Success Stories - Kentucky Extension Reporting System

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Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

Cooperative Extension Service

Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

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Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

Fiscal Year: 2025

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Jul 1, 2024 - Jun 30, 2025

Success StoriesKentucky Extension Reporting System

Stormwater Lesson Training for LFUCG Teachers

Author: John McMaine

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Describe the Issue or Situation.Local teachers often lack the specialized technical background to teach about the effects of impervious cover on stormwater, runoff, flooding, and water quality. Because of this, this piece of the water cycle is often missed. Teachers need easy to understand and implement ways to teach these concepts to students.Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable).BAE Extension partnered with LFUCG to train 22 Fayette County Public S

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Helping keep the Kentucky River clean

Author: Adam Leonberger

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

According to the EPA, nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is the leading remaining cause of water quality problems. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snow melt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters, where they cause harmful effects on drinking water supplies, recreation, fisheries and wildlife. Excess fertilizers, herbicides an

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Cultivating Conservation – Rain Garden & Rain Barrel Workshops Empower Community Stewardship

Author: Amy Aldenderfer

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Describe the Issue or Situation.Hardin County faces increasing challenges related to stormwater runoff, including localized flooding, soil erosion, and water pollution. As the county continues to develop, the need for public education on sustainable water management practices becomes more critical. Many residents are unaware of simple, cost-effective strategies they can implement at home to reduce runoff and conserve water. Recognizing this need, the Hardin County Cooperative Extension Office pa

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UKREC Intern Summer Projects

Author: Edwin Ritchey

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Describe the Issue or Situation. Each year we have several student interns that work with our programs at UKREC. We started requiring them to pick a summer project, help with the design and complete the project.Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). Immediate outcomes are that the interns learn how to develop and complete a scientific project. These simple projects are designed to answer questions that benefit producers. In the longer term, it helps

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Kentuckiana Certified Crop Advisors Conference

Author: Edwin Ritchey

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Describe the Issue or Situation. This program started about 30 years ago in conjunction with Purdue University. It typically has over 200 CCAs attend with over 250 the past two years. Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). We provide 15 hours of CEUs that reflect timely information to update practicing professionals in areas that will allow them to provide better support to their clientele.Provide the Number and Description(s) of Participants/Ta

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Determining soil texture by feel publication

Author: Edwin Ritchey

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Describe the Issue or Situation. A need for a simple publication and description of how to determine soil texture in the field was needed. Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). The original method was developed by NRCS soil scientists but was not user friendly.Provide the Number and Description(s) of Participants/Target Audience. Since November of 2016 the publication has been downloaded 49,604 times by people from 187 countries representing 2,

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AGR 1 Revision

Author: Edwin Ritchey

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Describe the Issue or Situation. No major revisions of AGR 1 have been completed for a while, just minor updates. I assisted Grove and Poffenbarger process a large amount of data McGrath compiled but had not processed prior to leaving UK for an industry position. This data and an analysis of current P and K recommendations changed the recommendations for corn, wheat and soybean.Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). This will influence potential gove

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Kentucky Agriculre Training School (KATS)

Author: Edwin Ritchey

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Describe the Issue or Situation.KATS is a hands on training offered to all in agriculture, primarily those focused on row crop production and production agriculture. It offers CEUs for CCAs and PATs for certified pesticide applicators. We typically hold 6-9 trainings annually.Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable). KATS is typically held as UKREC but has been held elsewhere, depending on the training. Partners include faculty from multiple departments

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Extension Soil Erosion Article Comes to the Honors Classroom

Author: John Grove

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

In September 2023, Brad Lee and I authored an article (https://www.kygrains.info/blog/2023/9/14/soil-health-erosion-and-fall-field-management) on soil health, soil erosion, and the management needed to minimize erosion in the face of climate change. The article was chosen as background reading on soil erosion for UKC 180 (10 Ways to Think About Climate Change in Kentucky) by the instructors (Drs. Lauren Cagle and Alice Turkington). Brad was invited to join the students, answering questions as th

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Your yard and water quality: "Lawn and Gardening Our Way to Hell in a Vegetable Basket"

