Extension
It Starts With Us
Crop production, Livestock production, & Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable & Profitable Crop & Livestock Production
Schalk, Stith, Tarry, Drake
Beef
Chemical Crop Management Tools
Grain Crops
Ag Marketing
Barren County has traditionally led the region in diverse agriculture production. Producers utilizing these practices help to enhance their profitability & promote sustainability. Forages, grain crops, & tobacco continue to be in place on many Barren County farms. Dairy, beef, poultry, small ruminants, and horses are staples in many operations. Producers continue to be charged with producing commodities in an environmental sustainable manner.
-Diversify operations to meet the changing ag products needs
-Efficient use of crop protectants
-Increased producer profits in ag enterprises
-Increase overall efficiency in livestock operations
-Implement the use of decision making tools for crop & livestock production
-Convert used/unleased grain crop land back to improved permanent pasture/hay ground
-Maintain high standards and husbandry practices for beef and small ruminant operations
-Increase awareness of dairy calf and replacement heifer production
-Balancing soil test results with manure applications to prevent over application of nutrients
-Informed decisions on crop inputs reduce input cost per acre
-Develop necessary skill sets
-Provide programs to improve soil health and sustainability
-Realize diversification within livestock enterprises
Long-term Outcome: Evaluate increased number of producers shown to utilize improved management practices in their crop production
Indicator: Note the number of producers utilizing product usage and purchasing habits in their farm management practices
Method: Surveys, farm visits, evaluations
Timeline: July-June
Intermediate Outcome: : Evaluate the effectiveness of marketing hay through tri county hay auction
Indicator: type, quality & price per unit
Method: Survey local farmers who are selling in sale
Timeline: Seasonal, by crop
Initial Outcome: Evaluate changes in grain producers risk management plans
Indicator: Note changes in grain crops producers who attended programming
Method: Farm visits, 1 on 1 interviews, survey
Timeline: after harvest season
Audience: Tobacco Producers
Project or Activity: Tobacco GAP
Content or Curriculum: UK CAFÉ & GAP Connections
Inputs: GAP materials, specialist(s), GAP connections, US Dept of Labor
Date: Spring
Audience: Crop Producers
Project or Activity: Chemical Management Training
Content or Curriculum: Private Pesticide Training, Specialists
Inputs: UK Specialists, videos, field days
Date: Winter and early Spring
Audience: Animal Commodity Groups
Project or Activity: Monthly meetings
Content or Curriculum: forages, nutrition, health, marketing, management
Inputs: CAFÉ resources, UK & KSU specialists, SRPS
Date: July through June
Audience: Producers & Citizens Interested in Agriculture
Project or Activity: Column in Sunday edition of Glasgow Daily Times
Content or Curriculum: Timely topics on production, safety, & new technology.
Inputs: Agents, CAFÉ resources, & UK specialists
Date: July through June
Audience: Forage Producers
Project or Activity: Fall management of forage fields (weeds and fertility)
Content or Curriculum: Forage best management practices
Inputs: Agents, UK specialists
Date: Fall and Winter
Audience: 4-H Youth Interested in Agriculture
Project or Activity: 4-H projects in horses, dairy, livestock, natural resources, & plant & soil sciences
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Core Curriculum & National 4-H project curriculum
Inputs: CAFÉ resources, UK specialists, 4-H specialists
Date: July through June
Author: Christopher Schalk
Major Program: Pesticide Safety – Plant Pests
Rinse and ReturnEnvironmentally responsible crop and livestock production includes properly disposing of the used chemical containers. The carst landscape that is Barren County only intensifies the need for proper container disposal. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) offers a “rinse and return” program for counties to participate in. KDA provides a pathway in which the empty chemical jugs can be recycled. The Barren County Agriculture Extension has
Author: Christopher Schalk
Major Program: Forages
Tri-County Hay & Straw Auction (Metcalfe, Monroe & Barren Counties) has become an annual event that both buyers and sellers of hay and straw have come to depend on. Less than desirable weather conditions for 2 consecutive years brought about a forage supply shortage. The auction system of selling hay allows the supply and demand to accurately drive the market. In fact, the Tri County Hay & Straw Auction allows all producers to get an idea of the value of their fora
Author: Christopher Schalk
Major Program: Grain Crops
The process of agriculture did not stop or even alter course for the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact agriculture producers needed the helpful information and educational programs of the Cooperative Extensive Service even more. As the Barren County Cooperative Extension office physically closed its door and transitioned to remote working environment, service to the agriculture producers had to shift as well. Creatively and technology helped to reinvent the way clients’
Author: Christopher Schalk
Major Program: Tobacco
Barren and Metcalfe counties are two of the top tobacco producing counties in Kentucky. Although, total production is down compared to previous years, tobacco still maintains it's spot as one of the top agricultural commodities in the region. Since 2014 all major tobacco companies have required producers to be trained in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in order to market tobacco. This is due to an increasing concern for consumer health as well as the health and safety of those that work in
