Earth Sciences Commons^™

Establishing Alfalfa Using No-Till Techniques, Gary Bates

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

There have been many changes in agriculture over the fast 50 years. One of the greatest has been the use of no-tiff planting methods. The development of drill and herbicides has made no-till seedings as successful as seeding into prepared land.

Am-Pm Cutting Of Alfalfa, Garry D. Lacefield, Michael Collins, Jimmy C. Henning

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Over the past twenty years of this Conference we have spent considerable time discussing "Alfalfa Harvest Management." We have discussed the importance of stage of maturity and its impact on quality on many occasions. We have presented research on many aspects of hay and haylage management. An overall theme for all the discussions has been "harvest for quality," with emphasis on saving the leaves during the entire harvesting process. Our recommendations have, are, and will continue to be centered around those management practices that will result in the greatest opportunity for preserving alfalfa quality from standing crop to feeding. This …

Can We Follow Alfalfa With Alfalfa?, Monroe Rasnake

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The question of how soon alfalfa can safely be reseeded following an old stand of alfalfa has been debated for many years. It has been a topic of the Kentucky Alfalfa Conference on at least two other occasions (Rasnake, 1995; Rasnake 1999). Recent research has attempted to determine what causes the problem, how it is affected by soil conditions, and whether the problem can be reduced through plant breeding. This paper will review some of the research.

Foreword [2001], Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

Changes In Alfalfa Breeding — Where Is Alfalfa Headed?, Becky Greenwald

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa didn't earn the title "Queen of the Forages" just because of its good looks on rolling hills or sweet smell at harvest. Alfalfa was first described nearly 2,500 years ago, in 490 B.C in the desert regions of what is now Iran. From the Middle East, alfalfa was taken into Europe and South America by invading armies, explorers, and missionaries.

Little Known Facts About Alfalfa, Don Ball

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

During the previous nineteen Kentucky Alfalfa Conferences, many topics pertaining to alfalfa have undoubtedly been addressed. In fact, some topics such as establishment techniques, varieties, and factors affecting yield are important enough that they have probably been discussed in one form or another during most of these conferences.

However, a twentieth-year state commodity conference is a milestone that deserves some special consideration, and which should justify inclusion of one or more unique topics on the program. This line of thinking led to idea that for this presentation it might be interesting to discuss some facts about alfalfa that are not …

Reducing Alfalfa Harvesting Losses, Michael Collins

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

In some areas of the country, producers store a substantial portion of their forage for winter feeding as silage or haylage. However, hay remains the most popular storage method for forage. Hay stores well for long periods and is better suited to cash sale and transportation than silage. Mechanical conditioning, which gained acceptance during the 1950's is probably still the greatest single change in hay harvesting and storage technology during this century. However, a number of other noteworthy changes and innovations have occurred in recent years which have helped to reduce the extent of losses during hay harvesting and storage.

Opportunities For Alfalfa As A Grazing Crop In Kentucky, Ken Johnson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Why do we continue to hear people talk about Alfalfa as a grazing crop? In my opinion there are two words that come to mind when I think of grazing Alfalfa, quality and yield. Alfalfa is without a doubt the highest quality forage we can graze. Alfalfa is also one of the highest yielding forages we can graze and maybe the highest yielding widely known and widely grown forage available to Kentucky farmers.

Hay Testing And New Marketing Program, Allen Johnson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (Hay & Grain Branch) Hay testing program is now entering its 13^th year of testing hay for Kentucky producers. The Department continues to use NIR forage analysis equipment. The program has made many improvements and much information has been gained. We continue to strive for quality control and producing accurate results. Recently, many new updates have occurred. New hardware and software have been added, along with the recent purchase of a second hay testing van. By placing a toll free call (1-800- 248-4628) to the Department of Agriculture in Frankfort, we will find a …

An Alfalfa Disease Calendar, Paul Vincelli

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The following calendar provides producers and agricultural professionals with insights that may improve alfalfa production in several ways. First, knowing when to expect certain diseases improves one's ability to diagnose disease problems, which is a fundamental foundation for disease management. The many UK Extension Service publications on alfalfa as well as publications like the Alfalfa Analyst and the Compendium of Alfalfa Diseases, all are useful for diagnosis, but none provides a precise calendar of when to expect activity of alfalfa diseases in Kentucky. An alfalfa disease calendar can also provide occasional insights into timely management practices. For example, being …

Fertilizing Alfalfa For Profit, Monroe Rasnake, Steven G. Isaacs

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa has the potential for producing high yields of high quality forage with good management. A key component of good management is supplying plant nutrients in adequate quantities and proper balance. In Kentucky, this requires fertilizing soils with agricultural limestone, commercial fertilizers and/or animal manures. Good soil fertility is necessary for alfalfa stand establishment, high yields and long stand life.

