Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Todd Davis
Major Program: Ag Marketing
I continued to deliver a monthly newsletter, the Crops Marketing and Management Update, to inform ANR agents, farmers, and agricultural lenders on new USDA reports, price risk management opportunities, and emerging issues in crop marketing and management. Every ANR agent in District 6 and District 7 receive the newsletter along with agents in other districts who are interested in this information. Fifty-one ANR agents receive this monthly newsletter with sixteen agents responding that they
Author: Todd Davis
Major Program: Ag Marketing
I am often included in Extension meetings to provide Commodity Market Outlook and an update on risk management alternatives and opportunities. These presentations have been at Princeton REC Field Days, multi-county grain days, and the state wheat, corn and soybean conferences. For 2016-17, I have informed farmers, lenders, and insurance agents in 17 field days or expos separate from the other risk management and marketing workshops initiated by the specialist. These presentations provide cu
Author: Todd Davis
Major Program: Ag Marketing
This program builds on the risk management workshops delivered in Spring 2016. An applied research program that simulates farm-level yield and price risk is incorporated into the educational program to illustrate better and educate farmers on how risk tools can be used to preserve working capital during multiple year periods of low prices. Many young farmers are frustrated that risk management tools do not fully compensate when there is low yields or low prices. This educational program he
Author: Todd Davis
Major Program: Ag Marketing
This educational program initiated this period analyzes how cash forward contracts, hedging with commodity futures, and use of put options can reduce price risk both pre-harvest and stored grain post-harvest. A summary of the results has been presented in Extension grain market outlook meeting. The results have also been summarized and published in the Crops Marketing and Management Update newsletter. Manuscripts for Extension Bulletins that provide detailed results are with these publicati
Author: Daniel Allen
Major Program: Ag Marketing
A 2016 study by UC Davis about buying directly from farmers has a disproportionately large impact on the local economy. This study concluded that buying directly from a farmer has about twice the impact on the local economy as ending a dollar on food that goes through a middleman—like a supermarket. Saturday, September 16, 2017 was the seventh annual Kenton County Farm Harvest Tour. While there were 16 attraction this year, there were 12 farms that participated in the far
Author: Brandon Sears
Major Program: Ag Marketing
Madison County currently has an agriculture economy that is based on beef cattle production. Approximately 86% of farm gate receipts are from livestock sales. This is a drastic change from twenty years ago when Madison County ranked third in the state for burley tobacco production and the agriculture economy was based on tobacco.Madison County Extension has provided research based information to agriculture producers as they transitioned from tobacco farming to livestock operations. The Ag
Author: Lawrence Caudle
Major Program: Ag Marketing
The Powell County County Extension Council wanted to develop a program that showcased everything Powell County's Extension Service had to offer. This program would be a recruiting tool to recruit more volunteers and participants in Extension programming. The CEC developed the Powell County Extension Community Celebration Day. The day was planned for October 21st, 2017. The CEC decided that each program area would have booths so that they could demonstrate some of their activities such as sew
Author: Chuck Flowers
Major Program: Ag Marketing
Applying Education to Execution in Today’s Market ion in Today’s Looking at the make-up of row crop in Carlisle County. The corn acres grown in the county are 33,612 acres coming from the 2012 agriculture census. Soybeans acres are around 33,167 acres with small grain coming in at 13,535 acres in Carlisle County. Crop receipts for 2012 to the economy were $34,054,000. Those acres will be in the same range each year depending on crop rotations. So in order to help producers
Author: David Embrey
Major Program: Ag Marketing
The passage of House Bill 611 and subsequent development of the Governor’s Office of Agriculture Policy has greatly enhanced the ability of Kentucky producers to begin new enterprises and/or expand existing ones. Extension educators have been able to reach more clientele due to the required educational component of the program. Since the beginning of the program, Edmonson County has received over $1.6 million in county allocated funds and more than $200,000 from the Agricultural Infr
