Agriculture and HorticulturePlan of Work

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Mercer County CES

Title:
Agriculture and Horticulture
MAP:
Advancing Agriculture & Horticulture in Mercer Co.
Agents Involved:
Linda McClanahan, Jessica Bessin
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Home & Consumer Horticulture
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Commercial Horticulture
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Beef
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Soils
Situation:

Mercer County has a diverse combination of both commercial agriculture, horticulture, and home horticulture, all being viable industries in Mercer County. Farmers, community leaders, farm organizations, Mercer County Ag Development Council, Mercer County Farmers Market, Mercer County Ag Advisory Council, and Mercer County Horticulture Advisory Council have identified important agricultural and horticultural issues and needed programs. Farm profitability, diversification, increasing value of property, promoting local foods, and marketing opportunities are some of the top priorities. Leaders have also identified the need to have extensive programs in the area of agricultural awareness. With less than 2% of the population involved in food production there is a great need for education about where and how food and other agricultural products are produced.

Long-Term Outcomes:

*Increased interest in agriculture and horticulture production.

*Homeowners will save more money on home landscape.

*Increased diversification of crops produced in county.

Intermediate Outcomes:

*Homeowners will add value to their property through education programs on maintaing landscapes

*Farmers market will continue to grow as intrest in local food increases

*Youth will exhibit skills, share knowledge with others, including family members, and may decide to raise some of their own food

Initial Outcomes:

*Farmers will improve production practices

*Farmers and homeowners will understand pesticide safety

*Increased interest in local foods

*Students will learn about UK and career opportunities in agriculture.

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Increased interest in Agriculture and Horticulture Programs

Indicator: Increased numbers of participants for agriculture and horticulture programs

Method: Counting participants attending the programs

Timeline: on-going


Intermediate Outcome:

Indicator:

Method:

Timeline:


Long-term Outcome:

Indicator:

Method:

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Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Clients with Horticulture Interest

Project or Activity: Master Gardener Program

Content or Curriculum: UK Master Gardener Manual

Inputs: UK CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialists, Mercer County HORT agent, UK Publications and other resources, Master Gardener volunteers

Date: Spring


Audience: Clients with Horticulture Interest

Project or Activity: Horticulture topics,instructor, newsletter, radio

Content or Curriculum: UK Horticulture Department

Inputs: CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialist, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications, Master Gardeners

Date: On-going


Audience: Clients with Horticulture Interest

Project or Activity: Gardening Through the Seasons  

Content or Curriculum: UK Horticulture Department

Inputs: CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialist, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications, 

Date: On-going


Audience: Clients with Horticulture Interest

Project or Activity: Holiday Greenery Workshop  

Content or Curriculum: UK Horticulture Department

Inputs: CES Facilities,  Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications, 

Date: December


Audience: Clients with Beekeeping Interest

Project or Activity: Beekeeping Club

Content or Curriculum: KDA State Apiarist, Hands on demonstrations

Inputs: CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialist, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications, KDA

D

Audience: Clients with Horticulture Interest

Project or Activity: Community Garden  

Content or Curriculum: UK Horticulture Department

Inputs: CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialist, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications, 

Date: On-going

ate: On-going


Audience: Farmers Market Clients

Project or Activity: Garden Flavors

Content or Curriculum: UK Vegetable Production and fruit production guides, Plate it Up!

Inputs: UK publications, Master Gardeners, Mercer Agents,

Date: On-going


Audience: Children 

Project or Activity: Plant Camp

Content or Curriculum: UK Horticulture Department

Inputs: CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialist, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications, 

Date: On-going




Audience: Farmers

Project or Activity: Annual Mercer County Agriculture Field Day

Content or Curriculum: Chosen by Field Day Committee - from UK Specialists and Ag Industry

Inputs: Host farm, volunteers, CES Staff, Partners/Sponsoring Organizations

Date: September


Audience: Mercer County citizens

Project or Activity: Annual Farm/City Dinner

Content or Curriculum: National Farm City Council, American Farm Bureau Federation, content relevant to educational objective set by committee

Inputs: Extension staff, Extension resources, collaborating agencies, sponsors, speakers

