Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Experiences With "Teff" (Summer Love Grass) In Kentucky, Bob Jaynes

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Following publicity about the Klamath Experiment Station evaluation of Teff as an annual forage in 2003 and 2004, requests for more information and seed sources kept KES staff busy for weeks last spring. We received over 300 contacts from 41 states. Local seed salesman Laverne Hankins processed over 150 orders for more than 5 tons of seed. Those who received seed were sent a questionnaire this fall in hopes that we would get feedback on growers experience with this new forage species. To date we have received responses from about 15 growers.

Options For Summer Grazing, David C. Ditsch

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Summer is the time during the growing season when shortages of forage most often occur in Kentucky. The summer of 2007 will long be remembered as one the warmest and driest in recent years and cause many livestock producers to evaluate their current forage systems. Most Kentucky pastures are predominately cool-season grasses such as tall fescue, orchardgrass and bluegrass. During the historically hot, dry periods in July and August, these species produce very little growth and can quickly become overgrazed. At this point, some producers have no alternative except to buy feed or begin feeding stored forage intended for winter …

Does Grazing Method Matter?, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Interest in and opportunities for grazing continues to increase not only in Kentucky, but throughout the U.S. In Wisconsin, 12% or approximately 5000 dairymen are now using grazing. In Michigan, over 40% of the dairymen are using grazing for a significant part of their feed requirements. Over 15% of these dairymen are using intensive grazing. Similar numbers exist for Pennsylvania.

Surviving The 2007 Drought, Roy Burris

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Kentucky beef producers could feel the effects of the ’07 drought for a long time. Decisions made now will impact the ’08 and ’09 calf crops. The current hay/feed shortage has stimulated a lot of “panic buying”. Feedstuffs with very low nutritive values are being purchased at an alarming rate. These “feeds” are being purchased at much higher costs than we normally pay for good quality hay. If properly supplemented, they can be used successfully. However, their use to replace the normal hay supply could have disastrous results.

Recovering From The "Freeze" And "Drought" Of 2007, S. Ray Smith

Kentucky Grazing Conference

As all of you know, 2007 has been a devastating year for forage agriculture in Kentucky. The season started with an abnormally warm 7 weeks during late winter and early spring, which promoted lush vegetative growth. Normally this would have been a “good thing”, but it actually made forage plants more vulnerable to below freezing temperatures. Then the severe freeze occurred, with April 7, 8, and 9 the coldest 3 day period in April in KY history. Pastures were stunted for weeks and first cut hay yields were reduced by 35 to 100%. At this point we were still hopeful …

Foreword And Kfgc Award Winners [2007], Garry D. Lacefield, Christi L. Forsythe

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

A Simple Array Platform For Microrna Analysis And Its Application In Mouse Tissues, Xiaoqing Tang, Jozsef Gal, Xun Zhuang, Wang-Xia Wang, Haining Zhu, Guiliang Tang

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and play a critical role in many important biological processes. Most miRNAs are conserved between humans and mice, which makes it possible to analyze their expressions with a set of selected array probes. Here, we report a simple array platform that can detect 553 nonredundant miRNAs encompassing the entire set of miRNAs for humans and mice. The platform features carefully selected and designed probes with optimized hybridization parameters. Potential cross-reaction between mature miRNAs and their precursors was investigated. The array platform was …

Geogram 2007, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Soil Survey Of The Bettink Dairy Farm, Riverway Road, Northcliffe, Peter J. Tille, Tilwin Westrup

Resource management technical reports

This soil survey of the Bettink dairy farm in Northcliffe, Western Australia aimed to: provide detailed soil descriptions to add to information associated with the environment in which the dairy industry in Western Australia is located; collect soil samples at predetermined standard depths from documented farm locations for nutrient analysis; map soils with similar characteristics based on description and analysis.

Tree Windbreaks In The Wheatbelt, Robert Sudmeyer, David Bicknell, Neil Coles

Bulletins 4000 -

Windbreaks comprising trees, or tree and shrub combinations, can offer many benefits on wheatbelt farms, particularly for protection of soil, stock, crops and pastures from damaging winds and erosion. Additional benefits include reduced evaporation from farm dams, reduced groundwater recharge, their use as nature conservation corridors and habitats, increased biodiversity including predators of crop and pasture pests, fire control, tree products and improved lifestyle and aesthetics.

