The Rockcastle County Extension office holds its winter meetings every year starting in January and conclude in March.  These meetings are focused on livestock production encompassing all areas of farm management.  

In early February of 2022 Dr. Greg Halich was invited to speak to our group about ways to decrease commercial fertilizer use therefore increasing profits.  In his presentation Dr. Halich presented several options that included, bale grazing, rotational grazing, stocking rates and inter-seeding legumes.  

With the extreme cost of fertilizers in the spring of 2022 many producers were interested in trying new methods to decrease productions costs.  The most popular method Dr. Halich discussed was the use of legumes.  Eleven of thirty two class attendants seeded legumes into their pastures and hay ground.  This included seeding annual lespedeza and clovers.  Over 40 acres of lespedeza was seeded to help decrease the cost of nitrogen while also increasing summer grazing forages.  

All of the producers that seeded legumes in spring of 2022 are planning to increase their legume crops in 2023.  With the success these producers had with seeding lespedeza and clover many other producers plan to incorporate these practices into their management plans in the future.