Date: March


Audience: Farmers

Project or Activity: Beef Quality & Care Assurance Certification

Content or Curriculum: KY BQA Curriculum

Inputs: Extension staff, Extension resources, KY Cattlemen's Association, host location

Date: Spring/Fall


Audience: Farmers

Project or Activity: Private Pesticide Applicator Training

Content or Curriculum: KY Pest Management Curriculum

Inputs: Extension staff, Extension resources, UK Extension publications

Date: spring


Audience: Farmers and first responders

Project or Activity: Grain Bin Rescue Safety Orientation and Safety Training

Content or Curriculum: KY Department of Agriculture & KY Fire Commission certification program

Inputs: Extension staff, Extension resources, KDA, Farm Bureau

Date: July and November


Audience: Elementary school youth

Project or Activity: FarmSCool Week

Content or Curriculum: UK CES, KY Beef Council, KY Horse Council, KY Soybean Association, KY Dept of Ag

Inputs: Extension Staff, Extension resources, Mercer County School system, Burgin School System

Date: Fall


Audience: Mercer County citizens, farmers

Project or Activity: Services

Content or Curriculum: Soil Testing, Plant Disease Diagnosis, Hay Testing, Ration Balancing, Farm & Home Visits, Insect Identification, Weed Identification, Water Testing, Plant Identification, Snake Identification, Forage & Grain Moisture Testing

Inputs: UK CES Facilities, Extension Staff, UK Publications, UK Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, UK Soil Lab, UK Extension Specialists

Date: Ongoing


Audience: Equine clientele

Project or Activity: Equine Express newsletter, Horse College, special equine topic programs, State Equine Farm & Facilities Expo, Equine RCPP Grant/Demo Farm

Content or Curriculum: Horse College, UK Equine

Inputs: UK CES facilities, ANR Agents, UK Extension Specialists, UK publications, UK news releases/exclusives

Date: ongoing


Audience: Mercer County clientele with agriculture or horticulture interest

Project or Activity: demonstration plots and demonstration programs

Content or Curriculum: UK, industry companies

Inputs: UK CES Specialists & resources, new practices, chemicals, local farms for demonstrations, host locations for programs

Date: ongoing


Audience: Extension clientele/followers on social media

Project or Activity: facebook pages, website

Content or Curriculum: UK CES

Inputs: UK CES agents, UK CES staff, Ag Comm news releases, UK publications/information

Date: ongoing


Audience: Mercer County crop producers

Project or Activity: crop production practices and meetings including regional

Content or Curriculum: UK CES

Inputs: UK CES Specialists, facilities, agents, publications and other resources

Date: ongoing


Audience: Mercer County Cattle producers

Project or Activity: cattle production practices, newsletters and meetings (KY Beef Conference, KY Stocker Conference, county winter meetings, regional meetings, dairy month kickoff breakfast, dairy monthly newsletter, cattlemens quarterly roundup newsletter, Master series (Master Cattlemen, Master Marketer, Master Stocker)

Content or Curriculum: UK CES

Inputs: UK CES specialists, facilities, agents, publications and other resources

Date: ongoing


Audience: Mercer County young and beginning farmers

Project or Activity: support for both young and beginning farmers, Farm Safety Dinner Theater

Content or Curriculum: UK CES

Inputs: UK CES specialists, facilities, agents, publications and other resources

Date: ongoing


Audience: Mercer County farmers and clientele

Project or Activity: collaboration with agriculture organizations

Content or Curriculum: UK CES, agriculture organizations

Inputs: Farm Bureau, Soil Conservation, Cattlemens Association, Goat Association, Backcountry Horsemen, Master Gardeners, Fair Board, Beef Festival

Date: ongoing


Audience: general public

Project or Activity: Beef Bash

Content or Curriculum: meat science

Inputs: Dr. Gregg Rentfrow, UK Meat Dept, Mercer County Cattlemens Association, Mercer County Extension, homemakers, KY Fort Harrod Beef Festival

Date: spring


Audience: county fair attendees and participants

Project or Activity: Mercer County Fair & Horse Show

Content or Curriculum: CES guidelines, rules & regulations set by various show committees

Inputs: CES Staff, Mercer County Fair & Horse Show facilities/funds, community sponsors, county fair participants

