AEC-103: Distillery Grain Demand in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Ohio

Ryan Murphy, Grant Gardner, Tyler Mark, Seth DeBolt | April 1, 2026 (New)

This article discusses the demand for grains by whiskey distilleries and estimates the amount of grain demanded in Kentucky and surrounding states. While the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) estimate grain use for food, it is difficult to assess the impact of distilleries on grain demand. The University of Kentucky Extension publication Bourbon’s Boom: Growth, Trends, and the Role of Agriculture (AEC-104) discusses the growth in bourbon (Murphy et al. 2026); however, this article delves deeper into demand and examines distilleries’ current grain requirements. This article aims to educate producers and the public on the demand for grain in Kentucky distilleries.

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.

ID-125: Kentucky Wheat Guide

Chad Lee, Bill Bruening, J.D. Green, John Grove, Carrie Knott, Travis Legleiter, Edwin Ritchey, Carl Bradley, Raul Villanueva, Sam McNeill, Michael Montross, Greg Halich, Jordan Shockley, David Van Sanford, Grant Gardner | October 21, 2025 (Major Revision)

The soft red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in Kentucky provides flour for cookies, cakes, pastries, and crackers and is the fourth most valuable cash crop in the state. Winter wheat has been an integral part of crop rotation for Kentucky farmers. Wheat is normally harvested in June in Kentucky and provides an important source of cash flow during the summer months. Improvements in varieties and adoption of intensive wheat management practices have resulted in dramatically increased wheat yields.

AEC-102: Kentucky ANR Agent Land Value and Cash Rent Survey

Greg Halich, Thomas Keene | September 22, 2025 (New)

In January of 2025, Agriculture and Natural Resource (ANR) agents were surveyed to estimate land values and rental rates for various types of farmland. A total of 70 ANR agents completed this survey out of 120 counties, representing approximately 60% of the state total. These responses were distributed between the three geographic regions as follows: Western Kentucky (28), Central Kentucky (25), and Eastern Kentucky (17). These regions were further divided into eight subregions based on similar land attributes. This document summarizes the results from this survey. Dollar values are rounded to the nearest $5-10 for rental rates and $100 for land values.

NEP-235: Cook Wild Kentucky: White-Tailed Deer

Annhall Norris, Wooldridge Bloomfield. Becky, Copley Andrew, Coots Easton, Knappage Elizabeth, Rentfrow Jann, Robinson Gregg, Springer Jen, Walters Matthew, Yount Jackie, Cline Martha | September 4, 2025 (New)

Kentucky has a mixture of woodlands, grasslands, wetlands, and farmland. This makes it a great habitat for wildlife species such as white-tailed deer. The white-tailed deer is common throughout Kentucky, with a population close to one million. You can see white-tailed deer grazing in forests, pastures, and crop fields. They are a prized resource, supplying food, clothing, and fun.

ID-281: 2024 Kentucky Organic Small Grains Survey

Lauren Brzozowski, Ayla Koehler, Yoko Kusunose | May 1, 2025 (New)

The number of organic farms and acreage doubled in Kentucky between 2016 and 2021. During that time, the number of farms grew from 100 to 207, and acreage increased from 10,255 to 20,467, according to the 2016 and 2021 USDA NASS Certified Organic Surveys. However, only 12 farms produced organic small grains, including wheat, rye, barley, and oats, in that same period. A survey by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension in 2007 reported that organic growers found growing wheat and oats organically to be “easy” or “easy to moderate” but did not identify specific areas for further research, Extension programs or education on grain crops. In this publication, we report results from a survey of current and prospective organic grain growers in Kentucky and the surrounding region to better understand the current challenges and opportunities for local organic small grain production for human food and animal feed or forage.

IP-56: Assessment of the Potential for Livestock and Poultry Manure to Provide the Nutrients Removed by Crops and Forages in Kentucky

Les Anderson, Jenny Cocanougher, Richard Coffey, Bill Crist, Ron Fleming, Kim Henken, Doug Overhults, Tony Pescatore, Monroe Rasnake, Bill Thom | February 5, 2025 (Revised)

Livestock and poultry manure has been used for many years to provide basic fertilizer nutrients to improve crop and forage production. In addition, it has long been known that the chemical and physical properties of soils can be improved by applications of animal manure. Because of these benefits, much of the manure produced by livestock and poultry has been and continues to be applied to cropland and pastureland. Not only does this practice benefit crop production, it also has the environmental benefit of recycling nutrients to the soil from which they originated.

ID-160: Burley and Dark Tobacco Production Guide, 2025-2026

Andy Bailey, Bob Pearce, Travis Legleiter, Edwin Ritchey, Will Snell, Ric Bessin, Wayne Sanderson, Ann Fisher | January 27, 2025 (Major Revision)

Labor challenges and increasing production costs have continued to reduce profit margins for all tobacco growers. According to the 2022 Ag Census results, the total number of tobacco farms in the U.S. dropped to 2987. This was 3250 fewer tobacco farms than reported in the 2017 Ag Census. Growers choosing to remain in tobacco production must continue to take steps to be efficient while maintaining a high-level of cured leaf quality and productivity. The recommendations described in this guide represent the best-known practices for producing high yields and good quality burley and dark tobacco.

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

Kenny Burdine, Kelly Mercier, Ray Smith | March 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.

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.