In other areas and farming systems such as intensive horticulture, man-made windbreaks may be used, but their higher cost makes them unsuited for broadscale agriculture. Man-made windbreaks can be effective in reducing evaporative losses …

Gis Aided Archaeological Research Of El Camino Real De Los Tejas With Focus On The Landscape And River Crossings Along El Camino Carretera., Jeffrey M. Williams

Faculty Publications

Many generations of indigenous pathways through the forests of eastern Texas have their origins obscured in antiquity. Utilized by early European explorers, these pathways became modified through heavy use and the expansions and improvements needed to accommodate easy passage of European horses and carts and finally the heavy wagons of Anglo-American settlers. The first road through Texas, El Camino Real de Los Tejas, utilized portions of these early trails.

El Camino Carretera (known as the cart road) is an early segment of El Camino Real de los Tejas that crossed the Sabine River at the boundary between Texas and Louisiana. …

Microbial Nitrogen Limitation Increases Decomposition, Joseph M. Craine, Carl Morrow, Noah Fierer

Dartmouth Scholarship

With anthropogenic nutrient inputs to ecosystems increasing globally, there are long-standing, fundamental questions about the role of nutrients in the decomposition of organic matter. We tested the effects of exogenous nitrogen and phosphorus inputs on litter decomposition across a broad suite of litter and soil types. In one experiment, C mineralization was compared across a wide array of plants individually added to a single soil, while in the second, C mineralization from a single substrate was compared across 50 soils. Counter to basic stoichiometric decomposition theory, low N availability can increase litter decomposition as microbes use labile substrates to acquire …

Sheep Updates 2007 - Part 3, Andrew Ritchie, Edward Riggall, James Hall, Gus Rose, Johan Greeff, John Young, M. Alchin, M. Young, T. Johnson, John Lucy, Martin Staines, Tim Wiley, Rob Grima, Sandra Prosser, Matt Ryan, Geoff Moore, Tony Albertsen, Phil Barrett-Lennard, George Woolston, John Titerington, Sarah Knight, Brianna Peake

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors:

PROFITABILITY

1. Benchmarking demonstrates both the potential and realised productivity gains in the sheep and wool industry, Andrew Ritchie, Edward Riggall and James Hall, ICON Agriculture, Darkan

2. Improving sheep genetics will increase farm profitability, Gus Rose, Johan Greeff Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, John Young Farming Systems Analysis Service, WA

3. Meat, Merinos and making money in WA Pastoral Zone, M. Alchin, M. Young and T. Johnson, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia,

GRAZING

4. Nitrogen - farmers' friend or foe? John Lucy and Martin Staines, Department …

How I Produced Nationally Award Winning Alfalfa Hay, Rick Alexander

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Roundup Ready Alfalfa: Results After One Year On The Market, S. Ray Smith

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Roundup Ready alfalfa has now been on the market for over a year with close to 30 varieties available or soon to be available across the U.S. This technology provides many new options for alfalfa producers in Kentucky. Several people have asked us which variety is highest yielding and unfortunately we have not been able to provide a good answer. The technology is so new (just approved fall 2005) that few of these varieties have been entered into University yield trials. Companies do have some private data, but they often don’t compare to the varieties you are familiar with. So …

Cowpea Aphids: Where Did They Come From, Will They Be Back?, Lee H. Townsend

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Clearly, something was unusual back in March when large numbers of very dark aphids were found covering stems and tips in Logan, Marion, and Barren counties. They were the cowpea aphid or black legume aphid (Aphis craccivora), a sap-feeding insect known to occur in at least 28 states scattered over the US and into Canada. The cowpea aphid is the only black aphid found infesting alfalfa. Winged or wingless adults are usually shiny black, while the smaller nymphs are dull gray to black. Usually. they are lined along stems or clustered in the expanding leaf tips.

Hay Heating, Hay Sweat And Spontaneous Combustion, Tom Keene, Doug Overhults

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Making hay in central Kentucky can be one of the most trying on farm endeavors a producer can undertake. Our plentiful moisture, rolling topography, and climate make Kentucky ideal for producing high quality forage for either grazing or hay making. However, that same moisture either in the form of rain or high humidity can sometimes make it devilishly hard to make quality hay here in Kentucky.

