Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Chuck Flowers
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
One billion dollar impact and $359,967,000 worth of products sold across 960 farms- WAVE AG Day highlights agriculture in Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, and Hickman County. After catastrophic rainfall flooding fields and roads, we had to change our regular way of doing things to continue with WAVE Ag Day for 2023. The event had to be moved to the conference building at Columbus State Park. The 6th year for the event, River Counties WAVE AG Day, took place on July 21 from 7:30
Author: Victor Williams
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, the number of young farmers in Laurel County is in steady decline. The report showed that the percentage of Laurel County’s farmers that were aged 25 and under was 11% in 1969 but that number had decreased to 4% by 2017. The largest increase in an age group was with farmers aged 65 and over, which grew from 18% in 1969 to 40% in 2017. This clearly indicates that fewer young people are choosing the occupation of agricultural pro
Author: Leann Martin
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
In a time where family-time is limited, the Logan County 4-H/FFA Youth Market Steer Show, Sale and Carcass Contest has become an avenue where families have committed to investing in each other through spending intentional time together. It has become a wonderful way to strengthen families and develop the young people participating in the program. A mother of 2 exhibitors and a former exhibitor herself, emphasizes the importance of the program to her family, “[We] very much enjoy our time t
Author: Linda Hieneman
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Greenup County Agriculture Day is an event about recognizing and celebrating the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives. By introducing children to farming they can learn valuable lessons. Some of the lessons include where their foods come from and the benefits from eating fresh and healthy produce. It is also important to teach empathy and how to care for animals and the environment.This year’s annual Agriculture Day attracted thirteen fourth grade classes fr
Author: Taylor Graves
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Teen Leadership Washington County is an annual program for high school juniors and seniors focusing on leadership development, career opportunities, and learning about the community. The Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, 4-H Youth Development Agent, and School Gifted and Talented Coordinator partner to plan and implement monthly meetings. The month of September was Agriculture Day. Agriculture Day is planned and hosted by the Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent and the Horticulture A
Author: James Morgeson
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Teen Leadership Washington County is an annual program for high school juniors and seniors focusing on leadership development, career opportunities, and learning about the community. The Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, 4-H Youth Development Agent, and School Gifted and Talented Coordinator partner to plan and implement monthly meetings. The month of September was Agriculture Day. Agriculture Day is planned and hosted by the Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent and the Horticulture Agent.&
Author: Chuck Flowers
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
On the average 76 % of all the land in the four river counties is in crop production. Three of the four counties Ballard, Carlisle, and Fulton County have over 33 million in average crop sales. Hickman County sells over 56 million in crop sales. In all four counties, there is an average of 24.75% female farm operators. Our program this year for the Women in Ag Conference was to concentrate on Women’s Leadership in Agriculture-presented by Dr. Kristie Guffey. J
Author: Timothy Estes
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Part of being an Extension agent that is often overlooked is recognizing natural born leaders in your county and getting them involved in the industry promoting agriculture. Recently, the Hart County Ag agent recognized the potential in a young producer in the fall of 2023 and encouraged him to participate in a speech contest promoting forages. After a long break from the days of public speaking in his high school FFA chapter, a young Hart County Beef and Forage producer decided to compete
Author: Corinne Belton
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Current Extension agriculture programming in Shelby County seeks to enhance the sustainability of agriculture as it faces continued challenges of a growing urban-rural interface. In order to facilitate this goal, expansion of the volunteer base and maintenance of a formal council has been and will continue to be imperative to the success of the Extension agriculture and horticulture programs. Active involvement of local citizens via a thriving advisory council and functional committee system gui
Author: Michelle Simon
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
The Campbell County Backroads Farm Tour is an annual event held in July that bridges the gap between the urban and rural communities of the county by highlighting local farms and agritourism operations. This tour is self-guided and a wonderful opportunity for the community of farmers to open their gates and the community of consumers to learn about agriculture first-hand from the farmers working the land. Consumers are given the opportunity to see “behind the scenes” of farmers teach
Author: Roger "Darrell" Simpson
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
The problem: Agriculture, like any industry needs leaders to promote it so that it continues to grow.The educational program response: In 2012,Muhlenberg County corn, soybean, and wheat farmer Brent Gatton, approached this agent about participating in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Food and Environment program known as (KALP) Kentucky Ag Leadership Program. His nomination to participate in the two year leadership program was successful.The participants/target audience: Th
Author: Thomas Miller
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
In our quickly evolving society, table manners and dining etiquette have been on the decline. Ballard County ANR Agent Tom Miller developed a program for middle school students based on 4-H curriculum and elements drawn from the Farm Bureau Lead Program and the KY AG Leadership Program. Training sessions for two groups of Leadership students were conducted. The first on October 18, was for the Ballard County Leadership Club, after school at the Extension Office. Nine stud
Author: Steven Mobley
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Volunteers and Leadership Development Volunteers in Extension programs are vital to growing the services we provide to our community. They help us determine community needs, develop plans to address them, assist with implementation of programs, and oversee the county office’s budget. Through these actions, the volunteers are helping us lay the groundwork for future generations to carry on the work we have undertaken. As cru
Author: Michelle Simon
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Campbell County ANR Agent was sought out by Doug Bray, owner of the “Giving Fields”, in hopes of rejuvenating the property and bringing it back to life. The Giving Fields was a flourishing garden in northern Campbell County that produced fruit, vegetables and flowers that were all donated to the less fortunate in the area. Unfortunately, covid forced the Giving Fields to shut the garden gates and stop production. Since then, the property has sat empty with no production or activity.
