Horses dominate the livestock landscape in Oldham County.  The market value of horses sold in Oldham County was over 6.3 million dollars, according to the 2017 U.S. Agriculture Census, ranking Oldham County 6th in Kentucky.   In Oldham and neighboring counties, cattle, horses, sheep, and goats represent a major segment of farm production.  While different in many respects, all livestock have the common need of a good forage base for good nutrition.  For cattle, sheep, and goats – forages are key in producing daily gains for growth, and in some cases are key in forage-finished meat animal production.   Forages, including pasture and hay, are often poorly managed due to lack of knowledge or livestock owners’ attention being divided among many management areas.   

To meet the need of livestock producers, forage classes are offered each year covering a wide range of topics.  In 2022-2023, the Oldham County Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent taught these forage programs:

• Forage Identification and Hay Quality for Kentucky 4-H Stockman’s College, organized by Shelby County Extension ANR & 4-H Agents.
• Forage Identification and Hay Quality for Oldham County 4-H Horse Club, organized by 4-H Club Leader.
• Pasture Management for Beef Basics program, organized by Shelby County Extension ANR Agent.   Beef Basics provides participants with foundational knowledge and prepares them for participation in Master Cattleman.
• Horse Pasture Management for Horse Owners Field Day, co-sponsored with Kentucky Women in Agriculture District Representative.  UK Extension Horse Specialist presented Horse Grazing Management, and Kentucky Department of Agriculture Safety Administrator presented Equipment Safety at the field day.
• Native Warm Season Forages for Bullitt County Extension/Cattlemen’s Field Day.
• Organized Native Warm Season Forages Farm Tour for Eastern U.S. Native Grasses Symposium.  UK Extension Forage Specialists and a retired NRCS District Conservationist assisted in organizing this tour.

A total of 169 adults and 88 youth participated in these programs, learning forage basics to improve pasture production and how to select hay for specific animal class needs.   Outcomes of these forage programs included:

• 77 4-H’ers gained knowledge in taking care of their livestock and increased knowledge for competitions.  18 4-H parents gained knowledge of forages and hay for their livestock operations.
• 11 Oldham County 4-H Horse Club members used knowledge gained to take care of their own horses and increased knowledge for state and national competitions.
• 14 Beginning cattle farmers gained knowledge to produce quality forage for their herds.
• 62 Horse owners gained knowledge to better manage pastures from both the agronomy and horse perspectives.
• 3 new clients requested farm visits and received farm-specific pasture management recommendations.
• 35 Cattle and other ruminant producers learned how to manage warm season grasses for their herds and flocks.
• 40 Scientists and researchers learned from on-farm warm season grass production for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat.

Forages are a major part of Oldham County Extension programming, with the Oldham County Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent providing forage education beyond Oldham County.  Forage programs will continue to be offered throughout the program year in 2023-2024.   The next scheduled program is Making Forages Work for You, covering Pasture Seeding, Stockpiling, and Bale Grazing in August 2023.