Date: July



Success Stories

Grain Bin Safety

Author: Linda McClanahan

Major Program: Grain Crops

With the increase in grain bins throughout the county, multiple groups including Mercer County Fire Protection District, Mercer County Farm Bureau Federation and volunteer fire departments requested a grain bin rescue training.  A turtle rescue tube was donated through Farm Bureau to the county fire department further increasing the need for first responders to be trained on use of the equipment.  The ANR agent coordinated  with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Farm & Ho

Full Story

Mercer County Fair

Author: Linda McClanahan

Major Program: Economic Development

In light of COVID-19, Mercer County Cooperative Extension Agents and staff teamed up with Mercer County Fair & Horse Show Board and Mercer County FFA to develop a plan that would allow Mercer County to continue with its long standing, rich tradition of the county fair.  Mercer County 4-H and ANR agents worked diligently with Mercer County FFA advisors to develop a set of guidelines which will allow the livestock shows to happen safely for exhibitors and staff alike.  Then they work

Full Story

Living Seed Necklace

Author: Linda McClanahan

Major Program: Grain Crops

The Mercer County Agriculture Advisory Council and Mercer County Farm Bureau Federation continues to place high priority on teaching children where their food comes from. Each year during National Ag Week, the Mercer County ANR agent works with Mercer County Farm Bureau Federation, Mercer County Schools and Burgin Schools to read accurate agriculture books (including the American Farm Bureau Book of the Year) to the elementary school and typically is accompanied by a hands on activity.  Thi

Full Story

Grain Bin Rescue Training

Author: Linda McClanahan

Major Program: Grain Crops

In response to request from local fire departments and the increase in grain bins being built in Mercer County, the ANR agent teamed up with a local farmer, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, KY State Fire Commission, Mercer County Fire District, Air Evac, Mercer County Cattlemens Association and Mercer County Farm Bureau Federation to put together a hands on grain bin rescue training day for local firefighters and first responders.  The night before the training, the ANR agent collaborate

Full Story

Teaching Nutrition through Agriculture

Author: Linda McClanahan

Major Program: Beef

In response to the need to get information out during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mercer County ANR agent and Mercer County SNAP-NEP assistant teamed up to provide nutrition information through agriculture via the schools backpack program.  Both had attended a training and received new curriculum resources through KY Agriculture & Environment in the classroom.  They decided to promote National Beef Month (May) and National Dairy Month (June). The ANR agent recorded videos of accurat

Full Story

WUKY Horticulture Radio Program

Author: Jessica Bessin

Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture

With an increased interest in home and consumer horticulture, WUKY (91.3 FM), the University of Kentucky’s public radio station, approached the Agricultural Communications Department in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.   The station wanted a gardening program to broadcast on Sunday mornings.  Jeff Franklin, Agriculture Communications specialist reached out to Horticulture Extension Agents within central Kentucky to assist with this request.   A partners

Full Story

Using Social Media to Increase Interest in Horticulture

Author: Jessica Bessin

Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture

A timely monthly newsletter is a great way to provide information to clientele. Newsletters are used for advertising events that occur at the Extension office, in the community and other state wide events. A large part of the Mercer County Horticulture newsletter is comprised of timely topics for homeowners as well as commercial producers. However, as much as you plan these topics there are always surprises (insect, disease, and other samples) that occur throughout the month. Waiting till the fo

Full Story

Tomato Webinar

Author: Jessica Bessin

Major Program: Commercial Horticulture

 In an effort to offer more educational classes for commercial horticulture producers, UK Extension Specialist and Extension Agents teamed up to offer webinars on a variety of horticultural topics. These webinars were broadcast state wide using Zoom and were presented by a combination of agents and specialist. One of the webinars within this series was on tomato production. The tomato webinar was broken down into two session the first being on site selection, irrigation set up, weed managem

Full Story

High Tunnel Basics for New Growers

Author: Jessica Bessin

Major Program: Commercial Horticulture

Over the last few years high tunnels have started to grow in popularity in Mercer County. High tunnels are primarily use for specialty crop production, including fruit and vegetables, and have been shown to increase quality and yield. One huge benefit is they are able to extend the growing season for small and large commercial growers to provide produce when field production is on the decline or it is too early in the season. Due to this interest in high tunnel production the Mercer County Horti

Full Story
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