Alfalfa For Summer Grazing, John Johns

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa can make an excellent grazing forage for cattle in the summer as well as at other times of year provided that good grazing management is utilized. Alfalfa can be grazed very close to the ground but should not be grazed continuously. Initial regrowth after grazing comes from nutrient reserves in the root; therefore, a sufficient rest period or regrowth period without grazing must be allowed for these nutrients to be replenished. In summer, this rest period is 30 to 35 days. In adequate rest for root nutrient replenishment is not allowed, the plant will be weakened and stand life …

Alfalfa Hay For Horses, Robert Coleman

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Horses are designed to eat forage and quality forage is the basis for the feeding programs of all classes of horse. However, when one considers hay as that basic forage, what criteria are used to describe quality horse hay? In general terms, quality horse hay should supply needed nutrients, be palatable and should be free of anything harmful to the horse.

Requirements For Successful Alfalfa Establishment, Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Establishing a good stand of alfalfa is expensive and time consuming, but the success rate is high if you give attention to the important factors. The following steps won’t insure success, but will increase greater likelihood.

How The Alfalfa Plant Grows: Impact On Management, S. Ray Smith

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is the premier forage crop with high yield, high forage quality, season long productivity, drought tolerance, and extended stand life. Alfalfa requires intensive management to insure that yield, quality, and stand life are maximized. It should be planted on deep, well drained soils and maintained with optimal fertilizer inputs. It also requires adequate rest periods between cutting for hay or grazing. Alfalfa can be prone to significant insect damage and stands may require insecticide treatments. There are many details to successfully managing an alfalfa stand, but if you understand how the plant grows then you will better understand the …

Alfalfa Information On The Web, Scott Flynn

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Foreword And Recipients Of Kentucky Alfalfa Awards [2007], Garry D. Lacefield, Christi L. Forsythe

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

No abstract provided.

Crop Updates 2007 - Farming Systems, David Jeffries, A. Loi, B. J. Nutt, C. K. Revell, Yvette Oliver, Michael Robertson, Bill Bowden, Kit Leake, Ashley Bonser, Ian Maling, Bindi Isbister, Garren Knell, Alison Slade, David Stephens, Michael Meuleners, David Beard, Nicolyn Short, Rob Grima, Ingrid Richardson, Ruhi Ferdowsian, Geoff Bee, David Evans, Bob Gilkes, Senthold Asseng, Jim Dixon, Felicity Byrne, Mike Ewing, Dennis Van Gool, Louise Barton, Ralf Kiese, David Gatter, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, Renee Buck, Christoph Hinz, Daniel Murphy, Cameron Weeks, Meredith Fairbanks, John Peirce, Brad Rayner, Sandy White, Paul Damon, Qifa Ma, Zed Rengel, Ed Barrett-Lennard, Meir Altman, Tracey M. Gianatti, Lindsay Bell, Ben Webb, Caroline Peek, Paul Sanford, Paul Blackwell, Glen Riethmuller, Darshan Sharma, Mike Collins, Frank D'Emden, David Hall, G. P. Manango, D. L. Steverson, Vanessa Stewart, Julie Roche, Peter Rutherford, Imma Farré, Ian Foster, Stephen Charles, Frances Hoyle, N. Milton, M. Osman, L. K. Abbott, W. R. Cookson, S. Darmawanto, Rob Sands, David Mccarthy, Paul Carmody, J. Russell, J. Eyres, G. Fosbery, A. Roe, Phil Nichols, Andrew Bathgate, Anne Wilkins

Crop Updates

This session covers forty papers from different authors:

1. Quality Assurance and industry stewardship, David Jeffries, Better Farm IQ Manager, Cooperative Bulk Handling

2. Sothis: Trifolium dasyurum (Eastern Star clover), A. Loi, B.J. Nutt and C.K. Revell, Department of Agriculture and Food

3. Poor performing patches of the paddock – to ameliorate or live with low yield? Yvette Oliver¹, Michael Robertson¹, Bill Bowden², Kit Leake³and Ashley Bonser³, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems¹, Department of Food and Agriculture², Kellerberrin Farmer³