Kentucky Alfalfa Conference After Twenty Years, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Today marks the 20th consecutive year we have come together for a full days conference featuring "Alfalfa- Queen of the Forages" as the theme and focal point. Only one other state in the U.S. has such an annual event.

Foreword [2000], Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

Marketing Alfalfa Hay: What The Consumer Demands, Tom Keene

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Anytime we address selling a product to the consumer; our first objective should always be to sell a quality product. However before we get into quality, I think we need to back up and understand that quality can vary from customer to customer depending upon the type of livestock he is feeding. For instance, if you are selling hay to a dairy operation, how is the hay being utilized? Is it being fed free choice? Is it going into a milking TMR (total mixed ration)? Is it going to feed young stock, breeding heifers, or sick animals? Each group of …

How I Produce And Market Alfalfa Hay, John Nowak

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

John Nowak was born March 22, 1947, in New York City and was raised in Westchester County, just north of New York City. After graduating from Colorado State University with a B.S. degree in farm and ranch management, he entered the U.S. Army. John served on active duty from 1969 until 1978. In 1975, his Army career brought him to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and he began farming part-time in Christian County in 1976. As with many "start-from-scratch" farmers, John's first farming efforts involved producing burley tobacco during the years 1976 through 1979. In 1979, he began a cow-calf and backgrounding …

Grazing Alfalfa, Garry D. Lacefield, Jimmy C. Henning

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is a high yielding, high quality, deep-rooted, versatile forage legume well adapted throughout the U.S. Gains per animal and per acre can be excellent with acceptable stand persistence when present technology is used. Is grazing alfalfa right for everyone? No. Is grazing alfalfa right for you? Only you can answer that question. This presentation attempts to give you information that will hopefully help you with that answer.

What I Have Learned From 4 Years Of Alfalfa Grazing Tolerance Variety Trials, Jimmy C. Henning, Robert Spitaleri, Garry D. Lacefield, Charles T. Dougherty

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

There has been interest in alfalfa varieties that would tolerate grazing for some time. The spreading type alfalfas (such as Rambler, Spredor 2, Travois) have long been generally promoted as being tolerant of grazing. Over the years, most selection for tolerance to grazing was done using frequent clipping to simulate grazing.

Studies conducted at the University of Georgia in the 1980's found that alfalfa varieties performed differently when grazed frequently compared to clipping frequently. This line of research eventually led to the release of 'AlfaGraze' alfalfa which was the first variety ever to be selected primarily by overgrazing by livestock. …

Practical And Economical Ways To Increase Alfalfa Hay Drying Rates, Michael Collins

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Hay stores well for long periods and is better suited to cash sale and transportation than silage and remains the most popular method for harvesting the alfalfa crop. Rapid drying reduces field losses by reducing respiration and by reducing the incidence of rain damage during curing. Because of these factors, harvest losses are greatest for very dry forage and are low for very wet material like direct cut silage. However, the latter is subject to excessive storage losses due to seepage and to quality deterioration. Storage losses are generally minimized by harvesting at low moisture levels.

Alfalfa Following Alfalfa: What Works And What Doesn't Work?, Monroe Rasnake

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Farmers often would like to go directly back into alfalfa when an old stand plays out. However, research has shown that it is often difficult to get new stands established when this is done. Some of the problems may be attributed to weeds, insects and diseases that build up over time and become difficult to control. Another reason is that alfalfa plants have been shown to produce chemical compounds that can inhibit germination and growth of new seedlings. This effect is called allelopathy or autotoxicity.

Secrets To Getting A Good Stand Of Alfalfa, Jimmy C. Henning, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Getting a good stand of alfalfa quickly is very important to Kentucky because it is the highest yielding, highest quality forage crop. In addition, it can be used in many different ways. Cool wet springs and hot dry falls have caused alfalfa seedings to fail in recent years. It would be easy to begin to believe that there was some 'magic' step or ingredient that has been missing. There are no magic steps to getting a good stand. Attention to a few major details can help maximize your chances of success.

