Madison County Farmer Receive Technical Assistance from Kentucky State University, Area Agent for Small Farm Program

The Ballew family have nearly 500 acres of farm land in Madison County, Kentucky. The late Ballew grandfather and late Ballew father paved the way for the family farm.  The Ballew brothers Leroy and Lonzo are the third family generation farmers. Leroy and Lonzo Ballew are involved with different USDA agencies to mention a couple Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and Kentucky State University Small Farm Program Cooperative Extension Program. The Area Agent for Small Farm Program at Kentucky State University started providing technical assistance to the Ballew Brother’s in early 2000’s. 

The Ballew’s graze cattle, raise hogs, chickens and hemp on the family farm.

Natural Resources Conservation Service, formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service, is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and managers.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, is responsible for the conservation of wildlife resources and for boating projects in the state. A commissioner appointed by the Fish and Wildlife Commission heads the department.

The Kentucky State University (KSU) Small Farm Program is an Extension program designed to help farm families with decision-making skills to solve farm and home problems. It includes educational programs that emphasize farm production, farm management, and marketing.  It also includes the use and understanding of local county programs and USDA agencies and their programs, plus providing technical assistance in completing applications for the programs and the entire application process.  The KSU Small Farm Program’s Area Agent for Small Farms works with small, limited-resource, and minority farmers, most of whom have not used Extension prior to his intervention.  He targets minority farmers, farmers who are new to Extension, or farmers who think that Extension is not for them.  First he has to gain their confidence.  Then he has to show them that he can help them to meet some of their needs. 

 This is his experience with one family in his service area, Madison County, Kentucky. 

During a farm visit in June 2008 at the Ballew farm, the Kentucky State University, Area Agent for Small Farm Program delivered a publication pamphlet to Mr. Leroy Ballew on public land owner dove hunting from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.  Mr. Ballew applied in 2014 and was approved for the 2015-2016 dove hunting season, he has been approved since than to currently.  When the Kentucky State University Area Agent for Small Farm Program gave Mr. Ballew the original publication pamphlet on public land owner dove hunting in 2008, the maximum amount paid to land owners was $2500 dollars, then when Mr. Ballew applied in 2014 the maximum amount paid to land owners was $10,000 dollars. Mr. Ballew has 30 acres in the public land owner dove hunting program with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

 Just recently in December 2019, Mr. Leroy Ballew received his payment for $ 10,000 from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife for public land dove hunting. Overall Mr. Leroy Ballew has received $10,000 per year in the last five years totaling 50,000 dollars as an approved cooperator for public land dove hunting with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.  

The farmer’s will be able to plan for their diversified farm operation. The farmer will be able to operate his farm independently and produce income adequately to service his debts and maintain his farming operations and provide a reasonable standard of living for his family.