Extension
It Starts With Us
Agriculture and Horticulture
Advancing Agriculture & Horticulture in Mercer Co.
Linda McClanahan, Jessica Bessin
Home & Consumer Horticulture
Commercial Horticulture
Beef
Soils
Mercer County has a diverse combination of both commercial agriculture, horticulture, and home horticulture, all being viable industries in Mercer County. Farmers, community leaders, farm organizations, Mercer County Ag Development Council, Mercer County Farmers Market, Mercer County Ag Advisory Council, and Mercer County Horticulture Advisory Council have identified important agricultural and horticultural issues and needed programs. Farm profitability, diversification, increasing value of property, promoting local foods, and marketing opportunities are some of the top priorities. Leaders have also identified the need to have extensive programs in the area of agricultural awareness. With less than 2% of the population involved in food production there is a great need for education about where and how food and other agricultural products are produced.
*Increased interest in agriculture and horticulture production.
*Homeowners will save more money on home landscape.
*Increased diversification of crops produced in county.
*Homeowners will add value to their property through education programs on maintaing landscapes
*Farmers market will continue to grow as intrest in local food increases
*Youth will exhibit skills, share knowledge with others, including family members, and may decide to raise some of their own food
*Farmers will improve production practices
*Farmers and homeowners will understand pesticide safety
*Increased interest in local foods
*Students will learn about UK and career opportunities in agriculture.
Initial Outcome: Increased interest in Agriculture and Horticulture Programs
Indicator: Increased numbers of participants for agriculture and horticulture programs
Method: Counting participants attending the programs
Timeline: on-going
Intermediate Outcome:
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Audience: Clients with Horticulture Interest
Project or Activity: Master Gardener Program
Content or Curriculum: UK Master Gardener Manual
Inputs: UK CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialists, Mercer County HORT agent, UK Publications and other resources, Master Gardener volunteers
Date: Spring
Audience: Clients with Horticulture Interest
Project or Activity: Horticulture topics,instructor, newsletter, radio
Content or Curriculum: UK Horticulture Department
Inputs: CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialist, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications, Master Gardeners
Date: On-going
Audience: Clients with Horticulture Interest
Project or Activity: Gardening Through the Seasons
Content or Curriculum: UK Horticulture Department
Inputs: CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialist, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications,
Date: On-going
Audience: Clients with Horticulture Interest
Project or Activity: Holiday Greenery Workshop
Content or Curriculum: UK Horticulture Department
Inputs: CES Facilities, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications,
Date: December
Audience: Clients with Beekeeping Interest
Project or Activity: Beekeeping Club
Content or Curriculum: KDA State Apiarist, Hands on demonstrations
Inputs: CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialist, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications, KDA
Date: On-going
Audience: Farmers Market Clients
Project or Activity: Garden Flavors
Content or Curriculum: UK Vegetable Production and fruit production guides, Plate it Up!
