Extension
It Starts With Us
Management and Marketing
Agriculture Profitabililty
Courtney Brock, Will Stallard, Rita Stewart
Beef
Chemical Crop Management Tools
Agriculture 4-H Core Curriculum
Leadership 4-H Core Curriculum
Farmers need to have profitable farming operations to have a sustainable income. The county is dependent on a strong agricultural economy as around 30% of the county’s economy is directly related to agriculture. Farming generates over $35 million of gross receipts annually. Tobacco has been the main income producer for decades, but due to decreased demand, it is now of lesser importance and is grown on about 65 farms. The largest income producing commodity is beef production. It involves over 600 farm operations that have over 26,000 head of cows and over 57,000 head of all cattle and calves The county is one of the state’s largest dairy producing counties with 36 operations. Lincoln is a large alfalfa producer with over 11,000 acres. There is also over 34,000 acres of improved hay crops. There are over 17,000 acres of grain crops for cash and livestock useage. Farmers need to manage their cash crops and forages for the best production results. Farmers need to take advantage of the county’s strong forage base and expand the livestock enterprises. More efficient management of livestock production needs to be worked on to provide better profits. Farmers need to evaluate non-traditional farming enterprises to determine if they can fit into their operations but most importantly, be profitable. Increased production leads to a need for better marketing. Efficient and improved marketing systems can offer better opportunities for greater profits for farmers. The County Agricultural Extension Council and farm organization leadership have worked with the agent to determine program priorities and given input into developing educational and service programs to help farmers improvement management and marketing skills.
Farmers will improve their profitability through better production and marketing management; thus maintaining a strong agricultural economy in the county. Farm profitability is enhanced and farmers obtain sustainability of their agriculture and economic development.
Farmers will adopt Extension recommendation, utilize best management practices and apply new technology to increase agricultural production, enhance marketing efforts and create greater profitability.
Farmers will increase knowledge of improved management systems and learn how to better utilize marketing opportunities for crops and livestock.
Long-Term Outcome: Farmers will improve their profitability through better production and marketing management; thus maintaining a strong agricultural economy in the county. Farm profitability is enhanced and farmers obtain sustainability of their agriculture and economic development.Evidence that farmers have improved profitability through adopting recommended practices leading to better production and marketing management.
Method: Observations and ag statistics
Timeline: All Year
Intermediate Outcome: Farmers will adopt Extension recommendation, utilize best management practices and apply new technology to increase agricultural production, enhance marketing efforts and create greater profitability.
Indicator: Producers will implement improved management practices.
Method: Observations, case studies, participation in cost-share programs to adopt recommended practices.
Timeline: All Year, evaluation of cost-share programs at the end of the year.
Initial Outcome: Farmers will increase knowledge of improved management systems and learn how to better utilize marketing opportunities for crops and livestock.
Indicator: Gain evidence through observations and testimonies with producers determining their knowledge of recommended practices and marketing opportunities.
Method: Observations, discussions with farmers, case studies
Timeline: All Year
Audience: 4-H members and leaders
Activity: Incubation and Embryology Programs
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum
Inputs: Demonstration supplies, UK Poultry Farm fertilized eggs, and financial support from the Lincoln County Extension District Board.
Facilities used: Lincoln County Extension Office for meeting facilities; Lincoln County Schools, UK Poultry Farm
Date: Spring
Audience: 4-H members, leaders, and parents
Activity: 4-H AG Field Day
Content or Curriculum: The Annual 4-H Adventures in Agriculture Field Day helps provide agriculture education to all county 3rd grade students
Inputs: Community Partners include 4-H Council Members, local business owners, county banks, Lincoln County Schools, Lincoln County Cattlemen’s Association, Lincoln County Fairgrounds, and others
Facilities used: Lincoln County Extension Office, Lincoln County Fairgrounds, Lincoln County Schools, etc.
Date: Spring
Audience: 4-H members, leaders and parents
Activity: 4-H County/District Beef, Lamb, Goat, Poultry, Rabbit, Horse, and Dairy Shows
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum & KDA Materials
Inputs: Financial resources include GOAP cost share programs, demonstration supplies from participating companies. Lincoln County Farm Bureau and commodity organization grants, banks and lending institution grants. Farm supply and agribusiness grants and support finances from the Lincoln County Extension District Board.
Facilities used:
Local farms for demonstrations, tours and field days; Lincoln County Extension Office for meeting facilities; Lincoln County Fairgrounds for meetings, shows and other activities; Cedar Creek Sportsman Club for activities and meetings; Produce Auction facilities for demonstrations and meetings; Farmers Market Station and local church facilities.
