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

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | December 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.

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

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | December 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.

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

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | December 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.

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

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | December 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.

PR-836: 2023 Red and White Clover and Annual Lespedeza Report

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

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is a high-quality, short-lived, perennial legume used in mixed or pure stands for pasture, hay, silage, green chop, soil improvement, and wildlife habitat. This species is adapted to a wide range of climatic and soil conditions. Stands of improved varieties generally are productive for 2.5 to 3 years, with the highest yields occurring in the year following establishment. Red clover is used primarily as a renovation legume for grass pastures and hay fields. It is a dominant forage legume in Kentucky because it is relatively easy to establish and has high forage quality, yield, and animal acceptance.

PR-840: 2023 Timothy and Kentucky Bluegrass Report

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | December 7, 2023 (New)

Timothy (Phleum pratense) is the fourth most widely sown cool-season perennial grass used in Kentucky for forage - after tall fescue, orchardgrass, and Kentucky bluegrass. It is a late-maturing bunchgrass that is primarily harvested as hay, particularly for horses. It also can be used for grazing or wildlife habitat.

PR-841: 2023 Annual and Perennial Ryegrass and Festulolium Report

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | December 7, 2023 (New)

Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) are high quality, productive, cool-season grasses used in Kentucky. Both have exceptionally high seedling vigor and are highly palatable to livestock. In Kentucky, winter survival can be an issue for many annual ryegrass varieties, so before planting, review winter survival results in this publication.

AGR-275: Tall Fescue Novel Endophyte Varieties and Establishment for Livestock and Horse Farms

Krista Lea, Stephanie Smith, Ray Smith | November 2, 2023 (New)

"Endophyte" refers to a fungus that lives within the fescue plant, meaning it cannot be seen with the naked eye. The endophyte found in tall fescue is beneficial to the plant: It gives tall fescue insect resistance, enhanced grazing tolerance, and greater persistence in stressful environments. The major disadvantage of some of the endophytes of tall fescue is that they produce toxic alkaloids that have detrimental effects on many types of livestock.

ID-274: Economic Efficiency in Organic Dairy Operations

John Allison, Kenny Burdine, Ray Smith | April 3, 2023 (New)

Organic dairy operations have historically commanded a higher milk price than conventional dairy operations (Organic all milk price 2021 average: $31.55 per hundredweight (USDA AMS, 2021), Conventional all milk price 2021 average: $20.25 per hundredweight (USDA ERS, 2021)). However, the economics of decision-making and management still play a pivotal role in farm profitability.

AGR-265: Soil Sampling and Nutrient Management in Small Ruminant Pastures

Jimmy Henning, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Josh McGrath, Edwin Ritchey | March 13, 2023 (Major Revision)

Pastures for sheep and goats are fertilized to ensure a reliable supply of energy, protein, and other nutrients for a long season of grazing. Management of plant nutrients maintains a balance of improved grasses and legumes and improves forage species’ competitiveness with many pasture weeds.
The most important part of obtaining fertilizer recommendations is collecting a representative soil sample to send to the lab. Soil test results and fertilizer recommendations are based solely on 10 to 20 ounces of soil submitted to the lab for analysis, which are assumed to represent several million pounds of soil in the field. If this sample does not reflect actual soil chemical conditions, the results can be misleading and cause costly over- or under-fertilization.