Extension
It Starts With Us
Encourage and Promote Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Encourage and Promote Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Amanda Sears, Brandon Sears
Commercial Horticulture
Beef
Forages
Sustainable Agriculture
The Madison County Agriculture Economy has undergone significant changes in recent years. As a result farmers are seeking new opportunities to generate on farm income.
Local leadership including Madison County agriculture and horticulture councils as well as local agricultural organizations have identified a need to improve agriculture productivity and assist beginning farmers. Producers need to implement best management practices that will promote profitable operations while responsibly utilizing natural resources. (Madison County Agricultural Development Council Comprehensive Plan, 2015)
Madison County producers increase net farm income while promoting production efficiency, natural resource conservation and stewardship.
Producers will report reduced expenses and/or increased profits.
Madison County farmers will improve profitability by more efficiently and economically marketing their crops and livestock.
Growers will diversify types of crops produced and improve yield and quality of crops.
Livestock producers will increase efficiency through utilization of extended grazing, reduced purchased feed costs, better reproductive management, and new marketing opportunities.
Farmers will increase grazing opportunities, using various forages and production methods thus reducing stored feed.
Producers will utilize the Madison County Cooperative Extension
Service to make research based decisions.
Farmers will utilize Best Management Practices and Integrated Pest Management in their production systems.
Outcome: Livestock producers will increase efficiency through utilization of extended grazing, reduced feed costs, better reproductive management.
Indicator: Percentage increase in value added sales such as CPH-45 and Bred Heifer Sales. Increased utilization of estrus synchronization products. Adoption of alternative forage systems such as summer annual forages, extended grazing and native warm season grasses.
Method: Surveys and evaluations of workshops, sales and programs
Timeline: After conclusion of event
Outcome: Producers will utilize the Madison County Cooperative Extension Service to make research based decisions.
Indicator: Increased number of farmers and producers use the diagnostic services of the extension office.
Method: Keep records of the number of producers who use the diagnostic services at the extension service
Timeline: year round
Audience: Beef Cattle Producers
Activity: Beef Cattle Production Tour
Content or Curriculum: Local planning committee and Ag. Agent
Inputs: ANR agent and UK beef cattle specialists
Date: As needed
Audience: Agriculture Producers
Activity: Agricultural Winter Meetings
Content or Curriculum: Regulations and programs, UK specialist updates about production practices and local demonstrations
Inputs: ANR agent and UK Extension Specialists. Other speakers as required.
Date: Annually, Winter months
Audience: Madison County Residents
Activity: Extension Farm Field Day or Workshop
Content or Curriculum: As determined by Ag. Council and Ag. Businesses/ commodity groups
Inputs: ANR agent, UK Extension Specialists, various experts in their respective areas
Date: Annually
Audience: Agriculture Producers
Activity: ANR Program Workshops
Content: Varies depending on topic (forages, beef, soil fertility, etc) More in depth subject matter than farm field day.
Input: ANR agent
Date: As needed
Audience: Madison County Residents
Activity: Producer Best Practices Training
Content: UK & KDA Curriculum
Input: UK specialists, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Horticulture Agent
Date: Annually
Audience: Madison County Forage Producers
Activity: Forage Management and Education
Content: County demo plots/local producer cooperation
Input: ANR agent, UK Specialists, and local farmers
Date: As needed and as opportunities arise
Audience: Madison County Residents
Activity: Diagnostic Services and Recommendations
Content: UK Extension Resources
Inputs: ANR and HORT agents, UK Extension Specialists and Resources
Date: On-going Year round
Author: Amanda Sears
Major Program: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
The Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Program (PIUKP) is a partnership between the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the University of Kentucky School of Human Environmental Sciences. The goal of this program is to provide recipes using Kentucky Proud products. While the Plate it up! Kentucky Proud committee is primarily composed of Family and Consumer Science Agents, the Madison County Cooperative Extension Agent for Horticulture ser
Author: Amanda Sears
Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture
Due to an increased interest in home and consumer horticulture from their listeners, WUKY (91.3 FM), the University of Kentucky’s public radio station, approached the Agriculture Communications Department in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment about creating a gardening program for their station. Jeff Franklin, Agriculture Communications Specialist, contacted the horticulture agents in central Kentucky to see if they would be willing to record sessions to be aired on the stati
Author: Brandon Sears
Major Program: Forages
Madison County Hay Auction 2020 The 2017 KY Ag Census lists Madison County as the 3rd largest hay producing county in the state of Kentucky with approximately 43,600 acres of hay. In an effort to help market local hay, the Madison County Extension ANR agent and the Madison County Fair Board partnered to coordinate a regional hay auction at the county fairgrounds.On Saturday January 11th, 2020 our 12th annual hay auction took place with 67 different l
Author: Aubrey Lawson
Major Program: 4-H Agriculture Core Curriculum AND Natural Resources
According to the Journal of Extension, "Agricultural literacy is important to the future of our nation and the discipline of agriculture" (Frick & Spotanski, 1990, p. 6). Because the majority of the public is now almost completely removed from agriculture in their daily lives, it is of utmost importance that best practices in agricultural education are identified to ensure agricultural literacy is maintained in future generations of Americans.”Madison County Cooperative Exten
Author: Brandon Sears
Major Program: Beef
With 38,000 cattle producers in Kentucky and nearly 70,000 head of beef cattle in Madison County, reproductive management and efficiency is economically important to our region. Opportunity for profit is dependent heavily on reproductive success of the Cow/Calf producer. Breeding bulls provide 50 percent of the genetics in any given herd and thus have a great impact on the type and kind of calves produced as well as influencing maternal qualities in heifers that will be kept for replacements in
Author: Brandon Sears
Major Program: Beef
Trace minerals are essential for many biological and metabolic processes in grazing beef cattle. However, research has shown large variations in individual intakes. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of mineral feeder design on visitations and intake of beef cattle on farms across Kentucky with feeder lids in place and removed. The Madison County ANR agent worked with Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler, Extension Beef Cattle Nutritionist, to collect on-farm data at a Madison County beef prod
Author: Brandon Sears
Major Program: Forages
Kentucky is one of the largest hay producing states East of the Mississippi River. In our climate it typically takes 3-4 days of favorable weather to produce dry hay. However over the last five years, the average rainfall across Central KY has trended higher than the average. As such, many farmers have recently experienced poor drying conditions and lower nutrient availability due to late cut forage. One way that we can prevent exposure to weather is by producing baleage rather than dry hay. Bal
