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Kentucky
Department of Agriculture |
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GRAZING
SCHOOL SET FOR APRIL 20-21
LEXINGTON
,
Ky.
(
March
24, 2004
)
- Farmers who raise cattle, sheep or any other grazing
animals will want to mark their calendar for April 20
and 21. That are the dates of the Kentucky Grazing
School in
Hardin
County
.
The school features a variety of topics designed to
help producers manage their forage and livestock
program and put more dollars in their pocket. This is
for producers who raise cattle, sheep, goats, horses,
dairy cows, buffalos or any grazing animal, and
targets people who want to improve their forage use
and the carrying capacity of their farm, said
Donna Amaral-Phillips, Extension animal science
specialist in the University of Kentucky College of
Agriculture. Click
here for full story.
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Establishing
and Managing Horse Pastures
Kentucky
is
noted for its grass pastures and horses. Both are
important to our commonwealth. Pastures supply
nutrients, provide hoof support for exercise, control
erosion, and make our commonwealth even more
picturesque. Horses
provide a lot of pleasure, whether to someone riding
for pleasure or as a winner in the show ring or at a
racetrack, or grazing in your pasture. Well-managed
pastures can supply a significant percentage of a
horse’s daily nutrient needs. Pasture forage plants
can easily be reduced or destroyed because horses
graze closer than cattle, and tend to repeatedly graze
the same areas. Horses’ hooves can damage pastures,
even those with grasses that form tight sods.
High-traffic areas are the hardest to maintain.
These include areas around gates, fence lines,
waterers, hay feeders and barns. Click
here for full story. |
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Higher
feed costs will cut into livestock profits this year.
PRINCETON
,
Ky.
(
March
17, 2004
)
– Livestock and dairy producers are facing higher feed costs
in 2004 because of increased prices for corn and soybean meal.
Higher prices for soybean meal and corn are resulting in feed
costs that are some 50 cents more per bushel for corn and 6
cents per pound for soybean meal than a year ago. Tight
supplies and a poor growing season in much of the
United
States
are
boosting the price of soybeans and related products. Demand
has sent the price of corn higher. Hog producers in
Kentucky
are
seeing increases in prices for their livestock gobbled up by
these higher feed costs, said Lee Meyer, agricultural
economist with the
University
of
Kentucky
Cooperative Extension Service
.
Click
here for full story.
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Crop
Profiles available
The
UK College of Agriculture's
New
Crop
Opportunities
Center
offers
a number of "Crop Profiles" on its Web site (www.uky.edu/Ag/NewCrops).
These profiles are available on a range of crops that include
specialty grains, fruit, vegetables, herbs, and ornamental
crops. Click
here for full story. |
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Uninsured
crises facing farmers
Thirty-two percent of the nation's
farmers do not have health insurance due to
unaffordable premium costs, though their risk of
suffering work-related injuries is among the highest
of any profession, reports USA Today. "They just
can't afford the premiums anymore," said Robert
Baker, president of Delaware Farm Bureau, which
provides insurance to farmers. "It's a very big
concern. I don't know if you can classify it as a
crisis, but it's close to it." Health care costs
for small-business owners with three to nine workers,
including farmers, rose by 16.6 percent in 2003,
compared to 13.9 percent for all businesses, according
to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Farmers who do have
coverage often obtain it by having someone in the
family, usually the farmer's wife, get a job off the
farm. In such jobs, "the health insurance is as
important or more important than the salary,"
according to Ed Kee, vegetable specialist at the
University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. Source
http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/
Click
here for full story.
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Jefferson
County Agricultural Council Meeting.
April 16th, 2004
is the next meeting for this Council. Hours:
5:30-7PM
. Did you know that Phase-I money is managed by this
Council? Did you know that tobacco farmers and former
tobacco growers are the primary target of this fund?
The main purpose of the meeting is to adopt the new
regulations defined by the Kentucky Agricultural
Development Board, so we can re-open the acceptance of
new applications. If you have an idea capable to
improve the agricultural community, we want to know
about you. We may have the right ideas that we can
support through County and/or State funds. If you have
questions, please call our office at
(502) 425-4482
.
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Jefferson
County
Agricultural
Development Council Phase-I Meeting.
April 16th, 2004
is the next meeting for this Council. Hours:
5:30-7PM. Did you know that Phase-I money
is managed by this Council? Did you know that
tobacco farmers and former tobacco growers are
the primary target of this fund? The main
purpose of the meeting is to adopt the new
regulations defined by the Kentucky
Agricultural Development Board, so we can
re-open the acceptance of new applications. If
you have an idea capable to improve the
agricultural community, we want to know about
you. We may have the right ideas that we can
support through County and/or State funds. If
you have questions, please call our office at
(502)
297-9962
.
