Extension
It Starts With Us
Increasing Agricultural Stability through Cropping Systems, Marketing, and Pest Management
Attaining Agricultural Stability
Ben Rudy
Grain Crops
Pesticide Safety – Plant Pests
Beef
Farm Management
Fulton County ranks 16th in the state in crop production according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, this is due to its rural setting and excellent soils next to the Mississippi River. This allows for consistent yields with moderate rainfall. The 2012 Census of Agriculture as indicated there were 178 farms (83,382 acres) in Fulton County, increasing from 156 farm in 2007. The total farm acreage decreased in the same time frame from 91,414 acres. These numbers seem to contradict themselves, but in that same time period, the average age of the farmers decreased from 59.8 to 56.1 as compared to the state average age which jumped from 56.6 from 2007 to 57.6 in 2012. This is a result in a surge of young farmers taking over for their parents or grandparents and also starting their own operations.
With these characteristics of high crop production and less seasoned producers there is need for increasing the stability of the farming operations from day to day decisions to long term planning. These challenges are only compounded by the recent high grain prices and input costs to the current low grain prices and still high cost inputs. Many of these trends long time producers have not seen since the 1980’s, and the younger generation producers have only heard about them. To add to these conditions, new technology in the genetics of the chemicals, seed, and pests are rapidly changing. There are few places in Fulton County where there are no weeds which are not resistant to Round-up and other herbicides. It is imperative that in the future we use the best management practices to insure the viability of all the new technology in agriculture. In terms of technology “gadgets”, it is changing almost daily, GPS, variable rate seeding, fertilizing, row shut-offs, UAV’s, etc all collect or use some sort of data. All of the information contains both useful and non-useful data. Both the older and younger generations have difficulty sorting through all of this. To top it off, this technology, genetics and gadgets all have a cost. Producers need to know the background information, cost per unit, and other important information to make decision on management, efficiency, and profit decisions.
Maximize profits for the producer.
Minimize the environmental impact of air, soil, or living area.
Improve the sustainability of intensively managed crop production systems.
Adopt usage of new technology for crop production.
Use diagnostic services to identify, insects, disease, and weeds.
Adopt one or more fertility management recommendations.
Implementation of on-farm trials.
Awareness of current land grant research concerning grain crop production.
Identification of IPM practices for grain crop production.
Increase understanding of production regulations.
Understanding of BioTech Traits.
Understanding importance of and framework of on-farm trials.
Identify herbicide resistant pests and strategies to overcome these pests.
Initial Outcome: Producers will gain knowledge of the University of Kentucky’s recommendations relating to crop management, economic management, marketing, USDA Programs, farm-regulations.
Indicator: Producer Investments in technology, Knowledge gained, Increase use of the University of Kentucky’s services relating to crop production.
Method: Surveys, Agent Observations, Site Visits, Agent Contacts
Timeline: Annually
Intermediate Outcome: Producers will adopt improved production methods, management, new technology, and marketing techniques to their operations so that production is economically increased, costs are managed without sacrificing production, or production and/or economic risks are reduced.
Indicator: Improved production, management, technology, and marketing techniques are adopted.
Method: Surveys, Agent Observations, Site Visits,
Timeline: Changes will be measured annually over the 4-year plan of work.
Long-term Outcome: Producers will increase overall profitability of their operation due to practices changes and implementation of technology made relating to crop production and marketing of their crops.
Indicator: The number of producers that improve their bottom line as a result of the information presented at Extension sponsored events.
Method: Agent Observations, Surveys, Site-visits
Timeline: Accumulative changes will be measured over the 4-year plan of work.
Audience: Fulton County Producers and Homeowners
Project or Activity: Soil & Manure Testing
Content or Curriculum: UK Soil and Manure Test Recommendations
Inputs: Agent Time
Date: Program Year
Audience: Fulton County Producers and Homeowners
Project or Activity: Diagnostic Services
Content or Curriculum: UK Diagnostic Services recommendations
Inputs: Agent Time
Date: Program Year
Audience: Fulton County Producers
Project or Activity: Research Trials
Content or Curriculum: Variety Trials from UK & UT
Inputs: UK Specialists, Agent Time, Producer’s Fields
Date: Program Year
Audience: Fulton County Producers and Homeowners
Project or Activity: Newsletter, News Articles, Facebook, emails, etc
Content or Curriculum: UK and other resource material
Inputs: Agent Time
Date: Program Year
Audience: Fulton County Producers
Project or Activity: Winter Ag Conference
Content or Curriculum: UK and/or Other University Grain production material
Inputs: Agent Time, and Specialist time
Date: Winter Annually
Audience: Fulton County Producers
Project or Activity: Producer Meetings
Content or Curriculum: UK and/or Other University Grain production material
Inputs: Agent Time, and Specialist time
Date: Program Year
Audience: Fulton County Producers
Project or Activity: PAT Training
Content or Curriculum: PAT Program
Inputs: Agent Time
Date: Annually
Author: Benjamin Rudy
Major Program: Ag Policy
his year our Winter Ag Conference focused on the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is important to farmers’ daily activities. Crop sales just in Fulton County is $44,390,000. The need for this information to get out is necessary to our producers. We teamed up with Adult agriculture educators from WKCTC to bring an informational meeting to the farmers on the new information. The meeting was hosted in Pilot Oak, Kentucky by Lowry Farms. Agriculture agents from Gra
Author: Benjamin Rudy
Major Program: Ag Marketing
The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Services in Carlisle, Ballard, Hickman, and Fulton counties along with the Farm Service Agency, hosted the 2018 Four River Counties Women in Agriculture Conference. This year it was held at the Clinton Methodist Church. There were 62 ladies in attendance. The program included Tools for the Marketing Toolbox: Alex Hayes, Floral Design by Teresa Crouse, WAVE Overview with Hannah Chretien, and a Tax Update, followed by an update fro
Author: Benjamin Rudy
Major Program: Chemical Crop Management Tools
In the fight for better control of weeds in an ever changing environment where not only Mother Nature controls the weather conditions but there is the evolution of chemical resistant weeds, more producers switched their weed control packages to the use of the three new dicamba options (Engenia, Xtendimax, and Fexapan) for the 2018 growing season.According to Kentucky Ag Statistics, Fulton County produces annually about 51,000 acres of soybeans or 2.5 billion bushels of soybean. In the 2017
Author: Benjamin Rudy
Major Program: Farm Management
The Agriculture and Natural Resources Agents from Fulton, Hickman, and Carlisle Counties talked for several years of developing a program for the producers in their counties that were beginning their own operations or working into becoming the decision-makers of the family operations.Existing programs like Ky FarmStart or Next Generation Farmer were programs that had some of the topics these producers needed, but did not fit into large grain only operations or grain/contract livestock operations
