The number of acres dedicated to grain crop production in the county continues to grow. Grain seed companies continue to release updated technology through corn and soybean hybrids. Most plot research is performed at company plots, or university plots that are located far from LaRue County. These don’t accurately reflect the conditions and resources here locally to produce relatable results.   

The LaRue County Cooperative Extension Service, in cooperation with a participating farmer and local seed dealers, continues to conduct an annual corn and double crop soybean variety trial. In September 2017, a field day was held, and 65 people attended to observe visible comparisons among the 30 corn replications and 28 soybean replications. Along with these visible observations, we had presentations from UK Specialists to discuss issues with the 2017 crop and what we can do to be proactive about those issues in the future. We also had a demonstration of the new Best Bean Buyer App that was just released from UK along with a reminder about grain bin safety to be fresh in our farmers minds before they start to get deep into the harvesting the 2017 crop.

Harvest results were compiled and distributed to over 150 local producers, and also shared with ANR agents in surrounding counties to distribute to their grain producers. They were also posted to our website, shared on social media, and featured in our local newspaper. 86% of farmers at our field day said that the information that they learned at LaRue County Grain Field Days has helped them make better informed decisions on their farm. 86% stated that they learned something at the field day that could help increase their return on their grain crops. 71% agreed that the county variety trial results has helped them select the best varieties for their fields in the past.