According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, Carroll County has 53,562 acres of land in 278 farms.  11,514 acres (across 194 farms) are in hay and forages.  All livestock producers in the county deal with two things—forages and manure.  These two things are intertwined.  The quality of one affects the quality of the other, and so it is extremely important to make sure both are high quality, and to utilize those resources correctly.

To improve quality, a producer must first know the existing quality.  The Carroll County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), in collaboration with the Carroll County Extension District Board, began offering five (5) free forage tests ($50 value) and two (2) free manure tests ($50) to all Carroll County farmers in a fiscal year.  Forage testing is conducted through the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Forage Testing Program, and manure testing is conducted through the University of Kentucky.

Since the program began in January 2017, five producers have utilized the forage testing incentive, three of which had never tested their hay before.  Two producers have utilized the manure testing incentive, one of which had never tested their manure before.  Receiving test results then opens dialogue for how to improve hay quality and apply manure to fields to save on fertilizer costs.