Soil Science Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …