Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

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.

Foreword [1992], Garry D. Lacefield

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

Soils Of The East Beverley Annex Of The Avondale Research Station, Neil Clifton Lantzke

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Tillage And Grass Filter Strips On Surface Runoff Of Water, Nitrate, Sediment, And Atrazine, C. E. Madison, Robert L. Blevins, Wilbur Frye

Soil Science News and Views

The contamination of streams and other natural bodies of water through agricultural runoff has become a very important environmental issue. Surface water runoff can contain heavy loads of sediment and/or agricultural chemicals, such as nitrogen and atrazine. Conservation tillage methods with vegetative filter strips downslope from cropped fields help· to combat this problem. Conservation tillage has proven effective in decreasing erosion by decreasing exposure of the soil surface to rainfall. Vegetative filter strips provide an area where sediment and agricultural chemicals from cropland can be deposited before the runoff reaches a body of water.

Row Cleaners In No-Till Corn, Lloyd W. Murdock, James H. Herbek, Tim Gray

Soil Science News and Views

Row cleaners are planter attachments mounted in front of the double-disc openers on planters. They are designed to move most of the surface residue to the sides of the row, allowing no-till planting into a band with a fairly clean surface. This attachment is best suited for wet, cool soils to allow a more rapid warming of the soil surface, on rough soil to allow some smoothing before planting, and in heavy residue to prevent "hairpinning" of residue into the planting slot. There is evidence that cleaning the residue from the row raises soil temperatures which results in quicker corn …

Poultry Litter As A Nitrogen Source For Corn, Monroe Rasnake, Larry Reber

Soil Science News and Views

Development of an intensive poultry production industry in western and south-central Kentucky will make poultry litter available to many farmers. It is estimated that 45, 000 tons per year will be produced just in the Jackson Purchase Area. One of the most efficient uses of this litter is as a nitrogen fertilizer source for corn.

Use Of Fluorogypsum To Reduce Subsoil Acidity In A Fragipan Soil, Grant W. Thomas, Gerald R. Haszler

Soil Science News and Views

In western Kentucky, there are several million acres of fragipan soils which are characterized by both acid subsoils and fragipans which commence at depths of 20 to 30 inches below the soil surface. The combination of subsoil acidity and a fragipan with massive structure impedes root growth and water movement, diminishing, somewhat, the usefulness of the soils for crop production. Alfalfa, a crop which is very sensitive to soil acidity and to poor drainage, was chosen as a test crop to measure the effects of adding fluorogypsum to Sadler silt loam, a soil representative of the fragipan soils found in …

Factors Affecting Crop Response To Liming, Kenneth L. Wells, J. L. Sims

Soil Science News and Views

Soil acidity levels directly affect the rate, kinds, and degree of chemical reactions which take place in soil. Crops respond to varying degrees to these chemical reactions. For the most part, these reactions affect the solubility of mineral elements in soil and the activity of the soil's biological processes. As a result, the availability of many plant nutrient elements is regulated by soil acidity. The level of availability of plant required nutrients can be adequate, deficient, or toxic to the plant, depending on the nutrient, soil acidity, and the crop. That is why measurement of soil acidity is regarded by …

Developing Efficient Crop Production Systems, Kenneth L. Wells

Soil Science News and Views

Land is initially the most limiting resource to consider in setting up a farm system aimed at maximizing returns. This is because soil, its topographical features, and its physical and chemical properties are largely fixed. There is little which can be done about them except to manage soil fertility and control erosion. Over the long run, crop production from any land tract will be directly influenced by the nature and character of the soils in that land tract. For this reason, the most basic step in initiating or redesigning a farming operation is to get an evaluation of the soil …

Evaluation Of Gamma Ray Attenuation For Measuring Soil Bulk Density Part I. Laboratory Investigation, Xiwen Luo, Larry G. Wells

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Gamma ray attenuation was evaluated as a means of determining soil bulk density. Experiments were conducted using clay, silt, and sandy loam soils wherein samples were compacted to uniform densities at various moisture contents. We determined the attenuation characteristics of dry soil to be independent of soil texture while being significantly different from that of water. Comparison of gamma density measurements with known soil sample densities indicated that the gamma gauge provided reliable measurement of soil bulk density, provided that the effect of soil moisture on attenuation was accounted for and the manufacturer-prescribed calibration procedure was followed daily. Further, we …

Evaluation Of Gamma Ray Attenuation For Measuring Soil Bulk Density Part Ii. Field Investigation, Larry G. Wells, Xiwen Luo

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A field investigation was conducted at sites near Lexington and Central City, Kentucky, to evaluate the use of gamma ray attenuation for measuring soil bulk density. Experiments were conducted whereby the gamma gauge was calibrated by various means and compared with volumetric cores collected from the field soils. Calibration by the manufacturer’s recommended procedure was determined to be as accurate as more rigorous laboratory calibration or calibration via regression of soil bulk density data, provided that the effect of soil water on gamma attenuation is correctly considered. We also developed a linear regression equation to correct for the occurrence of …

Quantifying Loss Of Yield Potential Due To Leaf Disease., B A. Peters, R Loughman

Experimental Summaries - Plant Research

To determine the impact of Septoria and barley yellow dwarf virus on wheat grown under the package approach on the south coast using different levels of fungicide and insecticide control on a susceptible variety of an appropriate maturity for early sowing.