What Grasses Work Best With Alfalfa?, Timothy D. Phillips

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is the "queen" of forages, but many situations exist where it is desirable or necessary to grow alfalfa in a mixture with a forage grass rather in monoculture. Some of the reasons to grow grass with alfalfa are: improved yield (in terms of tons of dry matter produced), better seasonal yield distribution, better weed control, potential pest reduction, erosion prevention, bloat risk reduction, and accelerated hay-drying rates. Conversely, there are some factors that favor alfalfa monoculture. These include: lower forage quality, especially in terms of protein content; more difficult management requirements (herbicide use, fertilization, and harvest timing); and, lower …

Foreword [1999], Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

What Leading Alfalfa Producers Do To Produce Quality Hay, Jimmy C. Henning, Garry D. Lacefield, Buddy Sims

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is the highest quality forage legume crop grown in Kentucky and is the number one cash hay crop. Hay raised by Kentucky farmers has been recognized for its quality at local, state (state fair and Kentucky Alfalfa Conference), and national (American Forage and Grassland Council) hay contests. The testing records of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture also document the high quality alfalfa hay of Kentucky. However, little has been written about the farm practices used to produce high quality alfalfa hay in Kentucky. The current practices of top hay growers may be helpful in defining the options available to …

Grazing Alfalfa In Tennessee: Experiences And Opportunities, Gary Bates

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Animal agriculture in the southeastern U.S. is based on forages. This area has the advantage over all other sections of the nation in forage production. From Kentucky to south Florida, with a little planning forage can be grown almost 12 months a year. Forage programs in Tennessee and Kentucky are based primarily around cool-season grasses such as tall fescue and orchardgrass. These grasses grow over a long portion of the year. In fact, producers have to deal with excess forage production during the spring and fall (Fig. 1). The quality and quantity of forage during these times of the year …

Grazing Alfalfa In Lincoln County, Dan Grigson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa grazing is becoming an important practice for our county's large livestock enterprise. Both dairy and beef producers use alfalfa grazing in various parts of their feeding operations. Lincoln County farmers have a reputation for being good forage producers and have over the years produced good yields and good quality alfalfa. Most producers realize that good forage leads to better profits for their livestock enterprises. That's very important to us as the livestock business generates over $21 million in cash receipts annually.

Alfalfa Seed Production In The Western U.S., Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is the primary forage for the dairy industry in the United States and provides a majority of the nutrients and energy needs for other classes of livestock including beef cattle, horses and sheep.

In order to maximize forage yield, quality and persistence, one should start with high quality seed. Seed must be free of noxious weeds, have a purity higher than 99.5 percent, a germination of 90 percent or higher and true to the variety stated.

Over 80% of the alfalfa seed was grown in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states prior to 1948. This was mostly uncertified, …

Do's And Don'ts Of Alfalfa Round Baled Silage, Michael Collins

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Round baled silage provides an option for outside storage of round bales that protects them from weathering. With shorter field exposure times, silage can dramatically increase forage quality compared with hay. Harvest problems caused by wet weather and/or poor drying conditions during spring and for the freeze-down harvest during autumn could be alleviated by incorporating silage into the harvest system.

Alfalfa Hay: Quality Makes The Difference, Garry D. Lacefield, Jimmy C. Henning

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa "Queen of the Forage Crops" is one of the most important forage legumes grown in the U.S. It can be grown over a wide range of soil and climatic conditions, it has the highest yield potential and the highest feeding values of all adapted perennial forage legumes. Alfalfa is a versatile crop which can be used for pasture, hay, silage, green-chop, soil improvements and · human consumption (sprouts, etc.).

A Solution To Some Spring-Seeded Alfalfa Problems, Paul C. Vincelli

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

One of the most important assignments I received when I assumed this position in 1990 was to address the question, "What is the cause of seeding failure when alfalfa is spring-seeded into soils that remain wet after seeding?" Six years of laboratory and field work have finally borne fruit. Based on our research, we can confidently present Kentucky alfalfa producers with three conclusions and a recommendation.

Manure On Alfalfa: Why, When, And How Much?, Monroe Rasnake

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Manure is an excellent source of nutrients for growing crops. Its' value has been recognized for thousands of years. Before the development of chemical fertilizers, it served as the primary source of nutrients. It has decreased in importance as a nutrient source in this century and in some cases has become a disposal problem. This has led many farmers to consider using it on legume crops such as alfalfa that don't need to have nitrogen added, but will utilize it and other . nutrients in relatively large amounts. The first question to be considered, then, is why apply manure to …