Agriculture Production, Management, and EnvironmentPlan of Work

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Daviess County CES

Title:
Agriculture Production, Management, and Environment
MAP:
Agriculture Production, Management, and Environment
Agents Involved:
Hardy, Heisdorffer
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Farm Management, Economics and Policy
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Grains
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Situation:

Equity in farm business has been on a path of decline since approximately 2014, as net revenues have fallen due to inventory supply expansion and demand destruction related to trade policy and COVID-19-induced economic recession.  Rapid increase in farmland values have leveled from the 2006 to 2013 period, while at the same time, revenues from grain and livestock receipts have declined, forcing many to acquire farm operating loans based on collateral rather than cash flow lending standards, further eroding equity in their land holdings.  COVID-19 has arrived to bring further trouble to the agricultural economy.  Restrictions on travel have reduced motor vehicle travel and subsequent ethanol consumption, the sink for nearly 40% of the U.S. corn crop, during a period when South America is capitalizing on Chinese agricultural tariffs of imported agricultural commodities from the United States.  In the past two years, nearly 20% of net farm income has been comprised of government subsidies.  This non-recurring income has kept farms going but has become essential for survival, rather than the safety net as designed.  Continuation or curtailing quantitative easing could be how the future of some businesses are determined.        

In 2018 the National Gardening Survey indicated that 77% of American households garden in some way. Recent trends indicate that more and more Americans are growing their own food (35% of households), while interests in ornamentals remains high, particularly in the area of gardening to support pollinators and other ecological uses of plants. American gardeners will continue to look to Cooperative Extension for specific answers to their gardening questions while protecting the environment 

Long-Term Outcomes:
Intermediate Outcomes:
Initial Outcomes:
Evaluation:

Initial Outcome:  Participants will identify what is required to attract pollinators and butters.  

Indicator:  Number of people who can list 2 requirements to attract pollinators and butters. 

Method:  Self-reporting survey after meeting 

Timeline:  Summer-Fall 2022 and  Late Spring 2023


Intermediate Outcome:  People will use Extension information to maintain gardens properly  

Indicator:  Number of people using Extension information to maintain gardens properly

Method:  Follow up self-reporting survey  

Timeline: July-October 2022 and March-June 2023


Long-term Outcome: Maintain or increase ag profit or reduce expense and/or risk

Indicator: Financial reporting

Method: Observation of KFBM summaries

Timeline: Summer 2023

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Newspaper and Newsletter Audience and Gardeners 

Project or Activity: Best Management Practices to Protect the Environment, such as: Rain gardens, IPM, and protecting pollinators

Content or Curriculum: Extension publications

Inputs: Agent, Extension Master Gardeners

Date: July-December 2022 and January-June 2023


Audience: Grain Farm Business Managers

Project or Activity: Ag Expo

Content or Curriculum: Research-based discussion of production challenges

Inputs: Extension Specialists and Curriculum

Date: January 2023


Audience: Beef Farm Business Managers

Project or Activity: CPH 45 Feeder Calf Marketing

Content or Curriculum: Beef IRM committee recommendations

Inputs: Extension Specialists and Local Sale Committee

Date: 2022/2023


Audience: Agronomists, Seed Dealers, Grain Producers

Project or Activity: Daviess County Grain Research and Demonstration Plots

Content or Curriculum: Provide unbiased data supporting the efficacy of seed brands promoted in our area

Inputs: Seed companies and local plot planning committee

Date: 2023


Audience:  Gardeners, General Public

Project or Activity:  Vegetable Gardening 

Content or Curriculum:  UK Publications

Inputs:  Agent, Extension Master Gardeners

Date:  July-October 2022 and February-June 2023


Audience:  Gardeners, General Public

Project or Activity:  Attracting Pollinators and Butterflies

Content or Curriculum:  Extension Publications

Inputs:  Agent, Extension Master Gardeners

Date:   July - September 2022 and March 2023


Audience:  Gardeners, General Public

Project or Activity:  Advanced Gardening Topics

Content or Curriculum:  Extension Publications including Extension Master Gardener Manual

Inputs:  Agent, Extension Specialists

Date:  2022/2023



Success Stories

Agricultural Finance Lenders Conference

Author: Clinton Hardy

Major Program: Farm Management, Economics and Policy

Owensboro serves as a regional hub for agricultural finance with multiple private, government and member organizations serving the finance needs of farm businesses across the Green River Area.  The Green River Area Extension offices and the Ohio Valley Farm Analysis Association recognize the importance educating lenders on the general agricultural economy and profit outlook of the upcoming year as they prepare to meet with their clients on end of year operating loan settlements and renewals

Full Story

Estate Planning Workshop

Author: Clinton Hardy

Major Program: Financial Education - General

Estate planning is a critical need of clientele in our area but after losing two mid-career farmers in the last 12 months, the importance was reinforced by challenges their families encountered with distribution of assets and continuation of their farm businesses upon their passing.  In an effort to emphasize the need to revisit or initiate an estate planning process and estate planning seminar series was conducted in December.  An extension specialist and local expertise were invited

Full Story

Development of a Native Plant Garden: Demonstrating How to Incorporate Native Plants into the Garden

Author: Annette Heisdorffer

Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home

Native plants used in the landscape benefit birds and pollinators.  To demonstrate that native plants fit into any garden, the Extension Master Gardeners developed a 40 feet by 70 feet Native Plant Garden at the Western Kentucky Botanical Garden.  To showcase the garden to the public, a native plant demonstration field day on “The Power of Native Plants:  How to Add Them to Your Garden” was held in September.Of the 17 participants who completed a self-assessment survey

Full Story

Extension Saves Participants Money through Offering Commercial Pesticide Training Locally Especially for the City

Author: Annette Heisdorffer

Major Program: Horticulture, Commercial

Commercial Pesticide Applicator Training, through required continuing education hours, provides updated information to professionals in the lawn, landscape maintenance, golf course, and nursery businesses. By the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Specialist and Daviess County Extension Agent for Horticulture Education presenting the training in the county, local companies save time and money by reducing travel time, transportation expense, and possible overnight stays to attend traini

Full Story

Reduced height corn and fungicide application research

Author: Clinton Hardy

Major Program: Grains

The widespread adoption of fungicide application to growing corn has led to improved yields by better control of foliar diseases of corn.  This adoption has created a paradigm shift in the farmer approach to in season corn management and ever increasing opportunities related to application technique, fungicide options and now, reduced height corn varieties which increases the number of acres low-clearance ground equipment can navigate.  In order to provide research based data farmers c

Full Story

CPH60 Success

Author: Clinton Hardy

Major Program: Beef

Over the past 20 years hundreds of farmers from across the area have sold nearly 100,000 feeder calves in the Extension sponsored Green River area CPH60 beef cattle marketing events.  These opportunities increase net farm income through greater return to better management and by retaining the animals on farm no less than 60 days after weaning.  Over the past 5 years, Green River CPH60 producer participation has been declining.  While decline in participation might appear as reduce

Full Story
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