Kentucky Alfalfa Update at the 2020 UK Stored Forages Conference
As we continue engineering and development efforts on the Kentucky Alfalfa management project with our joint collaboration between the University of Kentucky, we’re nearing some project milestones and continuously adding innovative ways to improve your forage and farm management to the backlog. To learn more about the collaboration, progress, and the future of the project, Dr. Ray Smith, Extension Professor with the University of Kentucky will be presenting at the Alfalfa & Stored Forages Conference. The Kentucky Alfalfa Platform is…
Liming for a Successful Soil pH
We’re always in a battle to interpret data and make the right decisions to push both yields and forage quality. Often this battle isn’t an easy one, nor does it always have a single correct response. However, the one thing that will stand the test of time for sustainable agriculture practices, other than obtaining the data in the first place by soil sampling, will be to focus on soil pH to maximize nutrient and mineral availability to growing plants. We…
Placing 12th at the 2019 World Forage Analysis Superbowl
We are proud that our alfalfa hay represented rural Kentucky at the annual World Forage Analysis Superbowl during the World Dairy Expo. Our entry was amongst 336 other forage entries, and we excitedly note that our inaugural entry came from our first ever alfalfa production landing amongst the finalist with an overall placement of 12th in the commercial hay category. If you’ve never heard of the World Forage Analysis Superbowl, it is a forage contest that is held annually in…
What it Means to Be Kentucky Proud
At Elwoh Solutions, we’ve recently been asked what the #kyproud hashtag, logo, and wordmark indicates on our products and social postings. The short answer is that Kentucky Proud is an initiative and program by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture; however, the full answer really isn’t that simple. Being Kentucky Proud means more than just showcasing a fancy logo or tagline. It embodies a core component of our operation, philosophy, and mission as a company. A Proud Rural Beginning While we…
Using Preservative on Alfalfa Dry Hay
It is no secret that there are many different preservatives and additives marketed for use in dry hay and some with crossover benefits when applied to haylage/baleage; there are also various modes of action for these different additives. We aim to settle on one specific preservative to use on our alfalfa which will be packaged as dry hay and primarily marketed to the equine industry.
Kentucky Alfalfa & Forages Project
We are proud to announce the beginning of a community-driven project that aims to promote Kentucky alfalfa and forages in various capacities — the Kentucky Alfalfa & Forages project.
Fall Alfalfa Seeding Challenges & Completion
Sometimes the stars align, and other times, perhaps even more often, they do not. Preparing the first fields and completing a fall seeding of alfalfa proved challenging with both time and the weather choosing not to cooperate.
For our area in Kentucky, the ideal seeding time for fall season planted alfalfa is around September 1st – 15th, giving a suitable buffer with an optimal chance of having warm temperatures for germination, emergence, and ultimately crown development.
Alfalfa Hay Production Begins
As the year comes to a close, Elwoh Solutions is working hard to prepare a new farm for high-quality alfalfa hay production. The hay will be ready to harvest during the 2019 season, which will hopefully serve as the beginning of a hay enterprise.
Through many weeks of research and discussions with forage specialists and our local extension agent at the University of Kentucky, it has been decided to move forward with the preparatory steps to establish alfalfa, with the end goal of producing small square bales of alfalfa hay for the equestrian and dairy cattle markets.
Wildlife Habitat During Mowing Operations
Most everyone is familiar with the topic of mowing, as they actively mow or have some property that is contract mowed — all for various reasons, whether it be purely cosmetic, obtaining hay as feed for livestock, or part of an established maintenance plan such as controlling the growth of particular species of weeds; however, not everyone is familiar with the implications affecting the wildlife habitat during mowing operations.
There are, however, special considerations surrounding wildlife and their habitat as it relates to mowing techniques; be mindful of these during mowing operations, even if you’re not bound to a conservation program contract.
One of the most important considerations is to be aware that mowing high overgrowth during the spring and summer months could disrupt active nesting of wildlife.
Bush Hogging vs. Finish Mowing
As a part of the changes to Elwoh Solutions in 2017, specifically to the point of diversifying service offerings to include physical property services, the introduction of large scale capable tractor bush hogging and finish mowing is now being offered.
The initial extent of the operation is of course not the largest out there, but it should be sufficient to adequately target any small, medium, or large scale mowing needs in the service area.