Inputs: UK publications, Master Gardeners, Mercer Agents,
Date: On-going
Audience: Children
Project or Activity: Plant Camp
Content or Curriculum: UK Horticulture Department
Inputs: CES Facilities, UK Extension Specialist, Mercer County Hort Agent, UK publications,
Date: On-going
Audience: Farmers
Project or Activity: Annual Mercer County Agriculture Field Day
Content or Curriculum: Chosen by Field Day Committee - from UK Specialists and Ag Industry
Inputs: Host farm, volunteers, CES Staff, Partners/Sponsoring Organizations
Date: September
Audience: Mercer County citizens
Project or Activity: Annual Farm/City Dinner
Content or Curriculum: National Farm City Council, American Farm Bureau Federation, content relevant to educational objective set by committee
Inputs: Extension staff, Extension resources, collaborating agencies, sponsors, speakers
Date: March
Audience: Farmers
Project or Activity: Beef Quality Assurance/ Cattle Handling & Care Certification
Content or Curriculum: KY BQA Curriculum
Inputs: Extension staff, Extension resources, KY Cattlemen's Association, host location
Date: Spring/Fall
Audience: Farmers
Project or Activity: Private Pesticide Applicator Training
Content or Curriculum: KY Pest Management Curriculum
Inputs: Extension staff, Extension resources, UK Extension publications
Date: spring
Audience: Elementary school youth
Project or Activity: FarmSCool Week
Content or Curriculum: UK CES, KY Beef Council, KY Horse Council, KY Soybean Association, KY Dept of Ag
Inputs: Extension Staff, Extension resources, Mercer County School system, Burgin School System
Date: Fall
Audience: Mercer County citizens, farmers
Project or Activity: Services
Content or Curriculum: Soil Testing, Plant Disease Diagnosis, Hay Testing, Ration Balancing, Farm & Home Visits, Insect Identification, Weed Identification, Water Testing, Plant Identification, Snake Identification, Forage & Grain Moisture Testing
Inputs: UK CES Facilities, Extension Staff, UK Publications, UK Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, UK Soil Lab, UK Extension Specialists
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Equine clientele
Project or Activity: Equine Express newsletter, Horse College, special equine topic programs, State Equine Farm & Facilities Expo, Equine RCPP Grant/Demo Farm
Content or Curriculum: Horse College, UK Equine
Inputs: UK CES facilities, ANR Agents, UK Extension Specialists, UK publications, UK news releases/exclusives
Date: ongoing
Audience: Mercer County clientele with agriculture or horticulture interest
Project or Activity: demonstration plots and demonstration programs
Content or Curriculum: UK, industry companies
Inputs: UK CES Specialists & resources, new practices, chemicals, local farms for demonstrations, host locations for programs
Date: ongoing
Audience: Extension clientele/followers on social media
Project or Activity: facebook pages, website
Content or Curriculum: UK CES
Inputs: UK CES agents, UK CES staff, Ag Comm news releases, UK publications/information
Date: ongoing
Audience: Mercer County crop producers
Project or Activity: crop production practices and meetings including regional
Content or Curriculum: UK CES
Inputs: UK CES Specialists, facilities, agents, publications and other resources
Date: ongoing
Audience: Mercer County Cattle producers
Project or Activity: cattle production practices, newsletters and meetings (KY Beef Conference, KY Stocker Conference, county winter meetings, regional meetings, dairy month kickoff breakfast, dairy monthly newsletter, cattlemens quarterly roundup newsletter, Master series (Master Cattlemen, Master Marketer, Master Stocker)
Content or Curriculum: UK CES
Inputs: UK CES specialists, facilities, agents, publications and other resources
Date: ongoing
Audience: Mercer County young and beginning farmers
Project or Activity: support for both young and beginning farmers, Farm Safety Dinner Theater
Content or Curriculum: UK CES
Inputs: UK CES specialists, facilities, agents, publications and other resources
Date: ongoing
Audience: Mercer County farmers and clientele
Project or Activity: collaboration with agriculture organizations
Content or Curriculum: UK CES, agriculture organizations
Inputs: Farm Bureau, Soil Conservation, Cattlemens Association, Goat Association, Backcountry Horsemen, Master Gardeners, Fair Board, Beef Festival
Date: ongoing
Audience: general public
Project or Activity: Beef Bash
Content or Curriculum: meat science
Inputs: Dr. Gregg Rentfrow, UK Meat Dept, Mercer County Cattlemens Association, Mercer County Extension, homemakers, KY Fort Harrod Beef Festival
Date: spring
Audience: county fair attendees and participants
Project or Activity: Mercer County Fair & Horse Show
Content or Curriculum: CES guidelines, rules & regulations set by various show committees
Inputs: CES Staff, Mercer County Fair & Horse Show facilities/funds, community sponsors, county fair participants
Date: July
Author: Jessica Bessin
Major Program: Master Gardener
