Author: Edwin Ritchey
Major Program: Grains
The UK Wheat Field School was initiated in 2016 to provide real life scenarios for crop advisors, managers, and others in the agricultural field. In 2018 the Wheat Field School was changed to KATS to include other crops commonly grown in Kentucky and surrounding states. The trainings in 2020 started out with two in-person and have grown to provide up to more than five to six trainings per year. We have dealt with COVID 19, an EF 4 tornado, inadequate facilities for inside trainings after the tor
I became the UK representative to the Kentuckiana Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) Conference in 2011. This program is a joint effort between the University of Kentucky and Purdue University. This joint effort has been serving producers in Kentucky, Indiana and surrounding states for 30 years and is the largest UK sponsored CCA event offered by UK Cooperative Extension Services focused towards row crop production. This longstanding program provides current information for crop production common to
Author: Joshua Jackson
The problem: Traditional chemical applications are constrained by various factors, including field size and shape, soil conditions and moisture levels, the presence of waterways, power lines, and trees.The educational program response: In collaboration with agents from Christian and Shelby counties and researchers from KSU, workshops focusing on sprayer drones were conducted. These sessions were specifically designed for producers and service providers interested in incorporating drone sprayers
Author: Colette Laurent
The Wheat Science Group held its annual Winter Wheat Meeting in January of 2024. This meeting brings together a group of growers, consultants, industry people and ANR agents from across Ky and surrounding states including Tennessee, Indiana. This meeting features talks intended to address current issues facing Ky wheat growers. 120 individuals attended. Over 70% of those polled responded that this meeting was worth $10 or more per acre.
UKREC is the home base for many Grain Crops Programs and research. Over the course of the past year, our University of KY Martin Gatin College of Agriculture Food and Environment Extension Specialists and researchers have worked together to produce the Corn, Soybean and Tobacco Field Day, the Winter Wheat Meeting, and the Wheat Field Day. More than three hundred people were given the opportunity to gain insight and education credits as they were presented subject material from economics and IPM
Author: Brandon Sears
Grain storage bins have been in use since their invention by Illinois farmer Fred Hatch who is thought to have constructed the first modern one in 1873. According to Purdue University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department who has been documenting and investigating grain bin incidents since the 1970’s, in 2022, there were 83 incidents reported across the Mid-West with 24 of those being fatalities. In January of 2022, a farmer in Casey County Kentucky became trapped in a
Author: Teresa Rogers
At each KATS training, attendees complete surveys to evaluate that training in particular, and also offer recommendations on needed and desired topics for the future. Over the past year, KATS has offered 4 trainings based off these responses. These include an IPM training, Crop Scouting Clinic, Drone Pilot Certification course, and a Soils Properties Workshop. The audience varies from producers, extension agents, crop consultants and ad supply dealers. All of whom can use the information g
Author: John Grove
In 2022 I gave a presentation where I showed that sensor Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) values could result in an erroneous diagnosis of the causal nutrient deficiency. In early September of 2023 I was contacted by Darrin Malone, certified crop advisor/marketing specialist with AMVAC Corp. Mr. Malone had received a photo of one of my slides and was interested in a succinct explanation of the point. When I explained that the NDVI sensor sensed canopy color and extent, but could not
In early July 2023 Chelsea Sapp asked me to visit several corn fields in southern Marion County. I met with the farm manager and we proceed through three corn fields that all exhibited similar problems, though with different patterns of symptom expression. The complex of symptom expression was potassium deficiency and late crop emergence. As we walked, we discussed the various causes for each symptom and, finally, causes that were associated with their coincidence. Prior soil erosion/clayey text
Author: Raul Villanueva
The University of Kentucky Grain Crops Integrated Pest Management group continued to build on the success of the Kentucky Crop Health Conference in 2014 (KCHC). The conference featured both University of Kentucky Extension Specialists and guest speakers from universities in other states to provide a diverse range of topics and enhance education of integrated pest management practices. The goal of the conference is to create a better understanding of integrated pest management among s
Snails and slugs are becoming key and recurrent pests in field crops. From 2021 to 2024 the entomology program at the UK- Research and Education Center at Princeton tested baits and developed an IPM protocol to test this bait working collaboratively with farmers. These studies produced valuable data on the efficacy of baits. In 2024 early planted soybeans in many counties of Western KY and central KY had outbreaks of mollusks. In February 2024 and May 2024 I wrote the potential two of outbreaks
The 60 minute, bi-weekly In the Weeds with IPM Zoom calls held during the growing season between Agriculture and Natural Resource Agents and Extension Specialists continued to build on participation in 2023-2024, while providing a platform for Agents and Specialists to share vital information regarding Pest Management topics in both agronomic and forage cropping systems. The Zoom calls also provide a platform for specialists to inform ANR agents of potential upcoming or emerging pest issues
Author: Andy Mills
The problemIn today’s world farmers, especially those that raise grain crops, have a difficult time sorting through the propaganda and agribusiness sales pitches. There are many different products available on the market that have claims and and unbiased research that show a positive net return. However, most university research proves otherwise it is very difficult to almost impossible for farmers to sort through this much information and be able to identify what is beneficial.The e
Author: Chad Lee
Working with one of our partners in the distillation industry for the past decade, we have discussed no-till, minimum till, crop rotations, soil health and related issues. Within the past year, I have witnessed this partner talk about these concepts with peers in the industry. In addition, this partner is working directly with farmers to help capture the story of the benefits to these practices in our grain cropping systems. This dialogue between the distiller and the farmers was not existent wh
A farmer had a field of corn that was showing yellow symptoms on the young plants. I visited the field with the county agent and determined that causes. I provided the farmer with a couple of options to remedy to issue. The farmer followed through with the suggestions and improved the visual health of the plants. The field is yet to be harvested, but the remedy likely added $1600 to the 20-acre field revenue.
Several younger farmers were extremely interested in setting up grain bins for storage. The young farmer C.O.R.E. program through the KY Corn Growers organized a tour of grain bins from central KY to western KY. Dr. Sam McNeil and I attended. At every stop, farmers learned about what worked and what could be improved at each location. At one point, one of the younger farmers called back home and had a crew adjust the amount of concrete he was ordering for a new bin. Other farmers reached back ou
Author: Traci Johnson
Grain production is an important source of farm income in Todd County. Todd County ranks 7th in Kentucky for value of grain production at $64.4 million, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Challenges facing grain farmers include managing herbicide-resistant weeds and dealing with weather extremes that impact crop health and yields. Because of the importance of grain production here, agriculture agents in Todd and Logan Counties in Kentucky and Montgomery and Robertson C
Author: Leann Martin
Kentucky and Tennessee are both large grain crop producing states, boasting a combined total of 9,804,901 acres and $4,921,112,000 in annual grain crop sales, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture from the United States Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Statistic Services. Seeing the importance of continued growth in both production yields and personal attributes of the grain crop producer, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agents in Logan & Todd counti
