Todd County is home to many types of agriculture enterprises.  According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, crop and livestock sales are nearly equal, with marketed crop value at 124 million dollars and marketed livestock value at 100 million dollars.  Top enterprises include grain crops, tobacco, poultry and eggs, cattle and milk, vegetables, and nursery/greenhouse crops.  Strengthening the local food and agriculture industry is one of the top three issues identified in University of Kentucky Extension’s needs assessment for Todd County.  

Because of the importance of agriculture to our local economy, the Todd County Extension Agriculture Agent:

• Provided on-farm meetings with farmers and advice tailored specifically to each farm’s management and needs
• Identified issues and provided management recommendations
• Worked with Extension specialists as needed to provide producers with management options
• Served as a sounding board for potential changes to farm operations
• Linked producers to other agencies that may be of assistance  

Forty-seven producers, including twenty-four from Amish and Mennonite communities, benefitted from on-farm meetings in 2023-2024.  The Todd County agent followed up with 38 of the 47 farmers to learn about management practices implemented.  

Outcomes included the following:

• Nineteen horticulture producers used extension recommendations to manage diseases and prevent further yield losses
• Nine farmers decided to use herbicides to control weeds in combination with overseeding thinned fields for pasture and hay improvement
• Five producers tested hay to evaluate feeding programs and/or health concerns
• Two farm managers decided to reduce the number of horses being boarded after pasture and stocking rate evaluations revealed overgrazing and erosion
• One cattle farmer used technical information provided to build a new barn tailored to his farm layout and management needs
• One fruit grower pruned his orchard to improve fruit quality and yield
• One farm owner plans to use herbicides to manage invasive woody plants moving into pasture and hay fields