Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Gregory Halich
Major Program: Farm Management
John Fike, forage extension specialist at Virginia Tech, contacted me during the winter of 2017 about helping with their annual county agent training in June 2017. He had seen me present on the tradeoff between hay feeding and stocking rate at the American Forage and Grassland Council annual meeting in January 2017. I ended up presenting on this and two other topics (fixed costs of haymaking, and pasture-finished beef production) at the agent training. Overall, the trainin
Author: Gregory Halich
Major Program: Farm Management
Pasture-based finishing of beef cattle has been a focus area of mine the last few years. I led a team at the University of Kentucky and University of Missouri that developed a 50-page publication on the topic “Producer’s Guide to Pasture-Based Beef Production”, where I was the lead author and editor. It is the only one of its kind in extension nationally, and has generated considerable interest. Around 4500 copies have been professional printed ($3-4 per
Author: David Coffey
Major Program: Farm Management
According to the AgCensus Jackson County has 16000 head of livestock. With this many livestock, there is a constant need for new fences and education for constructing fences properly in the county. The Jackson County Agriculture agent worked closely with the Jackson County Cattlemen’s association and developed a fencing demonstration to show the proper methods for building livestock fence that would be both durable and also effectively hold livestock. This on-farm demonstration consisted o
Author: Curtis Dame
Major Program: Farm Management
Input prices and the cost of capital expenditures continue to raise annually. This fact is continually realized by producers in Hopkins County, Kentucky. With that said cooperative efforts have been made to provide shared-use equipment and educational opportunities with contributing funds provided by Hopkins County Farm Bureau, Calhoun Feed Service and educational programming by the Hopkins County Cooperative Extension Service. With a second year of implementation underway the equipment po
Author: Curtis Judy
Major Program: Farm Management
The total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 provided a unique opportunity for residents of Todd County. They had a “front row seat” to witness a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event without leaving their backyards. Since Todd County was bisected by the eclipse centerline; the entire county experienced a total eclipse duration of at least 2 minutes and 30 seconds--there were no bad viewing locations anywhere in the county. Local resident
Author: Roger "Darrell" Simpson
Major Program: Farm Management
The solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 had the potential to affect farmers living near its main line of impact negatively from a transportation standpoint and a worker standpoint. This agent worked with Todd County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources to provide information to all farmers but predominantly tobacco farmers about the timing of the eclipse. One of the major issues was the potential negative consequences of moving wagons on public roadways during the eclipse as well a
Author: Philip Konopka
Major Program: Farm Management
~~Agriculture is a dangerous industry, with Kentucky farmers getting injured by buried utilities and in ATV and tractor accidents. Over the last year, more than 700 kids have learned about these farm safety issues from the Lewis County ANR agent. ATV lessons have covered safety equipment, having only one rider at a time, and how to properly drive and handle an ATV. For tractor safety students learned the importance of a seat belt and a roll over protection structure, what a SMV or Slow Mov
Author: Christin Herbst
Major Program: Farm Management
According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, Carroll County has 53,562 acres of land in 278 farms. Livestock production is a popular form of farming in the county. A majority of farms (147) in the county have cow/calf operations but additional animal production systems include meat and milk goats (30), poultry (24), sheep (5), swine (3), and llamas (2). Over the past several years, there has been an increased interest in raising rabbits for meat consumption.Supporting local far
Author: David Appelman
Major Program: Farm Management
~~Very few beef producers record or measure performance or production information from their herd. Without this information, informed and evaluated decisions are difficult to make. To help beef producers in Bracken County start collecting data, a scale was purchased to be used in educational programs. Farmers can request that the agriculture agent bring the scale to their farm to weigh calves to evaluate weaning weights, or rate of gain to determine if feed programs are meeting
Author: Heather Graham
Major Program: Farm Management
