Success StoryLespedeza Will it Help During High Fertilize Prices



Lespedeza Will it Help During High Fertilize Prices

Author: Danny Adams

Planning Unit: Wayne County CES

Major Program: Small Farm Management

Outcome: Long-Term Outcome

The cost of fertilizer has been extremely high over the past year. Small farmers with limited resources have struggled to fertilize their hay and pasture fields. So one alternative might be sowing their fields with lespedeza for higher forage production with out using commercial fertilizers.

Some sixty years ago farmers used lespedeza as a pasture supplement for their cattle or other grazing animals because commercial fertilizers weren't available, or farmers didn't have the cash flow to buy commercial fertilizer.

By trying something that worked in the past might work again because of today's fertilize prices.

The Wayne County Agriculture Extension Service consisting of KSU and UK personnel are doing 9 different demonstration plots containing 1 to 4 acres each on small and limited resource farms to see if lespedeza could be a pasture supplement on low fertility soils.

The farmers seeded twenty to twenty five pounds of lespedeza seed per acre. They used several different planting methods. Some frost / freeze seeded lespedeza in mid February, while others farmers used a field harrow to cover the lespedeza seed to make good soil contact. Others used a small disk on their pasture fields to create a better seed bed for the lespedeza seed.

If 1 or 2 more tons of forage per acre could be produced, the benefits would be the additional forage at $75.00 per ton, allowing farmers to have more grazing animals per acre or purchasing less hay for their small farms.

If the price of fertilizer returns to lower prices commercial fertilizers may be the most economical. 






Stories by Danny Adams


Cattle Handling for Small Producers

about 5 years ago by Danny Adams

Wayne County has several Small Beef Cattle Producers in the county. One of these producers and his w... Read More


Weed Management in Pasture and Hay Fields

about 5 years ago by Danny Adams

Weeds in Pasture and Hay Fields are costing Wayne County farmers $25.00 to $50.00 an acre in product... Read More


Stories by Wayne County CES


Conserve Resources, Reduce and Recycle

about 5 years ago by Glen Roberts

Collaborators: Ky Department of Agriculture, ANR agent Glen Roberts, Ky State University Small Farm ... Read More


Wayne County Grain Farmers Use the Kentucky Grain Yield contest to boost grain yield and quality

about 5 years ago by Glen Roberts

Collaborators: ANR Agent, Glen Roberts, KSU SFA, Danny Adams, ANR assistyant, Terry Bertram, Wayne C... Read More