Educational programs that strengthen agriculture production skills are a continued priority identified by the Oldham County Extension Council and Agriculture Council.  In Oldham County, pasture makes up one-third of available farmland and provides grazing for livestock.   For cattle farmers, one of the greatest challenges is successfully managing pastures, especially winter feeding areas in pastures which are easily damaged by excessive rainfall and traffic.  Excessive rainfall during the winter months of 2018 and 2019 made this an even bigger problem for producers.  In addition to damaging pastures and available forage, these muddy areas present health challenges for livestock as well.

To help producers address this problem, the Oldham County Extension Agriculture Agent partnered with Oldham County Cattlemen's Association to host a UK Extension Biosystems & Ag Engineering Specialist to share information and design plans with producers.  Producers were encouraged to request site visits to troubleshoot problems as well.  The specialist spoke at two different cattlemen's meetings which were open to the public in December 2018 and December 2019.  Additionally, he made visits to three farms to offer technical advice.  An evaluation to measure outcomes was distributed to participants in February 2020, showing that the following results were achieved:

- 5 producers installed feeding pads/heavy use areas, and 1 producer is planning an installation

- 2 producers changed the way they fed hay to increase utilization and distribute manure across feeding area

- 1 producer installed a fenceline hay feeding system, and 1 producer is planning an installation

- 1 producer is considering installing a water collection system

Producer comments about this program included:

- "I fed 20 % less hay last winter utilizing the feeding pad.  Now the hay sits on a solid surface and hardly any goes to waste."

- "We don't have cattle sinking in the mud around the feeding area like before.  Sometimes it was so muddy around the feeding area that it was hard for the older cows and young calves to get to the hay.  Installing a feeding pad has made a huge difference."

- "Without the Extension Office, I would never have known about feeding pads or how they can improve my operation."

An added benefit is that many of these practices reduce the risk of soil and manure runoff, protecting our natural resources while increasing efficiency of the beef herd.