential For Alfalfa Production, Kenneth L. Wells

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

A description of Kentucky's land base indicates that of nearly 15 million acres suitable for cropland usage, approximately three-fourths has an erosion hazard potential of some degree, relating largely to steepness of slope (1). For this reason, there is a large potential acreage of alfalfa and other perennial forage crops relating to their sod forming growth habit which provides them an inherent value in erosion control.

Foreword [1985], Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.