Author: Joanna Coles
Major Program: Ag Marketing
Social Media presents an incredible marketing opportunity for farmers. After several requests from clientele about navigating social media, the Warren County Extension Agents for Agriculture and Natural Resources and Horticulture developed a social media series targeting farmers’ market vendors, agritourism operators, KY Proud partners, and on-farm business owners. Utilizing University of Kentucky resources and industry standards, they created a 4 part series which consisted of classroom i
Author: Todd Davis
Major Program: Ag Marketing
I developed a monthly newsletter, the Crops Marketing and Management Update, to inform ANR agents, farmers, and agricultural lenders on updated USDA reports, price risk management opportunities, and emerging issues in crop marketing and risk management. Information in the newsletter is original analysis and is not regurgitation and repackaging of USDA reports. I email this newsletter to every ANR agent in Districts 6 and 7 plus other interested agents. Fifty-one ANR agents receive this monthly n
Author: Todd Davis
Major Program: Ag Marketing
Grain profit margins have been thin to negative since 2014 and managers need help in using risk management tools to protect their margins and preserve working capital. Nine full-day risk management workshops for crop producers were delivered in January-March 2016 across Western Kentucky. Farmers, agricultural lenders, ANR agents and crop insurance agents received an update on grain market fundamentals, costs of production and break-even analysis, working capital burn-rate, crop insurance, price
Author: Todd Davis
Major Program: Ag Marketing
A staple of my Extension program is providing current crop market outlook, price and profitability potential, and analysis of current risk management opportunities. These updates are presented in large Grain Day meetings and in individual county meetings. I focus the analysis for the location’s yield potential and basis. I have received positive feedback from farmers and Extension agents. Clint Hardy, ANR Agent for Daviess County, states, “You are very knowledgeable and well rec
Author: Todd Davis
Major Program: Ag Marketing
The 2014 Farm Bill made crop insurance the foundation for a grain farm’s risk-management program. My educational program teaches farmers and lenders how to integrate crop insurance with price-risk management tools. I received a risk management education grant from USDA-NIFA totaling $49,998 to fund this educational program. This grant funded nine multi-county workshops in January-February 2016. I have co-directed an M.S. theses research that evaluates how potential reduction in g
Author: Todd Davis
Major Program: Ag Marketing
To help farmers improve their understanding of grain marketing and price risk management tools, I have led workshops and meetings explaining commodity futures, options, and various price risk contracts for both beginning farmers and established farmers. Using historical cash market and futures market data, I have evaluated the effectiveness of these tools to reduce price risk for grain sold at harvest and for stored grain. Part of this effort was an online the UK Grain Marketing Series via
Author: Kenneth Burdine
Major Program: Ag Marketing
The UK Master Cattleman program was once again offered in 2017 and I led the Marketing and Profitability session. This session covers a wide range of topics including an overview of the beef marketing system, cattle and beef pricing factors, international trade, market outlets for cattle, price seasonality, cattle cycles, and bred heifer development and valuation. The Master Cattleman Marketing and Profitability session was conducted in 7 multi-county locations during the second half of 2017 wit
Author: Kenneth Burdine
Major Program: Ag Marketing
Cattle Market Reports via Social Median with Kentucky Cattleman’s AssociationAs an Extension Economist focusing on livestock, beef cattle industry stakeholders are the primary clientele for my extension program. Social media continues to grow in importance as a means to reach these clientele. Plus, it is a very efficient way to reach individuals that I am unable to reach in person and frees up time and resources that allows me to better target my face-to-face programming and work
Author: William Snell
Major Program: Ag Marketing
Several years ago, a need was identified to provide educational programming for agricultural lenders as they operate within the dynamic agricultural environment. Given current profitability challenges, this need has only increased in recent years. The University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics has developed and delivered an educational program for agricultural lenders. Programming is delivered by extension faculty and farm business analysis specialists in the A
