Extension
It Starts With Us
Livestock and Crops
Agriculture
Jeffiers
Beef
Poultry/Small Flocks
Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Forages
According to the USDA NASS, cattle production remains a major player, with roughly 2,000 head in the county. NASS data shows hay yields of roughly 2 tons/acre per year, showing underutilization of forage potential. The number of farms has increased but the average size has declined by 21%. Net cash farm income was down 48% as of the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Backyard poultry production for eggs is becoming very popular, both for family use and for retail sale. A significant number of goats are also in production. Hemp production has failed to gain significant traction in the county.
Farmers have production records for herds and flocks.
Livestock revenues are maximized.
Nonproductive animals are culled.
Forage productivity is maximized.
Farm assets transition to the next generation without undue financial loss.
Alternative crops are profitable
Farmers implement recordkeeping systems through apps or computer software to track animal ages, weights, and genetics.
Producers sell livestock at ideal weights, ages, and times of year.
Infertile bulls and cows are identified through appropriate tests.
A variety of forage types are harvested and grazed at appropriate stages with adequate fertilization and good storage of baled feedstuffs.
Farm owners establish trusts, transfer property, and otherwise work to secure their assets against inheritance taxes and Medicare forfeiture.
Farmers cultivate new crop options such as hemp.
Farmers understand recordkeeping options available to them and why the records can be helpful.
Farmers understand natural market cycles and desired characteristics of sale animals.
Farmers understand the financial impact of nonproductive animals and know how to identify them.
Farmers understand the different forage, concentrate, and supplement options available and know which ones are ideal for their operations.
Farmers understand the legal ramifications of failing to establish a will, trust, or another mechanism for protecting assets after their death.
Farmers understand the legal environment of hemp production and how to produce and market the crop.
Outcome: Farmers understand recordkeeping options available to them and why the records can be helpful.
Indicator: Number of farmers reporting adding use of an app
Method: Producer survey
Timeline: Annual
Outcome: Farmers understand natural market cycles and desired characteristics of sale animals.
Indicator: Number of farmers reporting changes in marketing plans.
Method: Producer survey
Timeline: Annual
Outcome: Farmers understand the financial impact of nonproductive animals and know how to identify them.
Indicator: Number of farmers utilizing preg checks and bull soundness exams
Method: Producer survey
Timeline: Annual
Outcome: Farmers understand the different forage, concentrate, and supplement options available and know which ones are ideal for their operations.
Indicator: Number of farmers reporting use of new feedstuffs
Method: Producer survey
Timeline: Annual
Outcome: Farmers understand the legal ramifications of failing to establish a will, trust, or other mechanism for protecting assets after their death.
Indicator: Number of farm owners creating a will or trust
Method: Producer survey
Timeline: Annual
Outcome: Farmers understand the legal, marketing, and production aspects of growing hemp.
Indicator: Farmers who successfully market hemp for CBD or other uses.
Method: KDA data, producer survey
Timeline: Annual
Audience: Beef producers
Project or Activity: Reproductive management
Content or Curriculum: Bull testing & heifer pregnancy checks
Inputs: Local veterinarian, Morehead State vet science students, farm facilities
Date: Annually
Audience: Forage producers
Project or Activity: Test plots, demonstrations
Content or Curriculum: UK research
Inputs: Local farms, county staff, UK specialists
Date: Annually
Audience: Livestock producers
Project or Activity: Hay testing
Content or Curriculum: Forage analysis through KDA
Inputs: Agent & assistant sampling times
Date: Fall each year
Audience: Cattle producers
Project or Activity: Recordkeeping training
Content or Curriculum: UK livestock app
Inputs: UK specialists, county staff, local producers
Date: Annually each Spring
Audience: Cattle & goat producers
Project or Activity: Nutrition education
Content or Curriculum: UK research on concentrates, supplements
Inputs: UK data
Date: Annually
Audience: Forage producers
Project or Activity: Summer annual demonstrations
Content or Curriculum: UK forage handling techniques
Inputs: Local farm cooperators, UK specialists, county staff
Date: Annually each summer
Audience: Hemp producers & interested individuals
Project or Activity: Management workshops
Content or Curriculum: UK & KDA information on regulation & licensure
Inputs: UK staff, KDA personnel, county staff
Date: Annually or as required by evolving legal issues
Audience: Hemp producers
Project or Activity: Production education
Content or Curriculum: UK research
Inputs: Farm cooperators, UK staff, county staff
Date: Annually
Author: Brian Jeffiers
Major Program: Forages
Control of weeds in hay and pasture fields has been an issue for decades. Herbicides that kill target weeds can also damage or kill desirable forage species. Sprays may also drift off-target and damage adjacent fields. When the weeds are taller than the forages, a "weed wiper" implement can be a very effective solution to these issues. It uses a roller coated in a spongy material that is saturated with a broad-spectrum herbicide like glyphosate. The height of the roller can be adjusted
Author: Brian Jeffiers
Major Program: Beef
For part-time farmers, dead livestock are often disposed of with no further investigation. Many report that they assume the cost of transporting the animal for necropsy would be prohibitive, and that they do not think they can determine a cause with their own knowledge. To help farmers identify the causes of death loss, the Cooperative Extension Service brought UK's Extension Veterinarian to a cattle producers' meeting to discuss how to utilize the diagnostic lab and what background info
Author: Brian Jeffiers
Major Program: Forages
Every farm struggles to provide quality feed to its livestock, but in the steep terrain and poor soils of eastern Kentucky, that challenge is even greater. Working with the ANR agent and UK forage specialist, one Johnson County horse owner recently converted about 11 acres of hay ground to Roundup-Ready alfalfa to combat johnsongrass, but this successful effort also yielded a major benefit to his animals. Hay testing through the East Kentucky Hay Contest found that the resulting alfalfa hay had
