Earth Sciences Commons^™

Alfalfa Weed Control — Strategies For Success, James R. Martin

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Field evaluation, cultural and chemical practices are key ingredients of a successful weed control program in alfalfa. A weak link in any of these components could lead to reduced profits and possibly shorten the life of an alfalfa stand.

Managing Alfalfa Diseases, Paul C. Vincelli

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Diseases of alfalfa can limit productivity of this valuable forage crop. Alfalfa diseases can reduce forage yield, reduce forage quality, and decrease stand persistence. The effects of diseases can be dramatic, such as sudden stand loss due to Sclerotinia crown and stem rot. Often, the effects of alfalfa diseases are more subtle but are no less important. For example, alfalfa plants with Phytophthora root rot sometimes regrow slowly after cutting, resulting in a stunted stand showing no other obvious symptoms of disease.

Like most crop diseases, alfalfa diseases are most effectively managed by integrating as many control measures as practical. …

Nitrogen And Boron Fertilization Of Alfalfa, Monroe Rasnake

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Very little current research data is available on the response of alfalfa to nitrogen application at establishment or to the addition of boron. University of Kentucky recommendations (AGR-1 Lime and Fertilizer Recommendations) indicate that zero to 30 pounds of nitrogen per acre may be applied at seeding for alfalfa. No nitrogen would be recommended when soil nitrogen levels are likely to be adequate such as where manure or high levels of nitrogen fertilizer had been applied to the previous crop. Annual applications of boron at 1.5-2.0 pounds of elemental boron per acre are recommended.

Neighboring states differ in their nitrogen …

Advances In Alfalfa Variety Development And Testing, Jimmy C. Henning, Leonard M. Lauriault, Linda G. Brown, Garry D. Lacefield, Paul C. Vincelli, John C. Parr

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is historically the highest yielding, highest quality forage legume grown in Kentucky. It forms the basis of Kentucky's cash hay enterprise and is an important component in dairy, horse, beef and sheep diets. Over 300,000 acres of alfalfa are grown annually in Kentucky, with state yields averaging between 3 and 4 tons per acre.

The development and testing of alfalfa varieties is a dynamic process that impacts all Kentucky farmers. The Kentucky Alfalfa Variety Testing program was re-started in 1990 and is carried out through the efforts of several people, including Leonard Lauriault, Linda Brown …

Foreword [1994], Garry D. Lacefield, Christi L. Forsythe

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

Field Test Of "Farm For Profit®" Burley Tobacco Production Program, Kenneth L. Wells, Mark Reese

Soil Science News and Views

Considerable interest exists among local farmers in Scott County, Kentucky, about a "Farm For Profit^®" tobacco production program being advocated by the representative of a product supplier as a means of improving burley tobacco production. Because of this interest, we conducted a field test of this program in 1993. The objective was to compare yield results from this "program" with those from two, more conventional practices.

An Estimate Of The Source And Uptake Of Nitrogen In Continuous No-Till Com Grain Production, Kenneth L. Wells

Soil Science News and Views

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a maximum nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) content of 10 parts per million (ppm) for safe drinking water. Because of this, the effect of commercial nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agricultural production as a contributor of NO₃-N to surface and groundwater is now being widely examined. Since corn production in the US is the largest single source of fertilizer N use, averaging perhaps 100-150 lbs N/A on the 70-80 million acres of corn produced annually, an understanding of N utilization and losses in corn production is helpful in determining the role …

Sand And Gravel Resources Along The Ohio River Valley In Boone, Gallatin, And Carroll Counties, Kentucky, Eugene J. Amaral

Report of Investigations--KGS

Glacial outwash sand and gravel from three northern Kentucky counties in the Ohio River Valley have been analyzed in order to characterize their particle size, composition, morphology, and surface alteration and to determine the geologic significance of lateral and stratigraphic variations in these sediment properties. The late Wisconsinan-age deposits, actively mined in terraces along the Ohio River, are composed of moderately sorted sand and a poorly sorted, bimodal mixture of sand and gravel. A systematic pattern of regional grain-size variation was found to be associated with the confluence of the Great Miami River, a major meltwater sluiceway entering the Ohio …

Trapping Fecal Bacteria And Sediment In Surface Runoff From Cropland Treated With Poultry Litter, Mark S. Coyne, R. A. Gilfillen, Robert L. Blevins

Soil Science News and Views

Between 1991 and 1994 the broiler population exploded in Kentucky as the poultry industry began to expand. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture predicts that within four years annual broiler production could exceed 275 million birds. This may be good for Kentucky's economy but it carries some important environmental consequences. If expansion continues as anticipated, the estimated waste production from broilers for processing could reach 300,000 tons per year (assuming each broiler house produces 150,000 birds per year and the yearly manure and litter production per house is approximately 160 tons).

Water Quality And Fecal Indicator Bacteria, Mark S. Coyne

Soil Science News and Views

How can you tell if water is fit to drink? Color and taste aren't reliable guides for water safety. Clear water can be contaminated with chemicals or microorganisms the senses can't detect. One of the principle qualities of potable (drinkable) water is its freedom from microbial contaminants. This article will describe some criteria and methods that are used to determine the microbial quality of water.

The Fecal Coliform/Fecal Streptococci Ratio (Fc/Fs) And Water Quality In The Bluegrass Region Of Kentucky, Mark S. Coyne, J. M. Howell

Soil Science News and Views

In the mid 70' s, someone noticed that the ratio of two indicator bacteria in fecal wastes - fecal coliforms (FC) and fecal streptococci (FS) - was characteristic of particular animal wastes. In human wastes, the fecal coliform/fecal streptococci ratio (FC/FS ratio) was greater than 4. In domesticated animals, like cattle, the ratio was between 0.1 and 4.0. In wild animals, the ratio was less than 0.1. Since that time, many attempts have been made to use the ratio to determine the source of fecal bacteria in contaminated ground water.

Agricultural Impacts On Fecal Contamination Of Shallow Groundwaters In The Bluegrass Region Of Kentucky, Mark S. Coyne, J. M. Howell

Soil Science News and Views

Any farming practices that degrade water quality contribute to agricultural nonpoint source pollution. This is a problem in Kentucky's Bluegrass region where shallow soils and karst geology permit surface contaminants to reach groundwater quickly. Real and perceived threats to public health may make groundwater protection plans a reality if evidence for non-point source pollution in agricultural areas continues to grow.

Control Of Rodents In No-Till Corn, Lloyd W. Murdock

Soil Science News and Views

The prairie vole is probably the primary rodent that reduces no-till crop plant stands in Kentucky. Because the vole requires a full canopy cover for protection from predators, established grass or legume sod fields and field borders (including wheat or rye stubble, set-aside and cover crop seedings) provide an ideal habitat.

Production And Nutrient Content Of Broiler Litter, Monroe Rasnake, Mike Williams

Soil Science News and Views

How much litter is produced in a broiler house in one year? How much nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is present in broiler litter? These are questions that concern broiler producers and others who have an interest in the use and safe disposal of broiler litter. A project was initiated with support of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the cooperation of several broiler producers in Carlisle County to help answer these questions.

Estimated Nutrient Content And Uptake By Kentucky's Crops, Kenneth L. Wells, William O. Thom

Soil Science News and Views

A commonly asked question by crop producers is, "how many pounds of plant nutrients do my crops take up?" While the absolute answer to this varies by yield and soil fertility, useful estimates can be made from research data to enable a producer to have a "ballpark" value for nutrient up-take by some of the major crops of Kentucky. The following tables contain estimates of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P),and potassium (K) contained in certain crops and the amount of N, phosphate (P₂O₅), and potash (K,O) taken up by tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa hay, clover grass …

Impact Of Riparian Grass Filter Strips On Surface-Water Quality, Alex W. Fogle, Daniel I. Carey, Billy J. Barfield, Robert L. Blevins, Vasilios P. Evangelou, Cora E. Madison, Shreeram P. Inamdar

Information Circular--KGS

The effectiveness of natural riparian grass filter strips in removing sediment and agricultural chemicals from surface runoff was studied using no-tillage and conventional-tillage erosion plots. Runoff from the tillage plots was directed onto 4.57, 9.14, and 13.72 m (15, 30, and 45 ft.) length filter strips, where the inflow and outflow concentrations and sediment size distributions were measured. Trapping efficiencies for sediment and agricultural chemicals typically ranged near or above 90 percent, mainly because of high infiltration rates. The filters also significantly reduced peak discharge concentrations, which reduced the impact of sediment and agricultural chemicals on receiving surface waters.

Available Coal Resources Of The Salyersville South 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Magoffin County, Kentucky, Robert E. Andrews, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, John K. Hiett, Richard E. Sergeant

Information Circular--KGS

Coal resources available for mining have been estimated for the Salyersville South Quadrangle, which is located in the Licking River Coal Reserve District of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. Nine coal beds within the quadrangle are potentially mineable and constitute the basis of these resource estimates. Seven of these beds have been commercially developed, but only five have produced more than 1 million tons: from youngest to oldest, the Skyline A, Lower Broas, Lower Peach Orchard, Middle Peach Orchard, and Upper Peach Orchard. A computerized Geographic Information System was used to calculate estimates of original, mined-out, and remaining resources, as …

Limestone And Lime For So2 And Pollutant Control In The Ohio Valley, James C. Cobb, Garland R. Dever Jr.

Information Circular--KGS

The purpose of this conference is to emphasize the importance of limestone resources for controlling SO₂ emissions from coal-fired power plants. We have brought together experts from utilities to describe important factors in limestone performance in scrubbers and from the stone industry to describe important factors in limestone and lime production. Conference speakers include also representatives from research institutes, equipment manufacturers, government agencies, and geological surveys.

Chemical And Statistical Analysis Of A Sampled Interval In The Camp Nelson Limestone (Upper Ordovician) Madison County, Central Kentucky, Garland R. Dever Jr., Warren H. Anderson, Henry E. Francis, O. Barton Davidson, Mark F. Thompson

Information Circular--KGS

The Camp Nelson Limestone of the High Bridge Group (Upper Ordovician) is mined at seven sites in central and north-central Kentucky for industrial, construction, and agricultural uses. As part of a regional investigation of its chemical characteristics, a 67-foot section in the upper Camp Nelson, which is being mined at Boonesborough, Madison County, was sampled for major-element analysis.

The upper Camp Nelson in the Boonesborough Mine consists of two zones (23 and 30 feet thick) of low-silica stone (4 percent or less total SiO₂) separated by a 14-foot section of slightly argillaceous limestone with an average silica content …

Bituminous Fly Ash Release Potential Modeling And Remediation Of Arsenic, Boron And Heavy Metals, V. P. Evangelou

KWRRI Research Reports

In Kentucky, approximately 3 million tons of coal fly ash are produced annually at a disposal cost around $20 per ton. Moreover, disposal is becoming a major issue because of the ash's potential to contaminate surface and groundwater with arsenic, boron, heavy metals, etc. Knowledge on the chemistry of fly ash is essential in developing a methodology that can predict release rate(s) and concentration(s) of chemical constituents of environmental concern (pollutants). Currently, there is major concern in the state how to dispose of safely the fly ash generated from the combustion of coal by electrical generating plants. Safe disposal of …

Rocks And Minerals Of Kentucky, Warren H. Anderson

Special Publication--KGS

This publication gives information about rocks and minerals of Kentucky and is organized to (1) help in your identification and study of Kentucky rocks and minerals, (2) explain how rocks and minerals are formed and why they are important to the Commonwealth, and (3) be a simplified reference.

Ground Water In The Kentucky River Basin, Daniel I. Carey, James C. Currens, James S. Dinger, James A. Kipp, David R. Wunsch, Philip G. Conrad

Information Circular--KGS

Most private wells in the Kentucky River Basin are in unconfined or semi-confined bedrock aquifers. Within these aquifers, high-yield zones are irregularly distributed. The most productive wells are drilled into fractured bedrock and alluvium along the Kentucky River floodplain. The data indicate that ground water acts as a buffer to peak and low flows in Kentucky River Basin streams. At current withdrawal rates, ground-water usage does not seem to have an adverse impact on the Kentucky River. Privately owned ground-water sources supply approximately 135,000 people living in the basin-approximately 19 percent of the total population and 36 percent of the …

Chloroform Contamination In The Louisville Aquifer: An Investigation Of Its Occurrence And Propagation, Sergio E. Serrano

KWRRI Research Reports

This report presents the main results of an investigation on the nature and propagation of an accidental spill of chloroform in the Louisville aquifer, Kentucky. Much of the effort is concentrated on the development of mathematical models to either reconstruct the history of evolution of the plume, or forecast its propagation in the future. Chloroform is a dense halogenated solvent which exhibits a special migration pattern in porous media: Because of this and the relative absence of a conceptual theory on its hydrodynamics in porous media, meaningful predictive models will have to deal with many unresolved theoretical aspects of contaminant …

Producing And Marketing Kentucky Hay - A Challenge, Ed Logsdon

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Many of you probably are aware that Kentucky's commodity organizations are working with UK, the Agriculture Department and Farm Bureau in developing a plan to improve farm income in the state. This is a very ambitious project involving more than 40 farm organizations, including the Kentucky Forage and Grassland Council. This group has set a lofty goal of attempting to raise gross farm sales in the state from its current $3 billion level to around $5 billion by the turn of the century.

Alfalfa For Hay And Grazing In Tennessee, Joe Burns

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa has truly had its "ups and downs" in terms of acreage in Tennessee for the last 30 years. Just as the effect of a good fertilizer-lime-soil testing program was increasing the alfalfa acreage, the alfalfa weevil appears and begins to destroy the crop. With the aid of the insecticide heptachlor sprayed on the fertilizer, farmers continued to fertilize the alfalfa and kill the weevil at the same time.

Grazing Alfalfa — National Perspective, Warren C. Thompson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The production of alfalfa specifically for grazing is a fairly new practice. But now, farmers all around the USA are beginning to look toward alfalfa for a long living legume to increase yield, quality, and reliability all during the growing and grazing seasons. They also are looking for ways to reduce the cost of harvest, equipment, and storage costs, as well as weather-related harvest losses, and in time, reduced fertilizer costs.

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 …