Master Gardeners are individuals who have earned and maintained certification through training conducted by Kentucky Extension specialists and agents. They serve their communities by conducting educational programs for youth and adults and community service projects. Continuing education and leadership development are important components of the Master Gardener Program to maintain their certification. In 2017, the Horticulture Agents of District Four (Central Kentucky) hosted th
Author: Jessica Bessin
Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture
With the increasing concern for food security, coupled with the detachment from farm life all around the United States, families lack the skills to grow and cook their own food. When asking a group of children where produce comes from, it is not unusual for them to respond with “the store” rather than “the garden.” To aid in combating the issue of knowing where food comes from, as well as what to do with it, the Boyle and Mercer County Horticulture Agents created a joint
Author: Jessica Bessin
Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture
On average a single person will spend around $20 a week on fresh produce. That may not seem like a lot, but for a new high school graduate getting ready be on their own for the first time this adds up quickly.The Mercer County Horticulture agent partnered with one of the Family and Consumer Science teachers at the local high school to teach a class gardening on a budget. All of the students in the four separate money management classes were either juniors or seniors. Majority being seniors getti
Author: Jessica Bessin
Major Program: Commercial Horticulture
In Mercer County and the surrounding areas many of the commercial horticulture producers grow pumpkins. Some of these producers grow them for their on farm agritourism businesses while others grow them to be sold at local stores and auctions. In order for these producers to raise a healthy and productive crop they need to stay up to date on the latest pest and disease issues occurring in the area.The Mercer County Horticulture Agent along with the Anderson County Ag agent, who also has mul
Author: Jessica Bessin
Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture
Fresh produce can be hard to come by when you are living on a budget. An easy solution would be growing your own produce to save on your weekly grocery bill. Many though who live in apartments or other low income housing may not have the resources or even space to grow their own produce. The Mercer County Horticulture Agent along with the Mercer County SNAP –assistant partnered with their local Bluegrass Community Action office to help combat the lack of fresh affordable produce thro
Author: Linda McClanahan
Major Program: Beef
Over the past twenty years, Kentucky agriculture has transitioned from predominately tobacco to beef production, becoming the largest beef producing state east of the Mississippi. In order to prepare producers to be efficient and profitable, both Central Kentucky County Extension Agents for Agriculture & Natural Resources and Beef Extension Specialists present the Kentucky Beef Conference annually.The farm operations of producers attending vary in size, with most (46%) of the producers havin
Author: Linda McClanahan
Major Program: Equine
Mercer County has a wide array of equine clientele of various disciplines (breeding, racing, pleasure, etc). The 2012 KY Equine Survey reported Mercer County ranking 10th in equine income and home to 580 equine operations. The ANR agent continues to issue a quarterly newsletter (Equine Express) that is now mailed to 153 people and meets regularly with the Fort Harrod Backcountry Horsemen. In an effort to increase equine extension programming the ANR Agent collaborated with othe
Author: Linda McClanahan
Major Program: Farm Management
Over the last several years Extension has been partnering with the University of Kentucky College of Nursing to develop and test the efficacy of a novel intervention, didactic readers theater, focused on health and safety of farmers ages 45 and over. Initial focus groups with farmers and their spouse that led to development of this program were held in Mercer County. This program, funded by NIOSH and developed by agricultural nurse Dr. Deborah Reed, debuted in Mercer County originall
Author: Linda McClanahan
Major Program: Beef
Beef cattle continues to be one of the leading agricultural commodities in Mercer County and a large percentage of producers background cattle. ANR agents in Mercer, Boyle, Lincoln and Garrard counties team up each year to offer a educational program around this segment of the industry each year. 74 producers attended the meeting this year and they were surveyed on how attending these meetings have impacted their operations. Over 80% of producers attending the meeting indicated
Author: Linda McClanahan
Major Program: Grain Crops
Grain crops have emerged as an important part of the agriculture industry in Mercer and surrounding counties. ANR agents in these counties partner together to host the Area Grain Meeting each year. Around 80 producers attended the meeting. Survey results found that 87% of respondents gained knowledge. Survey responses also indicated attending this meeting has improved profitability in the past by increasing yield, improving pest control practices and better crop managemen