In February 2017 a Farm Tax Class was held for residents of Wolfe County. A CPA from a neighboring county that is familiar with farm taxes taught the class.24 people came to the class. 22 participants completed a post evaluation immediately following the class. 20 participants indicated that they gained knowledge about categorizing farm income. 17 participants gained knowledge about how long to keep records. 19 participants gained knowledge about the basic of depreciation. After the 2018 ta
Author: Clinton Hardy
Major Program: Farm Management
The agricultural economy is in a recession that began in 2014 and is projected to continue. The market year average for corn in 2013/14 was $3.70. This year is forecast to be $3.20. Price increase is expected to be subtle for the next 10 years according to USDA supply and demand estimates for commodities that only project a market year average price of $3.60 in 2027. This slide in revenue coincides during a period of expansion in
Author: Tad Campbell
Major Program: Farm Management
Historically women have taken a lesser role in management decisions on the farm, however, more and more women are taking the lead in management for farm operations. The Buffalo Trace Counties have offered a Farm School for Women for the last eight years. The program consists of multi-sessions during the annual offering. Participants have taken part in sessions that include farm management, estate planning, machinery maintenance, crop production, weed management, horticulture,
Author: Curtis Dame
Major Program: Farm Management
Farm management relies heavily on realizing the costs ofproduction, proper management and utilization of technology, techniques andresearch. For the second year agriculture and natural resource agents fromHopkins, Muhlenberg and Webster counties have worked cooperatively with theMadisonville-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation to plan and hostthe Roots to Riches Agri-preneurial Conference in hopes of promoting increasedrisk management as well as providing a one-stop shop for local pr
Author: Jeffrey Casada
Major Program: Farm Management
A local cattleman identified the need for more training in financial planning and budgeting. As a result, ANR Agents from Jackson, Laurel and Clay Counties collaboratively planned, resourced and executed a three part series on legacy and asset management in the first quarter of 2018. The three programs were Planning for the Next Generation of Landowners, Can I Afford This, and Minimizing Tax Burden/Maximizing Tax Benefits. The Agents leveraged local experts to speak to clients on the
Author: Curtis Dame
Major Program: Farm Management
Farm equipment continues to grow in size and depending on the time of year the frequency on local roadways will increase as well. With that said safety should always be a contributing factor in how producers and motorists plan for encounters on local roadways. Recently cooperative efforts were made between Agriculture and Natural Resource Agents in Hopkins and Muhlenberg Counties to address this growing concern of farm equipment safety on Kentucky roadways. In order to address key areas of conce
Author: Victor Williams
Major Program: Farm Management
In 2018, the Laurel County Cattlemen’s Association was provided $150,000 by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund to administer the CAIP (County Agricultural Investment Program) cost-share program for Laurel County producers. Individuals who were approved for grant funding were required to participate in continuing education programs to assist with their agricultural diversification projects. To accommodate this educational component, I have conducted several programs this year to pro
Author: Jerry Little
Major Program: Farm Management
The Boyle County Farm Bureau Federation along with the ANR agent have been responsible for working with the Phase 1 cost share program. The CAIP program had 119 applicants and there was enough money to fund 63 producers involving $131,000. The extension office remains the main contact for all phase 1 activities. The Boyle county Agriculture Development Council, Boyle county Farm Bureau Federation Board, and the extension service have all worked together to provide the leadership in distributing
Author: Jerry Little
Major Program: Farm Management
The ANR agent along with agents from Garrard, Lincoln and Mercer counties conducted three area meetings. Tobacco with 95 in attendance, area forage with 87 in attendance, and area beef backgrounders meeting with 105 in attendance. Various topics are covered with specialists and agents delivering the educational materials. It satisfies the educational requirement for cost share fundsand we had producers tell us in surveys what they learned and how they were going to use the information on their f
Author: Roger "Darrell" Simpson
Major Program: Farm Management
Farm management relies heavily on understanding the costs of production, proper management and utilization of technology and research. For the second year agriculture and natural resource agents from the counties of Hopkins, Muhlenberg, and Webster have worked cooperatively with the Madisonville-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation to plan and host the Roots to Riches Agri-preneurial Conference in hopes of promoting increased risk management as well as providing a one-stop shop for lo
Author: Curtis Dame