Date: Spring and Summer
Audience: 4-H members, leaders and parents
Activity: 4-H Judging and Quiz Bowl Teams
Content or Curriculum-4-H Curriculum and Hoard’s Dairyman
Inputs: Financial resources include GOAP cost share programs, demonstration supplies from participating companies. Lincoln County Farm Bureau and commodity organization grants, banks and lending institution grants. Farm supply and agribusiness grants and support finances from the Lincoln County Extension District Board.
Facilities used:
Local farms for demonstrations, tours and field days; Lincoln County Extension Office for meeting facilities; Lincoln County Fairgrounds for meetings, shows and other activities; Cedar Creek Sportsman Club for activities and meetings; Produce Auction facilities for demonstrations and meetings; Farmers Market Station and local church facilities.
Date: Spring and Summer
Audience: 4-H members, leaders and parents
Activity: 4-H Country Ham Project
Content or Curriculum-4-H Curriculum
Inputs: Financial resources include GOAP cost share programs, demonstration supplies from participating companies. Lincoln County Farm Bureau and commodity organization grants, banks and lending institution grants. Farm supply and agribusiness grants and support finances from the Lincoln County Extension District Board.
Facilities used:
Local farms for demonstrations, tours and field days; Lincoln County Extension Office for meeting facilities; Lincoln County Fairgrounds for meetings, shows and other activities; Cedar Creek Sportsman Club for activities and meetings; Produce Auction facilities for demonstrations and meetings; Farmers Market Station and local church facilities.
Date: January-August
Audience: Farmers, Agribusinesses
Activity-Demonstrations
Content or Curriculum: Forage, Tobacco, Livestock Systems, Horticulture
Inputs: Financial resources include GOAP cost share programs, demonstration supplies from participating companies. Lincoln County Farm Bureau and commodity organization grants, banks and lending institution grants. Farm supply and agribusiness grants and support finances from the Lincoln County Extension District Board.
Facilities used:
Local farms for demonstrations, tours and field days; Lincoln County Extension Office for meeting facilities; Lincoln County Fairgrounds for meetings, shows and other activities; Cedar Creek Sportsman Club for activities and meetings; Produce Auction facilities for demonstrations and meetings; Farmers Market Station and local church facilities.
Date: All year
Audience: Farmers and agribusiness
Activity: State Corn Silage Variety Test
Content: Corn silage production management
Inputs: I serve as project leader securing seed corn entries and funding from agribusinesses. Team of agents and Dr. Lee plant and harvest plot and secure quality tests. Dr. Lee, Nick Roy and I prepare research report and farmer bulletin and present information to the media.
Facilities: 3 farms for test plots, Extension Offices, U.K. ag equipment
Date: March-December
Audience-Farmers, Agribusinesses
Activity: Farmer Educational Conferences
Content or Curriculum: Dairy and Forage Topics
Inputs: Financial resources include GOAP cost share programs, demonstration supplies from participating companies. Lincoln County Farm Bureau and commodity organization grants, banks and lending institution grants. Farm supply and agribusiness grants and support finances from the Lincoln County Extension District Board.
Facilities used:
Local farms for demonstrations, tours and field days; Lincoln County Extension Office for meeting facilities; Lincoln County Fairgrounds for meetings, shows and other activities; Cedar Creek Sportsman Club for activities and meetings; Produce Auction facilities for demonstrations and meetings; Farmers Market Station and local church facilities.
Date: February
Audience: Farmers and agribusiness
Activity: Farmer-Lender-Extension Field Day
Content: Farming updates and management information on crops and livestock
Inputs: Agent and specialist presentations, on farm demo supplies and funding from Extension and agribusiness, operational funding from agricultural lenders, farm families providing host farm and demo and event labor and facilities.
Facilities: host farm for demos, tours, and meal
Date: July/August
Audience: Farmers and Agribusinesses representatives in Lincoln, Boyle, Garrard, Casey and Mercer County
Activity: Crops Conferences
Content or Curriculum: Forage and Grain Topics
Inputs: Financial resources include GOAP cost share programs, demonstration supplies from participating companies. Lincoln County Farm Bureau and commodity organization grants, banks and lending institution grants. Farm supply and agribusiness grants and support finances from the Lincoln County Extension District Board.
Facilities used:
Local farms for demonstrations, tours and field days; Extension Offices for meeting facilities; Lincoln County Fairgrounds for meetings, shows and other activities.
