Fertilization is Key to Productive Pastures

Donnie Kearns, manager at Sword Farms in Madison County, Ky., depends on the expertise of the nearby Southern States' Richmond location for his pasture needs.

Proper annual pasture fertilization is crucial to a successful beef cattle operation, believes Donnie Kearns, manager at Sword Farms of Madison County, Ky. Sword Farms is located in Kentucky's famed rolling hill Bluegrass region, just 30 miles southeast of Lexington.

But while the Bluegrass is well-known as thoroughbred horse country, Madison County holds another distinction. "We're one of the largest beef cattle counties east of the Mississippi," notes Rick Winn, manager of Southern States' Richmond Service store in nearby Richmond, Ky.

And one of the finest beef cattle farms in Madison County is the picturesque 1,600-acre spread owned by John D. Sword and managed by Donnie Kearns. Private roads lined with mowed verges roll over the rich green hills of the property and make Sword Farms a real showplace.

But it's the healthy 325-cow commercial Angus crossbred beef herd that grazes on luscious fescue, orchardgrass and clover pastures that is the real beauty of the farm. "We depend on these high-quality pastures to keep the herd productive," observes Kearns, a 35-year veteran in the Madison County cattle business.

To ensure that Sword Farms pastures produce the volume and quality of grass and legumes needed, Kearns sees that a quarter to one third of the farm's pastures are reseeded every year. And before winter is over (usually early March), spreader trucks from the Southern States' Richmond location are moving across the farm's hilly pastures, applying fertilizer as determined by soil tests.

Kentucky agronomists K.L. Wells and C.T. Dougherty note that the cool-season grasses in the Sword Farms' pastures are common on 7 to 8 million acres of pastureland in the state.

"Proper lime and fertilizer applications are necessary to prevent nutrient deficiency and to ensure good forage production," they note in a publication they've coauthored, titled "Problems in Diagnosing Nutrient Deficiencies of Cool-season Forage Grasses."

"Soil-testing service is one of many important services we provide to our customers," notes Winn, a 25-year veteran of Southern States. "And then our certified drivers go to work, taking pride in ensuring that each farm we service gets expert application."

The Richmond location's applicators/drivers are certified each year at Southern States spreader and sprayer rodeos. There, with Southern States colleagues from their region, they reaffirm their skills at maintaining and calibrating their equipment. This ensures that spreader and sprayer patterns leave no parts of a field or pasture untreated.

"I've depended on Southern States for a variety of products and services for many years," notes Kearns, who serves as chairman of the store's local board.

"I've depended on Southern States for a variety of products and services for many years. --Donnie Kearns"

That, he says, is because of the quality of staff and the fact that the Richmond location is capable of providing a good-sized farm like Sword Farms requires.

"We don't use Southern States just for fertilizing pastures," he emphasizes. "They provide our feed and minerals and other farm supplies as well."