Major Program: Farm Management
Since 2013 on-farm research in Hopkins County has been a well received program provided by extension personnel. With that said efforts have been made to answer producer questions related to products that been highly touted, but lack data to prove that claims of profit increases are actually tested and sound. Expansion of these efforts have been driven by producer committees that have selected which products would be tested. In the spring of 2018 data analysis showed significant results on a majo
Author: Daniel Allen
Major Program: Farm Management
Delivery of programming to our agriculture community has been traditionally a classroom, lecture or field day demonstration. A 2009 focus group study by Virginia Tech extension service, indicated that peer teaching and learning was a preferred way of learning by many participants, (85%). One of the strengths of the Cooperative Extension Service is getting people to the table around subjects to open dialogue so that learning takes place. The Kenton County Agriculture Agent held a series of Friday
Author: Jordan Shockley
Major Program: Farm Management
In 2017-2018, funding was awarded from the Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board to develop a one of a kind mobile app to aid farmers in their decision on where to deliver soybeans to maximize profits, The Best Bean Buyer. This project was a multidisciplinary effort between Agricultural Economics and Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering departments. To our knowledge, this is also one of the first mobile apps developed in the college. Since its release in October of 2017 for both Apple
Author: Michelle Simon
Major Program: Farm Management
The Boone County Nature Center is one of Boone County’s treasures- this property and facility is used by many Boone County Extension programs and promotes a variety of educational opportunities for the community. The Nature Center is home to a large demonstration garden and orchard in addition to an abundant wildlife population; this combination can be detrimental to the garden and orchard. In response to this situation, a fence needed to be constructed to prevent wildlife from entering th
Author: Heather Graham
Major Program: Farm Management
The Wolfe County ANR Program partnered with Wolfe County Farm Bureau for the first Annual Farm Field Safety Day. The event was held in October at the Hazel Green Park. 76 people were in attendance. When people arrived to the park, the were able to tour the park and Animal Shelter as well as help themselves to a meal. After the meal, the program began with demonstrations. A local farmer had brought 2 heifers and a corral to demonstrate cattle handling safety. Along with KBN Area Coordinator they
Author: Gregory Halich
Major Program: Farm Management
Drive through a major cattle producing area in Kentucky from December to March and you will see tractors hauling round bales. Sometimes they will be going from a barnlot directly to a feeding area. Sometimes they will be traveling on a public road to get to a more remote spot where cattle are located. Sometimes this hay will be fed in a drylot, sometimes it will be fed on the edge of a pasture next to the road, and sometimes you will even see this hay unrolled out in the pasture. There are
Author: Gregory Halich
Major Program: Farm Management
There has been a big push the last few years by forage specialists to promote year-round grazing, where no hay or only a few weeks of hay is fed. Graze 300 is a similar program that has been implemented in a number of states to promote just 1-2 months of hay feeding. While the intention of these efforts is good (trying to reduce hay feeding costs), the net effect on overall profitability has not been evaluated. It has just looked at one side of the equation: reduced hay feeding cost, but has not
Author: Whitney Carman
Major Program: Farm Management
Grayson County is home to over 1400 farms made of over 200,000 acres total (6th in KY), and the average age of the operator is 58 years old. This statistic is one that is not old, but it still has effects on farming in Grayson County. In the last two years, there have been several transitions of farming operators due to death, farm transition, and other related factors. The Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent as well as the USDA Farm Production and Conservation Office had noticed a
Author: Robert Kirby
Major Program: Farm Management
In Knox County to increase Ag Council participation, we developed new ideas for programs and to accomodate producers and clientele who can't participate at evening meetings. The first Monday of each month continues to be set aside for a morning meeting called News and Views. Producers are invited to come to the office at 7:00 am for coffee, juice and refreshments and have an impromptu discussion pertaining to the topic that they have an interest and allows for the agent to remind them of the
Author: Garrard Coffey
Major Program: Farm Management
