Author: Raul Villanueva
Major Program: Horticulture, Commercial
I was solicited to present in-person however to avoid risk this task was conducted online using zoom. The event was to make aware to the agricultural workers, and palm growers (coconut or oil) about the destructive effect this weevil species can have on the Caribbean. People were receptive and positive comments were obtained during presentation.
Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are boring insects that inoculate species specific symbiotic fungi into the sapwood of their hosts. Some fungi are innocuous, but others are pathogenic and can kill plants in a short time. The detection, phenology and identification of the later and its management are the main objectives of this study. This project was funded in 2017 and 2019 but due to the phenology of these pests the start of the projects in each year of the funding lagg
The immature form or larva of the codling moth (CM) is the most devastating global pest of apples with a huge potential impact on the post-harvest quality and yield of the product. Detection is hard due to the small size of its larvae and potentially hidden behavior, simple visual inspection is ill-suited for accurate infestation detection. For two years a multidisciplinary effort involving three UK faculty: Drs. A. Adedeji, K. Donohue and R. Villanueva from three departments (Biosystems and Agr
Author: Rachel Rudolph
High tunnels are primarily use for specialty crop production, including fruit and vegetables, and have been shown to increase quality and yield. There are over 1,000 high tunnels in Kentucky. However, many growers still struggle with production challenges that are unique to high tunnel systems. This includes integrated pest management (IPM) methods. High tunnels are still relatively new and many less experienced growers acquire a high tunnel. Cooperative Extension Service (CES) agents do not hav
Broccoli production in Kentucky has grown by nearly seven fold from 2012 to 2017 (USDA, 2017). According the University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification farmers market price report, the average price of broccoli has increased in both urban and rural farmers markets. From 2017 to 2018, the price of broccoli increased 25% in rural markets and 32% in urban markets. Although still small compared to other states, there is potential for further growth with the increase in the use of season
Author: Samantha Anderson
The University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification reports that Kentucky, an active adapter of high tunnel production systems, comprises over 2.8 million ft ² of production capacity across more than 1,200 tunnels. High tunnel production systems allow growres to facilitate growing season extension as well as provide supplemental field production for small scale producers. In partnership with the University of Kentucky Extension Entomology department, McCracken County Agent for
Author: Annette Heisdorffer
Managing trees and shrubs on city property can be time consuming and costly, especially if not managed properly. The Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service and City of Owensboro partnered to offer the Certified Arborist Preparation Training at the request of the City Grounds Manager. The grounds manager wanted to become a Certified Arborist and to teach the employees he supervises how to properly prune and manage trees in parks, along streets, and in sports complexes owned by t
Author: Kara Back-Campbell
After the biological controls program was started in Taylor Co. through the entomology department at UK, growers showed an interest in having scouting in their greenhouses. The horticulture agent fulfilled this roll and introduced the use of sticky cards to each grower. The growers see how useful the sticky cards are in their IPM program. This year we have increased the number of growers using the cards on a regular bases from two to a total of seven. The cards this year have already alerted the
The Taylor County Farmers' Market received a USDA small business promotion grant last year to use toward the famers' market in Taylor County. In cooperation with the health department and the extension office the market is working toward a revitalization. Increasing interest within the market throughout the community by increased advertisement on radio paper and social media. While also, providing opportunities for vendors to utilize free advertisement, resources provided by the market,
Author: Kelly Jackson
Kentucky has the fastest-growing Amish population in the U.S. According to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, the population of Kentucky Amish grew by 8,740 people since 2010 and is currently 8th in population with approximately 13,595 Amish. Christian County and neighboring Todd County are two of the three most populated counties in Kentucky with a combined population of 2,700. Many Amish in these two counties, grow and sell vegetables and depend on these sales for their
Author: Sharon Flynt
What began as a short term stop-gap for in-person programming during the 2020 Pandemic, has become a much-attended weekly horticulture program. Due to the continuing popularity of the Horticulture Webinar Wednesdays program a team of Kentucky Horticulture agents have continued to present weekly Wednesday webinars at 12:30 ET (11:30 CT) as a “lunch and learn” horticultural program. This team also includes agents, specialists, and other experts who present a 30–45-minute horticul
Author: Jonathan Larson
As part of Katie Grubb’s plan B master’s practicum, we produced a 5 part zoom based training focused on how to implement biological control successfully in high tunnel agriculture. This work was partially supported by a Kentucky Specialty Crop Block Grant. Each of our 1-hour sessions had two speakers with 30 minute presentations. This allowed us to cooperate across disciplines with Dr. Rachel Rudolph (UK Horticulture) and two Extension agents, Kara Back (Taylor County) and Alex
During the height of the COVID pandemic, Christian County saw an increase in produces sales and many people started growing their own vegetables. To help curate a listing of local businesses selling fresh produce and vegetable transplants, the Cooperative Extension Service partnered with the Christian County Master Gardener Association to develop a Plant and Produce Directory. Master Gardeners divided the county into five sections and then spent time driving those areas to locate farms, greenhou
Author: Brett Wolff
Second COVID-19 Business Adaptation Webinar Series Builds on Success of FirstBrett Wolff led a second webinar series in November and December of 2020 following up on delivering content small agricultural businesses—particularly those selling directly to the public, to pivot toward more online and other adaptive methods to cope with emerging impacts of COVID-19. Some webinars were presented just by Brett while others were presented in collaboration with the Kentucky Center for Agricult
Author: Joshua Knight
The Nursery Crops / Horticulture YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/UKRECHort started in 2011 as a channel to distribute video content generated at by the UKREC Horticulture Unit for Nursery Crops related content. After program cuts and personnel changes, it has gradually transitioned over the years into a repository for video content for horticulture production practices, focusing on short length videos targeting narrow topics. However, it also hosts longer videos of recorded p
> From July 1st, 2020 to June 30th, 2021 the Nursery Crops Extension Research Website (http://ncer.ca.uky.edu) has received 12,289 views. Compared to the previous 12-month calendar period, it received 9,173 views meaning it is exceeding last years' traffic and use by 33.97%. Additionally, the number of new visitors to the site is up 58.31% over the previous 12-month calendar period, supporting the theory that the audience for the website is still growing and possibly a reflection of
Author: Adam Leonberger
During January 2021, a local orchard hired a new farm manager. The new manager has previous experience working with grapes and vineyard management, but lacked knowledge of tree fruit management. The orchard has over a 100 apple trees and 200 blackberry bushes that needed to be properly pruned to ensure years of production. The Franklin County Horticulture agent coordinated with the Extension Fruit Specialist to visit the farm and teach the new manager how to properly prune the trees
Author: Daniel Becker
Jenny Clark, proprietor of Urban Paradise Produce in Princeton, Caldwell County is participating for a second year in the Kentucky Small Fruit Initiative, a grant program for small growers provided through the Kentucky Horticulture Council. In April she wrote "I have received the cool-bot and the plants from Indiana Berry. I also got the check in the mail for Deerfield Supply. I am going to take a half vacation day next week to go over there to purchase the rest of the supplies
