Describe the Issue or Situation.

The Carter County Soil Conservation District rents out a Great Plains No-Till Drill to local farmers.  However, many farmers do not know how to properly calibrate this piece of equipment and improper calibration and depth settings lead to poor stands and lost profits.  

Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable).

A series of things have been done to help farmers accurately calibrate the drill. 

•    The Carter County ANR Agent purchased hose clamp pliers and a small digital scale to place in the manual box on the drill so that farmers can easily remove the tubes and weigh seed for calibration purposes.  Additionally, a complete manual and seed charts were copied and placed in the box.   The seed charts for commonly used forages have been provided upon request to the Soil Conservation Service.   

•    The Carter County ANR Agent worked with Dr. Jimmy Henning, UK Forage Specialist, and the ANR Extension agents from Boyd, Elliott, Greenup and Lawrence Counties to conduct a no-till drill clinic to educate farmers and landowners on the usage of no-till seeding equipment.  

The clinic started with a short introduction of seeding tips and tricks.  Attendees then moved around the building as Dr. Henning described distinguishing features and calibration techniques of each of the six drills on display. Local Conservation District Secretaries and Department of Fish and Wildlife representatives were also on hand to describe the checkout procedures for their respective drills.  

Farmers shared their own experiences and insights, creating a collaborative learning environment where everyone benefited from each other's knowledge.  The evening concluded with a calibration demonstration of the Great Plains drill by the Carter County ANR Agent.  A Great Plains drill is available for checkout to local farmers from both the Carter and Elliott County Soil Conservation Districts.   

•    After the clinic, the Carter County ANR Agent provided a one-on-one refresher training for a farmer who was renting the drill.   The Soil Conservation Board Member who houses and handles the renting of the drill also participated.    

•    Providing the refresher displayed the need for a video to remind farmers of the calibration steps.   Since Carter and Elliott Counties both have the same type of drill, the two ANR Agents worked together to film a video with the calibration steps.   The video is currently linked to the Carter ANR webpage and posted on the Carter ANR YouTube channel.   

•    Dr. Jimmy Henning was able to use work from the clinic for various news articles.   

Provide the Number and Description(s) of Participants/Target Audience.

•    During 2024, fifteen people checked out the drill from the Carter County Soil Conservation District. 

•    The clinic allowed approximately 100 farmers to see multiple brands of no-till seed drills before using them in the field.   They were able to ask questions about usage, learn how to calibrate the drill, and set the seed depth. Farmers also received a handbook of relevant UK forage publications to guide them in the future.  

•    Since posting in mid-October, the video has 65 views.  

Provide a Statement of Outcomes or Program Impact. Please note that the outcomes statement must use evaluation data to describe the change(s) that occurred in individuals, groups, families, businesses, or in the community because of the program/outreach.

Initial evaluations the night of the clinic showed that the event was incredibly valuable and that producers feel more confident going into the planting season. One participant said, “As a newbie to farming (and a young woman), I feel like each piece of equipment was explained in terms that I could understand.”  The farmer who oversees the no-till drill for Carter County said that clinic has helped him answer renter’s questions.   Survey results concluded that 99 percent gained knowledge of forage production and best management practices for species and pasture renovation.  78 percent plan to rent a no-till drill in the future.

Additionally, “The Farmer’s Pride” a Kentucky Farm Community newspaper with about 16,000 bi-weekly readers featured an article about the clinic on the front page.  Dr. Henning also used numerous photos he took during the setup for the clinic for an article on “Understanding Forage Seeders To Maximize Establishment Success” for the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association’s “Cow Country News” magazine.  

A follow-up survey ten months after the clinic showed the following results: 

•    26% had purchased a no-till drill. 

•    47% have rented a no-till drill. 

•    37% plan to purchase or rent a no-till drill in the future.  

•    83% said they definitely felt more confident in their ability to calibrate and use the equipment after attending the clinic.  

•    71% said they were pleased with their grass stand establishment.  (The other 29% were still waiting to see at the time of the survey.)

•    81% thought that the use of a no-till drill had improved their farm’s productivity.   

The success of this work lies not just in the immediate knowledge gained though, but in the seeds of change sown within each participant. As these seeds take root and flourish, our local farms will grow and prosper too.