Author: Holly Bowman
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
The challenge of embracing best management practices in farming often boils down to the significant cost associated with acquiring specialized equipment for each practice. Recognizing this obstacle, the Agricultural Advancement Council over time has purchased and obtained different pieces of specialized equipment to better serve our local producers. The Agricultural Advancement Council and Bracken County Extension Office hosted three transformative training sessions focused on the shared-use equ
Author: Evan Tate
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
The problemThe educational program responseThe local Breckinridge, Grayson and Hancock County areas have noticed an increase in the number of women taking active roles in the agriculture enterprises recently. Based on US Census of Ag Data, 35% of the primary farm owners in this area are women. This is due to many factors: succession, new residents interested in farming, better resources for women, and general interests, to name a few. This area of Kentucky is also expanding in diverse ent
Author: Daniel Allen
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Volunteer leaders based in the Cooperative Extension Service can become an integral part of the communities where they live. The Kenton County Agriculture Development Council is a community citizen program that oversees the funds for the Tobacco Settlement funds from state funds. As part of this program there are funds available for non-traditional direct to farmer program. One such program is the Market Shed Program where as each county may qualify for funds to build a farmers Mark
Author: Von Barnes
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Kentucky State University (KYSU) emerged as a star at the 2024 National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) Conference in Nashville. A powerhouse team from KYSU's 4-H Youth Development, CRD, Horticulture, FCS and Urban AG departments presented groundbreaking work in urban programs, showcasing their unwavering commitment to fostering community development and sustainable urban living. KYSU's diverse presentations covered a wide range of topics, all reflecting their dedication to addr
Author: Gregg Rentfrow
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
UK Meat Science offered a Processed Meats Professional Development (PD) Event for Agriscience Teachers, during the summer of 2023 which was extremely successful. Therefore, we wanted to offer another PD in 2024. UK Meats Science teamed up with Dr. Rebekah Epps (Agriculture Education) and Mr. Braden Burks (Kentucky Cattlemen's Association) to develop a three-day PD for Kentucky's Agriculture Teachers. Twenty-five teachers throughout the Commonwealth toured various beef f
Author: Gregg Rentfrow
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
The UK Meat Cutting School continued to offer two Beef Processing Workshops and one Pork Processing Workshop in 2024. Twelve people (six per workshop) attended the 2024 Beef Processing Workshops, whereas 12 people attended the Pork Workshop. These workshops continue to be hands-on along with some lecture time on the meats industry and food safety. Half of the Pork Processing Workshop participants where from a local meat processor that wanted more training, whereas the remaining
Author: Gregg Rentfrow
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
I have works with, organized, and taught the University of Maine's Meat Cutting School for the last seven years. UMaine does not have a meats lab nor an Extension Meats Specialists, therefore, I serve as the unofficial meats specialist for the Pine Tree State as I also help some meat processors when I am in Maine. The 30 people from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Canada learned to fabricate pork and lamb carcasses, as well as learned about the meats indu
Author: Gregg Rentfrow
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
The younger, Gen Z members of the Wabanaki Reservation in Maine want to learn more about the traditions of their ancestors as well as mix those traditions with modern skills. Thus, they reached out to Dr. Colt Knight at UMaine and me to teach them about meat processing and whole animal butchery, utilizing every part of the animal. The 10 members of the Wabanaki nation learned to fabricate a pork carcass, make sausage, along with touring a meat processing facility. In addition,
Author: Gregg Rentfrow
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Dr. Andy Moore, Agriscience Teacher at Barren County High School, reached out to me for help designing and remodeling an area on the property to teach meat processing. We met in July 2023, at Barren County High School, to assess the location and I offered design suggestions as well as local companies that sell meat processing equipment. There appears to more interest among students to learn a trade and Dr. Moore's curriculum in Barren County could be an opportunity for more stude
Author: Jessica James
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
I partnered with Daviess County Agents to have an Annie's Project Program. This is a program for any women in the agriculture field whether they run their own business, married a farmer or work in agriculture. It was a 6 week long program and we had speakers come in to cover various different topics. Some of the topics included working with family and employees on a farm, production risk management, grain marketing, financial terminology and mental health just to name a few. The educational
Author: Jessica James
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
I went to the Boys and Girls Club to teach then how to make some healthy snacks. The Boys and Girls Club is where a lot of kids will go for safe after school programming or even during the summer. We made trail mix one session and the next session we made butter. The kids really enjoyed it and most of them enjoyed the snacks. The participants were all elementary school age and they seemed to enjoy both sessions. The goal of these program sessions were to teach the kids something that they
Author: Jessica James
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
There was a field day at Cate's Farm and they invited Extension to come and teach one of the rotations. Myself and 4-H both went to help with this. I taught the kids how to make butter. There were schools there from all over Henderson County. The goal of this program was to teach kids about where dairy products come from and what you can make with dairy products. A lot of the kids had an understanding of dairy products but many were surprised at the various foods that dairy products are in.
