Kenny grew up in Jessamine County, KY where his family produced tobacco and raised cattle and sheep. He received his B.S. in Agricultural Economics in December of 1999 and began working as an Extension Associate in the Department of Agricultural Economics. He pursued his graduate degrees on a part-time basis completing his M.S. in 2003 and PhD in 2011. Kenny joined the Agricultural Economics faculty in 2012 and is currently an Associate Extension Professor in livestock economics.