Madison County is ranked 2^nd in the state for production of hay other than alfalfa. Local seed dealers sell thousands of pounds of forage seed each year to maintain pasture and hayfields. Over the past several years, many changes and improvements have been made in the area of seed coatings and technology. Some of these changes have required farmers to adjust seeding rates and rethink settings when using No-Till drills to plant their forage crops.

On January 9^th, Dr. Jimmy Henning and Dr. Ray Smith, UK Extension Forage Specialists provided a forage seed technology update at the Madison County Extension Office. Approximately 45 producers attended. Among topics discussed were improvements of seed treatments and coatings along with their uses and benefits. Also mentioned were general forage establishment practices, seed testing options, how to read a seed tag, understanding the seed certification process and determining differences between varieties and brands.

Post meeting surveys indicated a 97% increase in confidence of forage crop establishment, 100% better understanding of seed treatments and difference between varieties and brands. Among participants, 97% left with a better understanding of how to read a seed tag and 93% learned how seed certification ensures better seed quality and purity. Overall, this meeting impacted 4,850 acres and 2,475 head of livestock in Madison County.