ID-119: Ornamental Gourd Production in Kentucky

Amanda Sears | March 31, 2026 (Major Revision)

Gourds are hard-shelled members of the Cucurbit family and are among the oldest cultivated plants. When dried, they have traditionally been used for many purposes including dippers, spoons, storage containers, bowls, musical instruments, and toys. A few types of gourds are edible if picked when immature but most are valued primarily for their beauty and used for crafts and as decorations.

PR-880: 2025 Long-Term Summary of Kentucky Forage Variety Trials

Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch | January 15, 2026 (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-879: 2025 Annual Grass Report Warm Season and Cool Season (Cereals)

Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Brittany Hendrix, Bill Bruening | January 14, 2026 (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 2008-2025 forage yield trials with sudangrass, sorghum/sudangrass, forage sorghum, millets, teff, crabgrass, and cereal crops.

PR-874: 2025 Timothy and Kentucky Bluegrass Report

Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Tim Phillips, Chris Teutsch | January 13, 2026 (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-873: 2025 Tall Fescue, Bromegrass, and Meadow Fescue Report

Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Tim Phillips, Brittany Hendrix | January 7, 2026 (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-875: 2025 Annual and Perennial Ryegrass and Festulolium Report

Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Tim Phillips, Chris Teutsch | January 7, 2026 (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.

PR-872: 2025 Orchardgrass Report

Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Tim Phillips, Brittany Hendrix | January 7, 2026 (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.

PR-870: 2025 Red and White Clover and Annual Lespedeza Report

Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Brittany Hendrix | December 18, 2025 (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 2½ 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-871: 2025 Alfalfa Report

Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Brittany Hendrix | December 18, 2025 (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.

PR-876: 2025 Alfalfa, Red Clover, and White Clover Grazing Tolerance Report

Gene Olson, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Eric Vanzant | December 9, 2025 (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.