Examine if there is any benefit for disease control of S. tritici from Baytan seed dressing. 92AL16.

Time of sowing and variety effects on the Septoria diseases of wheat. 92AL17.

Time of sowing effect on barley foliar diseases. 92AL19.

Evaluating variety mixtures to reduce Septoria using a range of lines. 92AL24.

Fungicides for control of Septoria nodorum of wheat. …

How Stubble Affects Organic Matter, Plants And Animals In The Soil, Judy Tisdall

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Cereal yields have not increased greatly in Australia over the past 30 years and they are still only about half the potential determined by rainfall. One of the reasons for these low yields is our fragile soils, worsened by traditional systems of tillage and the burning of stubble. These systems reduce the levels of organic matter and biological activity in soil

Current Research On Soil Nitrate Testing For Corn In Kentucky, John H. Grove

Soil Science News and Views

Concern has been expressed that growers do not have the "slte-specific" information they need for more efficient nitrogen (N) fertilizer management on a field-by-field basis. Soil testing has routinely been used to guide recommendations for phosphorus, potassium, and lime additions to individual fields, but effective soil N test procedures have long eluded soil scientists working in warm, humid regions with substantial winter rainfall. Now, recent research suggests that a new soil test procedure has some potential to guide fertilizer N applications for corn. The purpose of this report is to define the concept of soil nitrate testing; to describe how …

Land Resources Map In The Southern Section Of The Peel-Harvey Catchment, Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia, Dennis Van Gool, Bev Kipling

Land resources series

Soil-Landscape map prepared to assist nutrient management and land use planning in the southern section of the Peel-Harvey catchment.

How To Reduce Spending On Land Conservation, Tim Negus

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Heavy spending on capital works for land conseroation is usually out of the question in the present financial climate, but the recession does not mean that landcare must be abandoned. There are many aspects of landcare that involve little or no extra cost. Soil conseroationist Tim Negus discusses them in this article.

Possum Trot Culinary Traditions: A Collection Of Southern And Tropical Recipes, Robert Barnum

Possum Trot

This collection offers a selection of recipes connected to the agricultural legacy of Possum Trot Tropical Fruit Nursery, dating from 1989 to 1992. Featuring Southern-style cooking infused with tropical flavors, these recipes highlight ingredients cultivated at Possum Trot, such as passion fruit and Muntingia berries. The collection includes personal family recipes, a feature from Southern Living (1992), and a passion fruit punch recipe from the Miami Herald (1989). These dishes, which range from spareribs to tropical fruit pies, reflect the culinary practices of the Redlands agricultural community and preserve the unique fusion of Southern and tropical culinary traditions in South …

Stubble : Friend And Foe, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Several articles in this issue of the Journal of Agriculture discuss some of the important issues of stubble management. The articles are condensed from some of the papers presented at a stubble workshop at Geraldton in 1991.

The Pros & Cons Of Retaining Stubble, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Few farmers in Western Australia today would question the desirability of retaining crop stubble. The problem usually is how to manage stubble so that it does not interfere with other parts of the farming system

Results Of Stubble Research In Western Australia, Michael Perry, Ron Jarvis, Mel Mason, David Tennant

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Few farmers would question the desirability of retaining stubbles, both for control of erosion by wind and water, and to return organic matter to the soil. While the present debate is focused on the short term management of stubbles, longer term effects also need to be considered.

The Department of Agriculture has several long-running trials intended to measure long term effects.

Stubble Handling Begins At Harvest, Ed Blanchard

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Long stubble left in the paddock after harvest causes major difficulties at seeding time. To demonstrate the benefits of having short stubble at seeding, the Trayning Land Conservation District Committee created four stubble treatments at harvest in 1988 and sowed into these stubble treatments in 1989.

Cost Effective Stubble Retention Practices, Andrew Green, Ed Blanchard

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

To increase the rate of adoption of stubble retention farming systems the Grains Research and Development Corporation is funding a three-year project with the Farm Machinery Unit to develop low cost, stubble handling systems from harvest to seeding

New Yellow Serradella Varieties For Low Rainfall Pastures, Clinton Revell

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Large areas of acidic, sandy soils in Western Australia's low and medium rainfall, wheatsheep areas are suited to the pasture legume, yellow serradella.

In the past, a lack of varieties with suitable maturity has limited the use of this species.

New varieties developed in Western Australia and significantly earlier in maturity than traditional types can now extend the use of yellow serradella into these regions.

The Role Of Earthworms In Western Australian Agriculture, Tom Mccredie, Lex Parker

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Earthworms have a reputation as soil builders and renovators, particularly among 'organic' farmers and gardeners. They improve soil fertility through increased aeration, aggregation, water infiltration and release of nutrients from organic matter. However, the benefits of earthworms in the wheatbelt have been doubted for many years because of their poor survival in cultivated soils.

Since cropping began in the Western Auslmlian whealbelt over 1OO years ago, the physical condition of many soils has deteriorated. The primary causes of soil degradation were the European cultivation practices used by farmers and the trampling effect of introduced animals. in particular, sheep.