Farm Equipment for the Acreage Owner

April 2022

Meeting the demand for extension education is always a challenge. That challenge is what does the client need versus what do they want. Sometimes know what they want can lead to a program of what do they need. The equipment field day concept came out of a Master Horse Owner program where those in attendance showed a great deal of interest in the evening topic of what equipment should I have on my farm. Because of this interest and need, the Oldham County Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent and the University of Kentucky Extension Horse Specialist organized an Equine Equipment Field Day, held in April 2022 at a local farm.  The UK Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent Equine Working Group assisted in identifying specific topics and format for the event.  The field day was promoted across the state.

The field day included the following educational opportunities:

• Tractor and implement exhibits supplied by four local ag equipment businesses and the farm hosts.
• How to Select a New or Used Tractor talk given by a UK Ag Engineering Professor
• Selecting the Right Implements for Your Horse Operation talk given by a UK Ag Engineering Professor

The field day offered 35 participants information covering everything from needed horsepower to equipment stability & traction for different tasks and implements.  Participants represented Oldham, Henry, Jefferson, Shelby, Trimble, and Anderson counties in Kentucky and Harrison County in Indiana.

The Gallatin and Kenton County Agriculture & Natural Resources Agents helped develop and administer an evaluation at the field day.  Evaluation results included:

• 62% reported learning about tractor and implement dealers in the area.
• 62% reported learning about services offered by UK Cooperative Extension Service.
• 53% reported learning what to look for in a new or used tractor.
• 46% indicated they don’t own horses but were interested in tractors and equipment for small farms in general.  

The results of the effort gave those on a smaller acreage the information they were looking for regarding what equipment they need to consider for their farm. While the original audience was horse owners the participants were all small acreage owners and showed that the information provide was the information they needed.