AGR-277: Using a Rising Plate Meter to Measure Pasture Growth: A Practical Guide

Echo Gotsick, Ray Smith | Oct. 14, 2024 (New)

Knowing pasture yields is very helpful for all livestock operations, especially cattle farms. High animal productivity is only possible with access to adequate quantities of high-quality forage. Previous research has shown a correlation between forage height and pasture yield. Height can be measured with tools as simple as a ruler, but this method often does not produce accurate yield estimates because pasture density is not taken into account.

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ID-277: The Great Debate of Annual vs. Perennial Forages

Kenny Burdine, Kelly Mercier, Ray Smith | Mar. 13, 2024 (New)

The organic dairy sector in Kentucky and Tennessee contributed $9.3 million in organic product sales in 2019 (USDA-NASS, 2020), with organic milk sales in Kentucky alone rising 61% from 2017 to 2019 (USDA, NASS, Kentucky Field Office, 2020). Organic dairies rely more heavily on pastures as a significant source of dry matter intake compared to most conventional dairies.

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PR-845: 2023 Annual Grass Report Warm Season and Cool Season (Cereals)

Bill Bruening, Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 21, 2023 (New)

Summer annual grasses provide an important forage crop option for producers in Kentucky. These grasses are mainly used as emergency or supplemental pasture, silage, or hay crops, but little information is available on their yield potential. The purpose of this publication is to summarize the University of Kentucky 2008-2021 forage yield trials with sudangrass, sorghum/sudangrass, forage sorghum, millets, teff, crabgrass, and cereal crops.

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PR-839: 2023 Tall Fescue, Bromegrass, and Meadow Fescue Report

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 18, 2023 (New)

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is a productive, well-adapted, persistent, soil-conserving, cool-season grass grown on approximately 5.5 million acres in Kentucky. This grass, used for both hay and pasture, is the forage base of most of Kentucky's livestock enterprises, particularly beef cattle.

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PR-842: 2023 Alfalfa, Red Clover, and White Clover Grazing Tolerance Report

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 18, 2023 (New)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is the highest-yielding, highest-quality forage legume grown in Kentucky. It forms the basis of Kentucky's cash hay enterprise and is an important component in dairy, horse, beef, and sheep diets. Recent emphasis on its use as a grazing crop and the release of grazing-tolerant varieties have raised the following question: Do varieties differ in tolerance to grazing? To answer this question, we have chosen to use the standard tolerance test recommended by the North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference. This test uses continuous heavy grazing to sort out differences in grazing tolerance in a relatively short period of time.

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PR-837: 2023 Alfalfa Report

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 18, 2023 (New)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) has historically been the highest-yielding, highest-quality forage legume grown in Kentucky. It is an important part of Kentucky's cash hay enterprise and is an important component in dairy, horse, beef, and sheep diets. Choosing a good variety is a key step in establishing a stand of alfalfa. The choice of variety can impact yield, thickness of stand, and persistence.

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PR-843: 2023 Cool-Season Grass Grazing Tolerance Report

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 18, 2023 (New)

Cool-season forages such as tall fescue, orchardgrass, and Kentucky bluegrass are the primary pasture grasses in Kentucky. Other species such as perennial ryegrass and festulolium can also be used in pasture systems. Little is known about the effect of variety on the grazing tolerance of these cool-season grass species.

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PR-838: 2023 Orchardgrass Report

Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 18, 2023 (New)

Orchardgrass (Dactylus glomerata) is a high-quality, productive, cool-season grass that is well-adapted to Kentucky conditions. This grass is used for pasture, hay, green chop, and silage, but it requires better management than tall fescue for greater yields, higher quality, and longer stand life. It produces an open, bunch-type sod, making it compatible with alfalfa or red clover as a pasture and hay crop or as habitat for wildlife.

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PR-844: 2023 Cool-Season Grass Horse-Grazing Tolerance Report

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 18, 2023 (New)

Cool-season forages such as Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and orchardgrass are dominant pasture grasses for horses in Kentucky. Variety evaluations for yield have been carried out for many years, but little work has been done to evaluate varieties of these grasses for persistence when subjected to close, continuous grazing by horses.

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PR-846: 2023 Long-Term Summary of Kentucky Forage Variety Trials

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 12, 2023 (New)

Forage crops occupy approximately 7 million acres in Kentucky. Forages provide a majority of the nutrition for beef, dairy, horse, goat, sheep, and wildlife in the state. In addition, forage crops play a positive environmental role in soil conservation, water quality, and air quality. There are more than 60 forage species adapted to the climate and soil conditions of Kentucky. Only 10 to 12 of these species occupy the majority of the acreage, but within these species there is a tremendous variation in varieties.