A farmers breakfast series was started in January of 2018. A total of 5 breakfast meetings were held at the Whitley County Extension Office. A total 21 participants came to at least one meeting. Topics of discussion during the session were pasture weed control, CAIP program, marketing beef cattle, pasture renovations, hay production, and other farm management topics. Many of the participants were funded for the first time on the CAIP program. They are using knowled
Author: David Coffey
Major Program: Farm Management
A local cattleman identified the need for more training in financial planning and budgeting. As a result, ANR Agents from Jackson, Laurel and Clay Counties collaboratively planned, resourced and executed a three part series on legacy and asset management in the first quarter of 2018. The three programs were: Planning for the Next Generation of Landowners, Can I Afford This, and Minimizing Tax Burden/Maximizing Tax Benefits. The Agents leveraged local experts to speak to clients on the
Author: Curtis Judy
Major Program: Farm Management
The total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 provided unique challenges and opportunities to communities in southwestern Kentucky, particularly for those that were bisected by the eclipse centerline. Todd County was one of those counties where almost the entire county experienced the total eclipse for a duration of 2 minutes and 30 seconds or more. No one knew how many visitors would travel to or through Todd County to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. Our Local Emergency Manageme
Author: Jennifer Rogers
Major Program: Farm Management
I work with a farm that is going through bankruptcy. Every year we have to submit a plan to the bankruptcy court on how they are going to succeed that year and have money to pay to unsecured debts through the court. This how allowed us to get very detailed on the budget for the farming operation and know how much revenue we need to generate in order to make things cash flow. In doing this we outline the projected yield and projected price of the crop. In 2017 there was a
Author: Linda McClanahan
Major Program: Farm Management
Over the last several years Extension has been partnering with the University of Kentucky College of Nursing to develop and test the efficacy of a novel intervention, didactic readers theater, focused on health and safety of farmers ages 45 and over. Initial focus groups with farmers and their spouse that led to development of this program were held in Mercer County. This program, funded by NIOSH and developed by agricultural nurse Dr. Deborah Reed, debuted in Mercer County originall
Author: Nick Roy
Major Program: Farm Management
According to the 2012 Ag. Census, the Adair County agriculture industry produced over $53 million dollars in products. While production had increased by $6 million since 2007, the number of farm operators had decreased by 12.7%. Upon further inspection of the data, female operators were found to have decreased at a rate of 30.5% compared to males at only 10.7%. In response, the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service collaborated with the Columbia USDA Service Center to offer a Wo
Author: Victor Williams
Major Program: Farm Management
Planning for ProfitA local cattleman identified the need for more training in financial planning and budgeting. As a result, ANR Agents from Jackson, Laurel and Clay Counties collaboratively planned, resourced and executed a three part series on legacy and asset management in the first quarter of 2018. The three programs were: Planning for the Next Generation of Landowners, Can I Afford This, and Minimizing Tax Burden/Maximizing Tax Benefits. The Agents leveraged local experts t
Author: T. Adam Probst
Major Program: Farm Management
Now in it's 52nd year, the Woodford County Farm Tour showcases different aspects of agriculture throughout the county to the public. A combined effort of the Woodford County Extension Service, Woodford County Conservation District, Kentucky Fish & Wildlife, and Woodford County Fiscal Court, the farm tour exposed over 250 participants to current hemp, water quality, and drone research being performed at the C. Oran Little Research Farm. Other stops included the equine program
Author: Bethany Wilson
Major Program: Farm Management
Pulaski County is the third largest county by area in Kentucky. It is third in cattle and calf production, third in forage production, and grain crops are growing in importance. Over 1700 individual farms are in Pulaski County and farm size is increasing.Pulaski County has been with and without an ANR agent since late 2015. Producers still have issues and are still coming to the Extension office for help. The Pulaski County Agriculture Council still meets. The Phase I Council still must fun
Author: Steven Musen
Major Program: Farm Management
The District 4 counties have provided programming for our Ag. lending clientele for a number of years. This year's program is especially important as we look at the financial conditions of our farmers now that we have entered a period of uncertainty with threatened international tariffs on agriculture commodities and declining farm income.The Kentucky Ag. Lenders Conference program was planned by committee with District 3 ANR Agents and U.K. Ag. Econ. Specialists. Topics covered were tailore
