By GINA KINSLOW
CAVE CITY — Several farmers, some from out of state, turned out for the 29th annual Kentucky Alfalfa Conference on Thursday at the Cave City Convention Center.
Among them was Glenn Barrick, of Glasgow, who came to learn what he could about growing alfalfa.
“I’ve never really tried to grow alfalfa and I’m kindly interested in trying to start a small crop,” he said. “I thought this would be a good place to try to learn something.”
Barrick and his wife, Betty, raise dairy heifers and commercial hay.
“We’re just trying to branch out,” he said.
Teresa Markle, of Fountain Run, also came to the conference to learn more about alfalfa.
Markle and her family raise beef cattle and are looking to find something they can feed their animals that will be better for them.
“We do rotation grazing,” she said. “I’m just finding out about it really.”
The conference featured several seminars, such as the “Art and Science of Haymaking,” “Alfalfa As A Grazing Crop,” and “Roundup Ready Alfalfa and Future GMO’s in Alfalfa,” among others.
The purpose of the conference, according to Garry Lacefield, University of Kentucky Extension Forage Specialist, is to inform farmers that alfalfa is still an important crop.
“We’re telling them that alfalfa is a wonderful crop during these economic times,” he said. “I think we’ve had a good package to say hang in there with alfalfa, it’s treated us good for years it has the potential to treat us better.”
Alfalfa is not only a high demand crop in Kentucky but nationwide.
“So we think the future is very bright. In spite of times, our costs have continued to go up and we think it’s time to fine tune our operations and do the best job we can,” he said.
Farmers were shown the various ways alfalfa can be used from grazing to silage to hay, and it was noted that alfalfa is a high energy crop that can rival corn and other protein supplements.
“It does require a little bit better management, (but) our good producers are willing to do that,” he said.
Growing alfalfa can be expensive, but Lacefield said it’s not any more expensive than any other crop.
“You’ve got to have good soil. You’ve got to have fertility, and if people aren’t willing to give it that level of management I would recommend they do something else. If we go the extra effort to produce a higher quality of hay, then we can be rewarded, usually, in the market place.”
Alfalfa production in Kentucky has been down for the past two years due largely to droughts.
“We can seed alfalfa in the spring and the fall, but for the last two years we’ve not had a good spring or fall. Alfalfa longevity in Kentucky is about 3.6 years, so we’ve got to replace about one-fourth of our acreage every year,” he said. “We have not done that. Now we’re down by that much, but we’re still down and we need to revamp.”
Lacefield pointed out that in the Mammoth Cave area alfalfa has been a very important crop for many, many years.
“Right in the Mammoth Cave area you’ve got the Kentucky Forage spokesman from over in Hart County. Barren County has been one of the leading alfalfa counties in Kentucky for many years. It’s in the top five this year,” he said.
Because the Mammoth Cave region has been so successful with alfalfa, Lacefield said that is why he brings the conference back to Cave City every year.
Plans are already in the works for the 30th annual Alfalfa Conference to be held in Cave City next year, he said.
