Bringing Fallow Fields Back into Production

From a University of Kentucky press release:

PRINCETON, Ky., (March 7, 2007) – Spurred on by higher grain prices, producers are considering bringing fallow land back into production. This can be done successfully if producers follow good management techniques, according to research conducted by the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

“We aren’t getting as many questions about this from farmers in western Kentucky as from central Kentucky,” said Lloyd Murdock, UK Extension soils specialist. “There was a lot of land that was eligible to come out of the federal Conservation Reserve Program this year, but all but about 3 million acres have been re-enrolled nationwide.”

In the mid- to late 1990s, UK scientists conducted research in preparation for what was anticipated to be a move from fallowed land to production. It never materialized at that time, but demand and high prices for grain crops are moving producers to consider adding acreage this year. Some of those fields will have been left completely fallow while others may have been used for hay or pasture.

It is unclear how much fallow land and hay or pasture fields will ultimately switch to row crops, but Murdock said for farmers considering doing so, it is important to understand the challenges.

Click here to read the entire press release.