Author: Brad Lee

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Urban audiences often mistakenly believe that rural areas and agricultural production operations are solely responsible for water quality issues and excess nutrients in the environment.  I developed an urban water quality education program focusing on nutrient additions to urban areas and present this information to Master Gardener audiences and homeowners (~100 participants) via a zoom meeting coordinated by Dr. Rick Durham, UK Horticulture Extension Professor.  Participants were brou

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Blue Water Farms: Edge-of-field water quality monitoring in western Kentucky

Author: Brad Lee

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Twenty-nine edge-of-field water quality monitoring stations have been developed to measure continuous nutrient and sediment runoff within row-crop agricultural fields across western Kentucky through a partnership of nine landowners, the Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board, the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, the USDA NRCS, Kentucky Geological Survey and the College of Agriculture Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky.  As of December 2024, we had completed the baseline cr

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Robin Ridge Farm conservation practice implementation

Author: Lee Moser

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

After participating in the UK CES-led farmer leadership training Tap Your Potential Ben Robin (Robin Ridge Farms) recognized erosion issues on the farm that might be impacting the quality of nearby Hinkston Creek. UK Extension specialists partnered with the Bourbon County Conservation District to help Ben identify and install appropriate conservation practices to address erosion issues on the farm. Practices installed included rocked gateways, a heavy use area pad, and regrading and critical are

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NSF George Mason University research translation project

Author: Lee Moser

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Specialists from the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources’ Soil and Water Extension Team partnered with UK Innovate on a National Science Foundation-funded project to mentor faculty and staff from George Mason University (GMU) on research translation and community outreach strategies. The project included periodic virtual exchanges and the first year culminated in a site visit to UK’s campus in June 2024 to tour research and outreach facilities and engage with additional facu

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Good Idea Shop Talks

Author: Amanda Gumbert

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Virtual farmer engagement is a relatively new approach to sharing conservation information. Through a Foundation for Food and Agriculture-supported project the University of Kentucky teamed up with University of Wisconsin-Madison and Mississippi State University to offer three seasons of multiple virtual farmer meetups called Good Idea Shop Talks (Winter 2004, late Summer 2024, and Winter 2025). The meetups are offered during slower seasons of the production year and offered during the lunch hou

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Water Pollution Awareness

Author: Jamie Dockery

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Our community, like much of the world, has become increasingly aware of water quality issues.  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 applications of fertilizer are applied. We also emphasize soil bu

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Gardening for Birds, Making Birdhouses

Author: Brandon George

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

On June 11, 2025, Horticulture Extension Agent Brandon George and Horticulture Council member Cliff Eubank collaboratively presented the educational program Gardening for Bird, Making Birdhouses. The initiative aimed to inform participants about the ecological importance of native plant landscaping in supporting avian biodiversity, and to provide practical guidance on the construction of bird nesting boxes for backyard habitats. Recent research by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Instit

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Robin Ridge Farm Conservation Practice Implementation

Author: Amanda Gumbert

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Robin Ridge Farm Conservation Practice Implementation

After participating in the UK CES-led farmer leadership training Tap Your Potential Ben Robin (Robin Ridge Farms) recognized erosion issues on the farm that might be impacting the quality of nearby Hinkston Creek. UK Extension specialists partnered with the Bourbon County Conservation District to help Ben identify and install appropriate conservation practices to address erosion issues on the farm. Practices installed included rocked gateways, a heavy use area pad, and regrading and critical are

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Partnership to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Author: Jamie Dockery

Major Program: Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

 According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 30-40% of food in the United States is wasted. The non-profit ReFed estimates this food waste is costing residents $310 billion, or $1500 per household, as otherwise edible food fills up landfills and generates greenhouse gas emissions. In Lexington municipal waste collection does not have an appropriate avenue to deal with food waste. Backyard composting is an easy and efficient way to turn food and lawn waste into valuable compost that

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Acting Associate Dean & Director — Craig Wood, Ph.D.
S107 Ag. Science Center North
Lexington, KY 40546-0091
+1 (859) 257-4302

© 2024 University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment