Earth Sciences Commons^™

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.

Soil Testing: Field, Sample And Laboratory Variability, Lloyd W. Murdock, Dan Kirkland, Phil Gillespie, Tim Gray

Soil Science News and Views

Soil testing has advanced as a science and has become a tool widely used in making fertilizer recommendations. One of the basic components for ensuring reliability of recommendations is calibration of soil test results to determine the proper match of fertilizer recommendations with the soil test level for each nutrient and crop. Generally, calibration has been accomplished on small plot areas and is quite accurate. Even though there is nutrient variability within small areas, the potential for variability is much greater on a field basis. An important factor in making reliable fertilizer recommendations is the assumption that the soil sample …

Factors Affecting Color Of Cured Burley Leaf, J. L. Sims, Gary K. Palmer, Kenneth L. Wells

Soil Science News and Views

Much interest has been shown by tobacco growers during recent months in fertilization and or other management practices that can be used to produce darker and redder cured leaf of burley tobacco. The purpose of this newsletter is to summarize what we know about some of the factors which affect color of cured leaf.

Flooding Of The Sinking Creek Karst Area In Jessamine And Woodford Counties, Kentucky, James C. Currens, C. Douglas R. Graham

Report of Investigations--KGS

Tashamingo Subdivision in Sinking Creek Karst Valley, a tributary of the Garretts Spring Drainage Basin in Jessamine and Woodford Counties, Kentucky, was flooded in February 1989. To determine the cause of flooding, the boundary of the ground-water basin was mapped, discharge data were measured to determine intake capacity of swallow holes, and hydrologic modeling of the basin was conducted. Swallow-hole capacity was determined to be limited by the hydraulic parameters of the conduit, rather than by obstruction by trash. Flooding from a precipitation event is more likely, and will be higher, when antecedent soil moisture conditions in the watershed are …

Considerations Of Variations In Ionospheric Field Effects In Mapping Equatorial Lithospheric Magsat Magnetic Anomalies, Dhananjay Ravat, W. J. Hinze

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Longitudinal, seasonal, and altitude‐dependent variability of magnetic fields is investigated in equatorial latitudes to determine their effect on the isolation of lithospheric Magsat magnetic anomalies. An estimate of ‘ionospheric effect’ was compiled by averaging the total intensity Magsat anomalies as a function of dip latitudes (called ‘dip‐latitude averages’) from dawn and dusk data sets grouped according to longitudes, time (months), and altitudes. Unanticipated seasonal variations were observed in dusk Magsat data over the Indian sector that may contribute to an improved understanding of the equatorial electrojet. The amplitudes of the dawn dip‐latitude averages are small in comparison to the dusk …

Gas Exploration In The Devonian Shales Of Kentucky, Terence Hamilton-Smith

Bulletin--KGS

Devonian black shales constitute a major economic resource in Kentucky. These shales, known variously as the Ohio, Chattanooga, and New Albany Shales, are between 50 and 1, 700 feet thick and occur both in outcrop and in the subsurface, buried as deep as 4,200 feet below sea level.

Total gas in place for the Devonian shales in Kentucky is estimated to be between 63 and 112 trillion cubic feet; between 2 and 28 percent is recoverable. Known shale gas accumulations include the giant Big Sandy Field of eastern Kentucky and adjacent \/Vest Virginia, as well as a number of smaller …

Broiler Litter For Topdressing Tall Fescue, Monroe Rasnake, David Watson

Soil Science News and Views

A test was started in Princeton in 1991 to observe the response of tall fescue to applications of nitrogen fertilizer and broiler litter. Five treatments were used: two and four tons of litter per acre, 100 lbs nitrogen (half in May and half in July), 100 lbs nitrogen plus soil test recommended rates of phosphate and potash (only 55 lbs of Phosphate applied in 1991) and a check which had no nutrients applied. The treatments began in May 1991 on an established stand of tall fescue on a fragipan soil at the U.K. Research and Education Center in Princeton.

Available Coal Resoures Of The Handshoe 7.5–Minute Quadrangle, Knott County, Kentucky, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, Robert E. Andrews, John K. Hiett, Richard E. Sergeant

Information Circular--KGS

Coal resources available for mining have been estimated for the Handshoe Quadrangle within the Hazard Coal Reserve District of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. Twelve coal beds within the quadrangle are potentially mineable and comprise the basis of these resource estimates. Seven of these beds have been commercially developed, but only four have produced more than 1 million tons: the Tiptop, Hazard No. 8, Hazard No. 4, and Upper Elkhorn No. 3. A computerized Geographic Information System was used to calculate estimates of original, mined-out, and remaining resources, restrictions to mining, and available resources.

Quality Of Private Ground-Water Supplies In Kentucky, Daniel I. Carey, James S. Dinger, O. Barton Davidson, Richard E. Sergeant, Joseph L. Taraba, Thomas W. Ilvento, Steve Coleman, Rayetta Boone, Laura M. Knoth

Information Circular--KGS

About 3.7 million people live in Kentucky, of which 1.9 million (52 percent) live in urban areas (roughly defined as any community with 2,500 or more people) and 1.8 million (48 percent) live in rural areas (University of Kentucky, 1993). Figure 1 summarizes sources of drinking water for Kentucky residents. About 70 percent of Kentuckians get their daily supply of water from surface-water sources - lakes and streams; about 25 percent get their water from ground-water wells; and about 5 percent get their water from other sources - springs, cisterns, ponds, or hauled water.

Oil And Gas Maps Of The Pikeville 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Dan Walker, Joseph F. Meglen, Brandon C. Nuttall, X. Mara Chen, Anna E. Watson

Map and Chart--KGS

The purpose of these oil and gas maps is to portray the distribution of types of wells in a manner useful to the oil and gas industry and geologists interested in subsurface research. The maps are designed to help geologists better evaluate acreage holdings and exploratory/development potential.

Channel, A Model Of Channel Erosion By Shear, Scour And Channel Headwall Propagation: Part 1. Model Development, Alex W. Fogle, Billy J. Barfield

KWRRI Research Reports

In the research conducted under this project, models were developed which predict channel erosion resulting from shear in gradually varied flow, shearing forces resulting from submerged jets and hydraulic jumps, and shearing forces resulting from free jets impinging a plunge pool. These models are linked with a runoff routing algorithm to develop the CHANNEL model. This model predicts general channel erosion resulting from time varying gradually varied now as well as predicts the development and propagation of channel headwalls. At this writing, the model still has some problems handling the transition from open channel now to a free jet within …

Biomonitoring Study Of A Constructed Wetland Site Treating Acid Mine Drainage, Barbara A. Ramey, Howard G. Halverson, Linda A. Taylor

KWRRI Research Reports

Acid mine drainage (AMD) from an underground coal mine in the Jones Branch watershed in McCreary County, KY, substantially reduced water quality in Jones Branch. Downstream from the mine seeps, the pH was routinely below 4.5 and concentrations of most heavy metals, especially iron, were elevated. A cattail wetland (1,022 m²) was constructed on Jones Branch in 1989 to obviate the effects of the AMD. Monthly chemical monitoring was performed on the water from above, from below, and from the 26 cells within the wetland. Based on chemical monitoring, the wetland initially improved water quality, increasing the pH …

Development Of Membrane Film Fiber Optic Based Sensors For The Remote Monitoring Of The Quality Of Surface And Groundwater, Leonidas G. Bachas

KWRRI Research Reports

The objective of this study was the development of chromo- and fluoroionophores and their subsequent use in sensors capable of surface and groundwater monitoring. Several reagents (modified crown ethers and porphyrins) were synthesized based on principles of chemical recognition and used for metal and pH sensing. The modified crown ether reagents include a chromogenic or fluorogenic group. The selectivity of these reagents is controlled by the size of the crown ether ring and the type of the chromogenic or fluorogenic side-arm. In addition, a fluorogenic crown ether was synthesized that incorporates a fluorogenic side-arm and a perfluorinated carbon chain. The …

Compact – A Reclamation Soil Compaction Model Part I. Model Development, Ronald L. Bingner, Larry G. Wells

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A physically based, event oriented soil compaction model, known as COMPACT, was developed as a management or research tool to evaluate the effect of surface mining systems on compaction of soil material during reclamation. Simulation of compaction throughout the soil profile at a surface mining reclamation site requires information describing how equipment moves on the site. The compaction processes that are caused by vehicles throughout the soil profile are described by applying the pressure distribution of the surface contact area of a tire or track to determine stresses in the soil profile. A virgin compression curve is then used to …

Compact – A Reclamation Soil Compaction Model Part Ii. Sensitivity Analysis And Applications, Ronald L. Bingner, Larry G. Wells

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

COMPACT, a physically based, event-oriented compaction model, was developed as a management or research tool to evaluate the influence of a surface mining system on compaction of soil material during reclamation. Two systems of area mining reclamation operations were simulated by COMPACT. The first system involved scrapers and bulldozers and the second also included trucks. Scrapers or trucks were used to pick up and deposit the soil material. Bulldozers were then used to shape the site for reclamation. The simulated results were compared with measured results and show how equipment patterns and soil parameters can affect overall soil compaction. This …

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.