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Kentucky
Horse
Council Announces Open Stable Day 2004!
On
Saturday,
April 17, 2004
, the Kentucky Horse Council will sponsor Open Stable
Day! This
event is designed to help individuals and families
interested in becoming involved with horses from a
recreational standpoint learn about facilities in
Kentucky
. Listed below is the participating stable and farms
with activities planned. For this area
Visit the Kentucky Horse Council website (www.kentuckyhorse.org)
for more details and directions, or you may call
1-800-459-4677
or email khc_info@kentuckyhorse.org.
Louisville
, Bardstown,
Owensboro
&
Western
Kentucky
Area. Old Kentucky Home Stables and Bed &
Breakfast in Cox’s Creek:
Training demonstrations, meeting foals and
mothers, discussions, sale horses and a cookout at
various times
8 am
–
5 pm
. Cowboys of Kentucky/Two Oaks Equine Center in
Owensboro
:
Tours
, demonstrations, basic horsemanship plus concessions
at various times
9 am
–
6 pm
. Robert Stoess
Stables in
Louisville
:
Tours
and Open House. Source: Kentucky Horse Council, Inc.,
4063 Iron Works Parkway
, Building B, Suite 2 /
Lexington
, KY 40511
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KSU
small Farm Program
Provides
one-on-one educational assistance to limited-resources
small farmers. Participating farmers are taught
decision-making skills, production practices,
marketing skills, and are encouraged to utilize
sustainable farming techniques.
Click
here for full story.
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ATTENTION
SOYBEAN PRODUCERS!
An
online soybean pest survey has been developed from a
Pest Management Strategic Planning meeting held in
August 2003. This is survey is intended for producers
and others involved with soybean production in
Kentucky, Tennessee, southern Illinois, and
southern Indiana. You can access this survey at: http://www.sripmc.
org/KY/ SoybeanPMSPSurvey/
Click
here for full story.
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Jefferson
County
Food Precinct Project.
You
are invited to come to a meeting to learn about a
project being design to help small and senior
farmers to be profitable by providing producers
direct access to small processing plants, to use
refrigerated rooms, and to make direct sale of their
products. The meeting will take place at the
Metro/City Hall. 1st floor Conference Room. Date:
April 20th, from
5:30
to
7:30PM
. You will have plenty of opportunities to ask
questions and to make suggestions. We have schedule
four key institutions to be present: (1) The project;
(2) County/City/Metro Planning office; (3)
University
of
Louisville Small Business
; (4) Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Service.
If you have questions, please call your Ag Extension
Agent 425-4482
.
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ALFALFA
WEEVIL PROGRESS
The
alfalfa weevil is the key pest of the first cutting of
alfalfa each year. Degree day accumulations as of 23
March at
Princeton
(243)
and
Glasgow
(249)
are at the level at which early signs of tip feeding
might be expected in the field. Accumulations are
predicted to reach the "first check" level
as follows Quicksand - 1 April,
Lexington
8
April, and
Covington
14
April. The best alfalfa weevil management decisions
are based on stem sampling. Information on this method
is available in Insecticide Recommendations for
Alfalfa, Clover, and Pasture - 2004, available from
your county extension office. Click
here for full story.
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HIGH
GRAIN PRICES RESULT OF SUPPLY PROBLEMS/IMPROVED DEMAND
OWENSBORO
,
Ky.
(
March
24, 2004
)
– Grain farmers across the country are enjoying some
of the highest commodity prices they have seen in
several years. Those increased prices are due to a
range of factors. For corn, improving demand and
stagnant production have resulted in price jumps this
winter. Wheat and soybeans are experiencing improved
pricing primarily as the result of supply problems,
but also have seen some improvement in foreign demand,
said Steve Riggins, a grain marketing specialist with
the
University
of
Kentucky
Cooperative Extension Service
.
Click
here for full story
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Marketing
goat products to local Hispanic, Jewish & Muslim
Communities
The
market for goats in
Kentucky
and
for most of the
U.
S.
needs
to be developed. Most potential consumers of this meat
have no way of knowing where to access the product, if
available. The presence of goat producers has no
implications in the market, unless an organized effort
is made known through persistent exposure of
quantities and market specifications. It is unclear
how much the presence of Hispanic, Jewish, and Muslim
communities could impact the consumption of goat meat
in
Kentucky
.
Click
here for full story.
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