Date: January
Audience-Farmers and Agribusiness representatives in Lincoln, Boyle, Garrard, Rockcastle, Pulaski, Casey, Madison and Mercer County
Activity: Tobacco Updates
Content or Curriculum: Tobacco Topics
Inputs: Financial resources include GOAP cost share programs, demonstration supplies from participating companies. Lincoln County Farm Bureau and commodity organization grants, banks and lending institution grants. Farm supply and agribusiness grants and support finances from the Lincoln County Extension District Board.
Facilities used:
Local farms for demonstrations, tours and field days;Extension Offices for meeting facilities.
Date: January
Audience: Farmers and Agribusinesses (Local and or 5 county)
Activity: Beef Update Meetings
Content or Curriculum: Cow Calf Management and Backgrounding Management & Marketing
Inputs: Financial resources include GOAP cost share programs, demonstration supplies from participating companies. Lincoln County Farm Bureau and commodity organization grants, banks and lending institution grants. Farm supply and agribusiness grants and support finances from the Lincoln County Extension District Board.
Facilities used:
Local farms for demonstrations, tours and field days;Extension Offices for meeting facilities; Lincoln County Fairgrounds for meetings, shows and other activities.
Date: January & February
Audience: Farmers and agribusiness
Activity: Lincoln County Beef Expo
Content: beef educational demos and updates on production, marketing and promotion, Cattlemen's Annual Meeting, agribusiness trade show.
Facilities: Lincoln County Fairgrounds, agribusiness equipment, Cattlemen's materials and equipment.
Date: September/October
Audience: Cattlemen's Board and Ag Development Board
Activity: Beef production spring educational tour for LCCA Board and LCADB; fall educational tour for LCCA Board
Content: Spring-1 day tour to Kentucky county with agent and producers showing improved practices. Fall-2 day out of state tour with agents, specialists and producers showing improved practices.
Inputs: Finances provided by Extension Lincoln County Ag Development Board and LCCA and participants.
Facilities: Extension vans, host farms, Extension facilities, agri business facilities.
Date: April & October
Audience: Farmers, agribusiness, general public
Activity: Fairs (county, state, NAILE)
Content: Livestock shows and floral exhibits
Inputs: Financing from fair association and KDA. Agents, assistants and leaders operating the activities.
Facilities: fairgrounds, Extension facilities
Date: July, August, November
Author: Will Stallard
Major Program: Forages
As of December 2015 Kentucky was home to 652 dairies with 30 of those in Lincoln County. Many of these dairies rely on corn silage as the main part of their feed ration because of the yield and quality of the forage. A group of UK Cooperative Extension Agents for Agriculture and Natural Resources and UK Specialists see the need from local leaders to analyze quality and yield data between varieties for their producers. In 2017 there were 4 locations for growing and analysis of 2
Author: Will Stallard
Major Program: Beef
Beef cattle remains one of the top agriculture commodities in our region but input prices and markets present challenges for producers. County ANR agents in Boyle, Garrard, Mercer and Lincoln counties teamed up to offer the Master Cattlemen program, an intense 10 session look at all aspects of beef cattle production. Agents worked with specialists to offer the program rotating each session throughout the area and as a result saw an increased number of producers participating in the program. Part
Author: Will Stallard
Major Program: Forages
According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, Lincoln County ranked 6 in the state in terms of land used for forages for all hay and haylage, grass silage and greenchop with 38,233 acres. After receiving several phone calls from different forage producers late last summer asking what the best winter annual was to plant for hay production the next spring and opportunity came up to setup a test plot on farm. After consulting with university forage specialists we determined the forages to test were
Author: Will Stallard
Major Program: Beef
In 2017 I was able to partner with UK Beef specialists and technician to integrate two different year round calving beef herds into defined spring and fall calving beef herds. We accomplished this through pregnancy checking cows and dividing them into their respective calving season. We also began utilizing MGA to synchronize the cows to come into heat for breeding in a shorter window. We were able to manage bulls in and out of the cow herds for 90-120 day calving seasons with the goal of each p
Author: Will Stallard
Major Program: Bees/Beekeeping
The Lincoln County Bee Keeper Association saw the need to host a bee school this spring. Beginning at the end of March through the beginning of May they hosted a Bee School. This program included educational session about honey bee biology, pests and diseases, medications and treatments, hive management, feeding and nutrition, early pest detection, apiary location, hive components, clothing, tools, hive inspection, installing bees, wintering your colony, swarm capture and queen marking
