PR-840: 2023 Timothy and Kentucky Bluegrass Report

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

---

ID-276: Proper Grounding as Part of an Electric Fencing System

Morgan Hayes, Chris Teutsch | Nov. 1, 2023 (New)

Electric fencing provides a successful boundary by shocking an animal when there is contact between the animal and the fence wire. For electric fencing to work properly, current or electricity from the fence must travel through the animal, into the ground, and back to the energizer. The grounding on the energizer works as an "antenna" to collect the current and complete the circuit, which allows the animal to feel the shock. Frustration with electric fencing occurs when animals do not receive a proper shock when they first come in contact with the fence.

---

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

Jimmy Henning, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Josh McGrath, Edwin Ritchey | Mar. 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.

---

AGR-271: Frost Seeding Clover: A Recipe for Success

Jimmy Henning, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Mar. 2, 2023 (New)

Legumes are an essential part of a strong and healthy grassland ecosystems. They form a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria in which the bacteria fix nitrogen from the air into a plant-available form and share it with the legume. Clover also increases forage quality and quantity and helps to manage tall fescue toxicosis. In the past, the positive impact of clover on tall fescue toxicosis has always been thought to simply be a dilution effect, but new research from the USDA's Forage Animal Production Unit in Lexington shows that compounds found in red clover can reverse vasoconstriction that is caused by the ergot alkaloids in toxic tall fescue. The primary compound found in red clover is a vasodilator called "Biochanin A."

---

PR-823: 2022 Cool-Season Grass Grazing Tolerance Report

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 19, 2022 (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.

---

PR-826: 2022 Long-Term Summary of Kentucky Forage Variety Trials

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 19, 2022 (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-825: 2022 Annual Grass Report Warm Season and Cool Season (Cereals)

Bill Bruening, Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 19, 2022 (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.

---

PR-822: 2022 Alfalfa, Red Clover and White Clover Grazing Tolerance Report

Jimmy Henning, Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 15, 2022 (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-824: 2022 Cool-Season Grass Horse Grazing Tolerance Report

Jimmy Henning, Laurie Lawrence, Gene Olson, Tim Phillips, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 14, 2022 (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.

---

AGR-235: Baleage: Frequently Asked Questions

Jimmy Henning, Brandon Sears, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | Dec. 13, 2022 (Minor Revision)

Baled silage, or "baleage," is an excellent method for forage harvest, storage, and feed efficiency. This publication focuses on common questions about baleage. Together with AGR-173: Baling Forage Crops for Silage, this information will help producers better understand the production and use of baleage as livestock feed.