Even though the majority of the state has been suffering from a drought, hay supplies are up from last year. However, some livestock producers will still need to find an additional hay source to get through the winter.

Overall, we are in decent to fair shape on cattle hay going into the winter. Producers who use high-quality hay to feed dairy cattle and horses will likely need to import additional quantities to have a sufficient supply.

The wet spring rejuvenated pastures recovering from last year’s drought. This much-needed moisture helped the forages develop and allowed producers to get in early first and second cuttings.

With hay being so hard to come by last year, most farmers that had any hay went ahead and made it early to get as much quality hay as they could. This benefited cattle farmers.

Since hay supplies on high-quality alfalfa grass mix are low, we encourage producers who need this type of hay to go ahead and line up their sources. Hay prices are up nationwide and producers should be prepared for sticker shock (again) when looking to import hay from other states.

For the second year, livestock producers are dealing with the effects of a drought. Many already are feeding hay to their livestock or considering doing so. With some producers already feeding their cattle, it’s going to be a long feeding period. Hay should be used judiciously to ensure supplies last through winter.

Since many farmers applied little to no nitrogen to their fields this past year, they should have their hay tested for quality before feeding it to livestock.

Now that we seem to be getting some rain, producers may want to take measures to help their pastures recover from the most recent drought. Producers should consider applying some nitrogen to their fields to help them recover and give them a boost going into winter. Fertilizing pastures to stimulate root growth, tilling and giving the fields another fertilizer application in the spring will also help improve 2009 pasture and hay yields. While this may seem excessive, especially with nitrogen costs being so high, some pastures may need the additional boost to produce quality forage.

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It happens every year about this time. Nature throws a switch and Kentucky’s hills and plains light up with the neon colors of autumn. And that spectrum of colors painting the hillsides is part of a very green cycle – or more accurately, recycle.

The winter and spring months brought above-average rainfall, but since June 1 the state has been drier than it was last year. So what does this autumn hold in the way of color? Usually with bright days and cool nights the trees will continue to make sugars in their leaves.

But because the leaves have sealed off from the branch for the wintertime, none of those sugars get to the roots. The retained sugars in the leaves will make for brighter-than-normal color. Conditions from late summer and early fall have provided this for us in 2008, according Doug McLaren, UK Forestry Specialist.

But it’s not the temperature or moisture that actually triggers the onset of fall colors in deciduous trees. It’s the amount of sunlight. Shorter days prompt the formation of a layer of cork cells at the base of each leaf.

McLaren said the best color in the state typically is between the second and fourth weeks of October. He predicts the best weekends to hit the state’s highways and byways this year will be Oct. 18-19.

In the best of years, autumn foliage in Kentucky would stack up against any rival.