Author: Edwin Ritchey
Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation
We had planned to have a drone training session on December 20th with Mandy Briggs and a F4 tornado destroyed the UKREC where the training was scheduled to take place. Additionally, all the materials that were needed for the training were lost to the tornado. In less than 10 days, replacement training materials and an alternative location were arranged. We had 15 attendees from all across the state and a few from surrounding states. We not only were able to complete the training, but had a very
We were able to navigate the regulations and restrictions around COVID and continue to offer KATS trainings during the COVID 19 epidemic. We successfully conducted six KATS trainings during the 2022 reporting period, where many programs were not offering trainings or educational opportunities.
Author: Matthew Adams
Pesticide usage is a necessary part of modern conventional agriculture. One issue with pesticide use that most don’t think of is the amount of used plastic containers in which the pesticides are purchased in. A resurgence in use of these smaller containers has also come due to herbicide resistance issues promoting farmers to use different chemicals that are used at lower rates. Many of these containers will have very small traces of pesticides left on the inside of the containers, making t
Author: Traci Johnson
Oldham County is one of 32 Kentucky counties with communities regulated as MS4s. An MS4 is a community that has a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System. MS4 permittee must adopt ordinances that prohibit illicit discharges of non-stormwater into the MS4; prevent erosion and provide sediment control for construction sites; and provide stormwater control measures for long-term stormwater management. The MS4 permittees must submit an annual report detailing their compliance with the perm
Author: Samantha Anderson
According to the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, planting trees provides a multitude of benefit to local ecosystems. These benefits include protecting soil from rill and sheet erosion, protecting water quality by filtering excess nutrients and chemicals from surface runoff, increasing infiltration rates and providing long term wildlife habitats. In partnership with the McCracken County Soil Conservation District, McCracken County Agent for Agricult
Author: Amanda Gumbert
Members of the Southern Extension-Research Activity-46 (SERA-46) team identified a need for building capacity among watershed leaders to effectively address nutrient pollution in watersheds of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River basin (MARB). A collaborative project was developed and funded by USEPA to create a network of watershed practitioners and farmer leaders to strengthen the implementation effectiveness of nutrient management strategies that reduce nutrient movement. This project succes
Stream buffers provide various ecosystem services including stabilizing stream banks, regulating stream water temperature, taking up nutrients in runoff water, and providing wildlife habitat. Stream buffers are included in the Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Act in the livestock and forestry sections and can help protect water quality. Farmers and landowners need technical information and support when planning for and implementing stream buffers as best management practices on their property.
Author: Heather Graham
In May 2022 Kentucky Waterways Alliance and The Friends of Red River hosted the Wild and Scenic Red Riverfest - a daylong event to celebrate the Red River, the only waterway in KY that is designated by the National Wild & Scenic River System as wild and scenic. Throughout the day, participants had opportunities to listen to live music, paddle the river, and visit the educational tent. The Wolfe Co. ANR agent set-up under the educational tent with information about Extension, Cook Wild KY, an
Author: Lee Moser
The use of herbicides to control weeds and unwanted vegetation is a widespread practice among various groups of grounds professionals. Surveys conducted during this project identified concern amongst grounds professionals for potential human health and environmental impacts from the widespread use of herbicides. Saturated steam weed control has been identified as a potential alternative to traditional herbicide use in various vegetation control applications. Deliverables of this project inc
Glenns Creek Watershed is a watershed in Woodford and Franklin Counties, Kentucky. Versailles is in the upper portion of the watershed and it is the home of several notable horse farms and distilleries, which are signature industries for Kentucky. The Glenns Creek Watershed has been identified as a watershed that has been impacted by human activities. A watershed plan is being developed for the Glenns Creek Watershed. The watershed plan development process is a collaborative effort between
Amanda Gumbert, PhD, Extension Water Quality Specialist amanda.gumbert@uky.edu &Lee Moser, Agriculture Extension Associate Senior, lee.moser@uky.eduManaging nonpoint source pollution in urban areas is a challenge faced by many municipalities. Engaging homeowners and watershed volunteers is necessary to aid in the protection and management of urban streams, stream corridors, and stormwater. Beyond rain gardens, we have found a general lack of accessible technical guidanc
Author: Samuel Cofield
The Trigg County Cooperative Extension Service in conjunction with the Trigg County Ag Committee host events throughout the year to increase public knowledge of agriculture. It is important to all involved in agriculture to inform the increasingly urban population about their farming practices so that they can understand and appreciate how important farming is to the local economy. The tour is designed to give attendees a firsthand look at modern farming and conservation methods.The
Author: DJ Scully
The Extension Service and Conservation District recently convened to address the issue of the emerging need for composting options. We received $10,500 in grants from the Kentucky Division of Waste Management to develop a composting education and implementation program. We purchased 600 compost bins and provided them to households at four educational events in the fall 2020 and six events in 2021 held at the Extension Office. Extension partnered with the City of Fort Thomas to provide bins at th
Peer-to-peer learning is an effective and preferred way for farmers to learn new practices. To take advantage of this approach to sharing information, a University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension specialist partnered with colleagues at several land-grant institutions to offer a Land Stewardship Summit in June 2022. The Summit brought together farmers, farm advisors, and conservation professionals from six states across the Mississippi River Basin to share ideas about how farmers can be success
Author: Robert Smith
The City of Bardstown is growing and the growing pains come in many forms. The city has recently been designated a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) community. This means that the city now has to comply with the rules outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bardstown is considered a small (phase II) MS4 community and Phase II regulation requires small MS4s in U.S. Census Bureau defined urbanized areas, as well as MS4s designated by the permitting author
Author: Jamie Dockery
Our community, like much of the world, has become increasingly aware of water quality issues. Recent MS4 regulations have shed more light on these concerns. One of the major pollutants of stormwater is excess nutrients from fertilizer applications. The Fayette County horticulture program offers classes related to low input lawn care approaches that can serve to dramatically lessen fertilizer applications. Research has shown that turf grasses perform better when limited spring and summer applicat
Author: Alexis Amorese Sheffield
Boyle County celebrated a joint Earth and Arbor Day event at the Extension Office Pavilion on April 23rd. With over thirty vendors including KDA's mobile Ag Sciences lab, live music, Bluegrass Green Source and Intercounty Energy the over 250 people in attendance were able to explore the new Extension Facility while learning new ways to improve the environment around them. The event was a partnership between BCEO, City of Danville, Bluegrass Greensource and Clarks Run Environmental Educa
Author: Brad Lee
Staff at the Kentucky Mesonet at Western Kentucky University have been working diligently over several decades to expand comprehensive weather stations across Kentucky with a goal of at least one station per county. The most modern stations being installed contain soil moisture and soil temperature probes with depth. The Ballard County Agriculture and Natural Resource agent, Tom Miller, had been working tirelessly for several years to identify a landowner with the appropriate site ch
