Agriculture is one of Kentucky’s leading and most vital industries, contributing about $45.6 billion to the state’s economy each year. Of Kentucky’s 25.4 million acres, just under 50% is considered farmland. The state is an important contributor to U.S. corn and soybean production, as well as poultry, eggs, and cattle. However, the state’s farmers dedicate more acreage to hay than any other crop. Kentucky is also racehorse country, and the state is the leader in horse and equine sales. Kentucky is also our nation’s second-largest producer of tobacco.
Hay Grasses – While hay does not bring as much money from sales as other crops and livestock, farmers dedicate more than 2 million acres to hay grasses, more than any other crop. Hay sales for 2023 were estimated at $360,000 but valued at $788,000. The most popular types of grasses and plants grown in Kentucky for hay are orchard grass, bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, timothy, tall fescue, alfalfa, red clover, and white clover. Kentucky ranks 4th nationally for hay production excluding alfalfa, and 7th for all hay production. In 2023, more than 2 million acres were harvested, producing 4.16 million tons of hay. Kentucky farmers this year have struggled with unpredictable weather patterns that significantly impacted production, which could be bad news this winter for Kentucky’s top ag business, horses.
Horses – Home to more than 209,000 horses and approximately 31,000 horse farms/operations, horses are a defining feature of Kentucky’s culture. A horse even appears on Kentucky’s state quarter and on the standard automobile license plate. In several towns, you can find streets named after famous racehorses like ‘Cavalcade,’ ‘Citation,’ and ‘Man o’ War.’ More than 3 million acres in Kentucky are devoted to equine use, and the total value of horses and horse-related assets (land, buildings, equipment, etc.) is estimated at $27.7 billion. While Kentucky may not have more total horses than Texas, California, or Florida, Kentucky horse sales and income from horse-related operations bring nearly $1 billion to the commonwealth each year. This is due to the large number of Thoroughbred horses bred, born, raised, and sold in Kentucky for a career in racing. Most of those Thoroughbreds can be found in the central Bluegrass region near Lexington, aka the “Horse Capital of the World.” There are some 450 horse farms in the Lexington area alone. The city is also home to Keeneland Sales, based at Keeneland racetrack, which is the largest Thoroughbred auction house in the world. While Thoroughbreds dominate, the state is also known for the American Saddlebred, which is indigenous to Kentucky. Many Saddlebred horse farms are centered around Shelbyville, the “American Saddlebred Capital of the World.” Other breeds of horses bred in the state include the Quarter Horse, Tennessee Walking Horse, and Mountain Horses. Not surprisingly, the horse industry is a huge job creator, boasting more than 32,000 jobs across the state.
Tobacco – Kentucky is the second leading tobacco-producing state, behind only North Carolina. Kentucky has 44,967 tobacco farms that reside within its own borders. North Carolina has 12,095 farms. The difference is the average tobacco plot in Kentucky is just 5.7 acres vs. the average plot in North Carolina is 26.5 acres. The soil and climate of Kentucky, Virginia, and the Carolinas produce the finest cigarette tobacco. Tobacco is a seasonal crop and does not grow year-round. Tobacco has to be planted with little tiny seeds that are barely visible to the naked eye. Then it has to be hoed, suckered, tended, painted with herbicides, etc. It is hot, backbreaking work. Many argue that it takes about one-half of a man-hour per acre to grow and harvest winter wheat. In contrast, it takes about 600 man-hours per acre to grow and harvest tobacco. Very little of tobacco farming has been mechanized. (Sources: Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Equine Survey, Kentucky Food & Farm)
