Cotton can be a tricky plant to manage. Unlike most other row crops in the US, it is an indeterminate, perennial plant farmed like an annual through the use of plant growth regulator hormones (PGR). PGRs are used to attempt to shut down or slow the vegetative growth of the cotton and force it into [...]
Alfalfa production in Southwest Kansas is a profitable crop. Initial seed costs are comparable with corn, but when amortized out for a five to seven year stand, costs are around $20 per acre per year. Furthermore, since alfalfa is a legume crop, nitrogen fertilizer is not required for production, assuming seed was inoculated and nodules [...]
One of the most challenging nutrients to manage for crop production in the Southern Plains is potassium. Many of our soils in this region are sandy and are derived from low potassium parent materials. It is not unusual for our staff to recommend fairly high application rates to these soils to push production. Several of [...]
Alfalfa continues to be a valuable commodity across the country. Producing enough quality alfalfa to meet the needs of the beef and dairy industry has been a challenge, especially during the dry years we have experienced lately. In order to maximize forage production, alfalfa needs to be properly managed for pests, water and fertilizer. Sometimes [...]
