Author: Nathan Rider
Major Program: Small Farm Management
Beginning farmers, market gardeners, and landowners frequently find themselves overwhelmed by all of the parts of establishing an agricultural business. To support these community members, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service offered the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program called "Kentucky First Farm" in Bullitt County. The program was funded through USDA/NIFA award # 2021-7033-35706. The mission of Kentucky First Farm is to empower aspiring farmers acr
Author: Chadwick Conway
As always, the cooperative extension service strives to offer programs to meet current agriculture needs in the community we serve. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen an increase in livestock being grazed on reclaimed mine land throughout Knott County. With the increase of livestock, many producers are battling livestock loss due to predators such as coyotes and bears. The agriculture agent has successfully worked with Southeast KY Sheep Producer Association hosting
Author: Danny Adams
The Wayne County KSU/UK Extension Service Staff have been helping beginning farmers get started by having demonstration equipment for them to use without having to purchase the equipment themselves. Ninety five percent of the time the equipment is used for Wayne County farmers. A neighboring Clinton County Beginning farmer was planning on planting 4 acres of pumpkins by hand on the weekends after he worked his full time job during the week. A Wayne County vegetable farmer told him about the
Author: Erica Spurgeon
The Living on a Few Acres Farm Conference brought together 52 participants from five different counties across Kentucky, fostering an exchange of knowledge and ideas on sustainable farming practices. UK Cooperative Extension Agents from Pulaski, McCreary, Russell, and Casey counties organized and led a series of classes that delved into various aspects of small-scale agriculture, including soils management, beekeeping, vegetable gardening, poultry, rabbits for meat production, small ruminant car
Author: Corinne Belton
As in other communities, Shelby County is seeing a trend toward land ownership of small acreage by families with new or renewed interest in local foods, homegrown food production and small farming. The county has seen steady growth in land ownership in the 1-49 acre range, 771 farms according to the 2022 agriculture census, with landowners being a mix of retirees, new-to-farming, and farmers looking to scale-back or diversify their operations away from traditional crops and livestock. Acco
Author: Kendal Bowman
In the heart of Owen County, where sprawling fields paint the landscape, Kendal Bowman, the Agriculture Agent, noticed a common challenge among local farmers. They struggled with keeping track of their farm records and faced a daunting task when tax season rolled around. For years, this lack of organization resulted in stress and financial strain for the community.To tackle this issue head-on, Kendal spearheaded an initiative focused on farm record keeping. Over the past four months, he diligent
Author: Mary McCarty
According to the Lexington Herald, in 2022, more people moved to Kentucky than in any other year. Many of these new residents moved into Menifee County. Some of the new residents had a farming history, but many have moved from an urban lifestyle to a new rural one. These residents are looking for ways for their farm to work for them. Small farms and limited-acre farms bring different challenges to new residents. Knowing where to begin and how to make all needed purc
Author: Jonathan Oakes
On December 8th, 2023, Kendal Bowman, Owen County Ag Agent, partnered with Irma Johnson Kentucky State University, hosted Navigating Kentucky's Heirs Property Training On A Regional Level, Train the Trainer event held in Breathitt County Kentucky. As we explored avenues to enable the next generation to engage in agriculture, I became aware of heirs' property, particularly in light of the fact that the average age of a farmer is 57.5 years old (Halvorson, 2023). Heirs' property refers
Author: Daniel Allen
Digital Marketing of Agriculture ProductsAccording to a 2020 USDA NASS report 10.4% of direct-to-consumer farms have an online marketplace this is up from 8% in 2015. Working with Kenton County Agriculture Advisory Council a branding and marketing program was offered in November. The Agent worked with the Center for Crop Diversification to develop a program to assist small direct-to-consumer operations with their digital marketing. The program was constructed in such a way that
The Wayne County Extension Service helps administer County Agriculture Investment Programs in Wayne County around every 18 months. CAIP provides cost share funds to farm families to help them improve farm income through investments in adding value and diversification in agriculture practices.Wayne County Extension Service host educational meetings to inform farm families of the opportunities to qualify for cost share by an application process for CAIP Funds. The UK/KSU Extension personnel provid
Farmers with small numbers of cattle on their farms struggle with adequate facilities to catch and doctor their animals because of cost. Farmers that are beginning farmers or have less the 10 cattle units on their farms need working facilities like someone that has 100 cows or calves on their farm.The Wayne County Extension Office through the KSU Small Farm Program offers farmers the ability to use corral panels and a working chute to gather their cattle together to sale at the local livestock m