4. What evidence is there that …

Water Quality Relative To Slope Toe Strip Type And Length, Brent G. Hallock, Lauren Corkins, Steve Rein, Michael Curto, Misty Scharff

Earth and Soil Sciences

Vegetation plays an important role in decreasing soil particle detachment and transport from sites following disturbance. Past rainfall simulator research (Caltrans 2004) using 2.5 m L x 0.6 m W soil test boxes with a 0.25 m sod strip (1 :10 slope proportion) at the slope toe found statistically significant reduction of total sediment loss to near zero. A principle limitation of the previous in house experiment is that a 1: 10 proportion of sod strip to slope length is not practical, nor equivalent with many industry specifications. Therefore, another rainfall simulator experiment was designed and conducted from October 2005 …

Collaborative Research: Mechanisms Of Abiotic Immobilization Of Nitrate In Temperate Forest Soils, David B. Dail

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen to temperate forests has increased in recent decades as a result of increased combustion of fossil fuels. Knowing how nitrogen in air pollution is retained within forests will improve the ability of scientists to anticipate interactions among efforts to mitigate human alterations of regional and global cycles of carbon and nitrogen. For example, the way that forests retain nitrogen affects the ability of forests to help mitigate expected global warming due to increased carbon gases in the atmosphere. Because nitrogen often limits rates of plant growth, increased nitrogen inputs could affect forest growth and health. Most …

Evaluating P And K Fertilizer Prescriptions From Site-Specific Technologies, John H. Grove, E. M. Pena-Yewtukhiw

Soil Science News and Views

Developing a field's fertilizer prescription as a part of a site-specific nutrient management plan can be one of the more costly tasks undertaken. Those costs are traditionally associated with gathering of a number of plant and/or soil samples, their testing, as well as acquiring and applying amendments. Soil sample analysis is particularly important for traditional phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and soil acidity (pH) management. Soil sampling requires skill and time, time that may be in short supply when crop harvest is to be soon followed by establishment of a succeeding crop. Soil test results are not always timely, further delaying …

Effect Of Avail® Polymer Applied To Phosphorus Fertilizers On Dry Matter Production And P Uptake Of Fescue At Princeton, Ky, Lloyd W. Murdock, John James Olson, Gene Olson

Soil Science News and Views

A study was conducted near Princeton, KY to determine if a polymer (AVAIL^®) applied to diammonium phosphate (DAP, 18- 46-0) and mono ammonium phosphate (MAP, 11-52-0) would increase (P) phosphorus use efficiency in fescue production on a low P testing soil, when compared to an untreated phosphate fertilizer. AVAIL^® (Specialty Fertilizer Products, Belton, MO) is presently being sold in Kentucky as a product to improve phosphorus fertilizer efficiency.

Farming Systems Research On Crop Diversification, Tillage, And Management Effects On Yield, Pests, And Environmental Quality In A Semi-Arid Environment, Andrew W. Lenssen, U. Sainju, T. Caesar-Tonthat, B. Allen, R. Lartey

Andrew W. Lenssen

Available water, depleted soil quality, and weed competition are important constraints to crop production in the northern Great Plains. The traditional rotation in the region has been spring wheat with summer fallow, which is used to accrue additional soil moisture for the subsequent wheat crop. Tillage during fallow periods controls weeds, which otherwise would use substantial amounts of water and inorganic nitrogen, decreasing the efficiency of fallow and increasing soil erosion. Chemical fallow and zero tillage systems improve soil water status for subsequent crops (Lenssen et al., 2007a), allowing for increased cropping intensity and improved nutrient cycling (Lenssen et al., …

Soils: A Contemporary Perspective, Cheryl Palm, Pedro Sanchez, Sonya Ahamed, Alex Awiti

East Africa Institute

Soils are viewed in the context of ecosystem services, soil processes and properties, and key attributes and constraints. The framework used is based on the premise that the natural capital of soils that underlies ecosystem services is primarily determined by three core soil properties: texture, mineralogy, and soil organic matter. Up-to-date descriptions and geographical distribution of soil orders as well as soil attributes and constraints are given, along with the relationships between soil orders, properties, and biomes. We then relate ecosystem services to specific soil processes, soil properties, and soil constraints and attributes. Soil degradation at present is not adequately …