News About the Dudley Smith Initiative

University of Illinois Dudley Smith Farm Hosts University of Kentucky Bio-Mass Team

October 22, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A group of University of Kentucky-Mass Team toured the University of Illinois Dudley Smith Farm on October 5, 2009.  The team is composed of University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Staff members, Extension staff members from campus and Counties, and farmers.  The group is expanding their knowledge of bio-mass crop production and futures uses and technology of bio-mass crops.

One of the real highlights of their tour was an opportunity to visit the Miscanthus and Switchgrass plots on the University of Illinois Dudley Smith Farm in Christian County.  Gary Letterly, Crop and Horticulture Educator for Christian County and a member of the University of Illinois Bio-Mass Team, shared information with the group about the bio-mass plots on the farm. Planting of both Miscanthus and Switchgrass were planted in 2004 and again in 2005.  A third planting was planted in 2007.  The plots are harvested in March each year and hauled to be processed into pellets to be used to heat the Christian County Extension Office along with a home on the University of Illinois Campus.  Letterly discussed the management of the plots including planting and harvesting methods, weed control, nitrogen fertilization and overall management of the bio-mass plots.  The University of Kentucky has been planting some of the Illinois variety of Miscanthus in their research plots along with some other varieties of Miscanthus.  They are also looking at more than one variety of Switchgrass.

Then the tour group was able to view some Tropical Maize corn be grown for a Dudley Smith Project under the leadership of Mike Vincent. Mike is a graduate student in Agronomy at the University of Illinois.  Mike discussed the potential uses of Tropical Maize as corn silage for feed, sugar source to be used directly into Ethanol, and as a potential bio-mass source of heat.  Mike presented a history on the breeding program of Tropical Maize corn and how the variety had been developed and production records up to date. 

Then Ed Ballard, Co-coordinator for the Dudley Smith Farm, discussed the cropping and livestock program on the Dudley Smith Farm.  A special interest was the Teff crop and how it has been used on the farm and the production this pass summer.  The Teff crop was planted in early June and harvest in late June, late July and early September.  Now the crop is being stockpiled for late fall and early winter grazing along with interseed turnips.  The third cutting of hay was left in place and the Teff will be striped grazed this winter along with corn stalks and the turnips in the Teff.

The University of Kentucky group was very impressed with the projects on the Dudley Smith Farm. Especially the overall operation of the Dudley Smith Farm and it community outreach.  The farm has also hosted a group of Ukrainian farmers and another group of China farmers in the past few weeks.