Opportunities for Warm Season Grasses

Today I would like to do two things, first talk a little about warm season grasses, where they come from, and where they might fit in your grazing program; and second, talk about the four major native grass species and two introduced species. Native warm season perennial grasses were an important part of the native forage species of Kentucky, supplying food and cover for deer, buffalo, and other wildlife when settlers arrived into Kentucky. With settlers plowing, overgrazing, and the introduction of other forages, Native Warm Season Grasses (NWSGs) were on the brink of extinction. These grasses included switchgrass, eastern gamagrass, indiangrass, and big bluestem. Over the past several years, there has been interest in re-establishing these grasses back into Kentucky, for soil conservation, wildlife and forages for livestock