June 2025 Edition

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Ag Newsletter Summer 2025

Comments from Clint

The upcoming Farm Succession Seminar, scheduled for July 23 at the Owensboro Convention Center, needs to be on your calendar, your family's and farming partners' calendars, and your landowners’ calendars! Even if your farm estate plan is made and all affairs are in order, you should attend this workshop! Complete and return the enclosed registration form or use the QR code to register.

The seminar will bring national experts, extension specialists, and local resources to one location.  Farm businesses are in a constant state of change.  Each year, farm operators, family, and employees experience changes in age, equity, opportunity costs, and health.  Other factors that affect the vitality of a farm business are interest, taxes, births, deaths, marriage, and divorce. Attendees will receive the latest information on communication barriers, how to manage the challenge of fair versus equal, and how to manage the implications of current and future taxation related to the estate.

Presenter profiles are on the enclosed flyer. We are excited to bring Jolene Brown of Iowa back to Owensboro to speak on the Positives of Passing it On and introduce Wesley Tucker, the Farm and Ranch Transition Specialist at the University of Missouri.  Aleta Botts of Ground Truth LLC is the project coordinator for the Kentucky Farm Bureau Farmland Transition Initiative.  Dr. Steve Isaacs, University of Kentucky Extension Farm Management Professor and co-director of the Kentucky Agricultural Development Program will also present.  In addition, an afternoon panel of key advisors including Lora Lee Robey, an attorney from Russellville whose practice areas include estate planning and real estate transactions, Josh Searcy, Director of Trusts and Investment Services at Independence Bank, and Suzy Martin, Farm Management Specialist with the University of Kentucky Farm Business Management program will engage with questions from the audience. 

This program is partially funded by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, the UK Extension Agricultural Programs office, and Grain Day Inc.  There is a $35 registration fee if paying by cash or check, or $40 if paying by card.  Registration for the all-day seminar is open and filling quickly. Please register by July 21 to ensure your spot. 

Test Your Hay

The wet weather in early May delayed hay harvest past the optimum growth stage for many farms.  Considering what I expect to be subpar hay quality, I encourage you to call and arrange to have your hay nutrient feed value tested.  With the information provided, you can enter the information into a basic UK Beef Forage Supplement Calculator available online or as an app for your smartphone.  There is no reason to over- or under-feed your herd.  Forage testing combined with the ration balancing app is a simple, affordable way to ensure your nutrition is hitting the mark.  I am happy to come to the farm to assist in the sample collection process. Just give me a call at 270-685-8480.

Poison Hemlock

Poison hemlock is in full bloom along roadsides throughout the county.  This plant is potentially poisonous, especially when animals graze it when other forages are limited or are fed hay containing it.  If ingested, poisoning symptoms appear within 30 minutes to two hours.  Poison hemlock produces leaves and clusters of small, white flowers and smooth stems with purple spots throughout. Poison hemlock should be destroyed by mowing before the flowers produce seed.  If you find it in a hayfield, mow around it to keep it out of the hay inventory.  Return later to mow the area, and flag the location for herbicide treatment this summer, fall, or early next spring. 

Woodland Owners Short Course

The UK Department of Forestry is hosting an online webinar in June focused on tree identification, wildlife, forest health, and timber management.  The WOSC is a great opportunity for you to increase your woodland and wildlife management knowledge. 

Preregistration is required and available at https://www3.ca.uky.edu/worldpay/form/forestry-wosc/

KADF Update

The Daviess County Agricultural Development Council's 2025 appropriations were recently approved by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. 

The Green River Area Beef Improvement Group has been granted $100,000.00 to administer the Daviess County Agricultural Investment Program.  Sign-ups for this program will begin in August. The project must be complete and documentation postmarked by November 30.  Call the extension office to request that an application be mailed to your residence.  Maximum reimbursement is no more than 50% of the purchase up to $5,000 if $10,000 or more is spent.  Funding categories and items eligible for reimbursement in each category are online at  https://www.kyagr.com/agpolicy/2025-Program-Guidelines-and-Applications.html. 

The Daviess County Soil Conservation District was awarded $10,000.00 to administer the Daviess County Youth Agricultural Cost Share Program.  Those applications will be available this fall school semester to youth ages 14 to 19.

Grain Day Inc. was funded $10,200.00 to support the July 23 Kentucky Farm Succession Seminar. 

Current board members are Katie Pedigo and Frank Schadler representing the Farm Service Agency. Lucas Brey and Jamie Wright representing the Soil Conservation District. Katie Clark and Dustin Warren representing the Cooperative Extension Service, Brandon Gilles and Robert Fischer representing early career farmers and Camille Lambert representing agri-business.

Welcome Quincy

Welcome Quincy Swanagan, our new SNAP-Ed Assistant for the Nutrition Education Program. Quincy is from Owensboro and studied Food Science at Sullivan University in Louisville.

2024 Family and Farm Ag Day

July 26, 2025 10A-2P

Panther Creek Park South
We are delighted to invite you and your family to an interactive experience to learn about the traditional farm life of Daviess County, KY. Together we have created an opportunity to learn about planting row crops, and what it takes to run a farm in the 21^st century, along with some of the unique farm implements required to be successful. Multiple farm related exhibits will be available.

FFA “Ag Day Olympics” Competitions

Southland Dairy Jersey Cow Demonstrations

Antique/Late Model Farm Implements

Kentucky Department of Agriculture “Raising Hope” Health Screenings and Safety Demonstrations

Grain Bin Safety Demonstrations

Multiple Food Trucks on Site

Plus Much, Much More…

Pest Management Day

The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is pleased to announce registration is now open for the annual Pest Management Field Day, held on June 27 at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center at Princeton (UKREC). The event, tailored for grain crop producers and industry representatives, offers a unique opportunity to stay abreast of the latest research and strategies in pest management.

Contact: Jason Travis, Jason.travis@uky.edu

Help Us Improve Soybean Disease Management

The University of Kentucky is collaborating with the Crop Protection Network to survey soybean farmers, crop consultants, and others in agriculture to learn more about managing important soybean diseases, like sudden death syndrome. We invite you to participate in the 2025 Soybean Seedling and Stem Disease Survey. This short survey will take only a few minutes to complete and will help improve research and Extension efforts for soybean disease management.  Participation in the survey is anonymous.  We will not know which responses are yours if you choose to participate. We appreciate your participation and feedback as we aim to improve soybean disease management resources. 

Follow this link to the survey:  https://kentuckypestnews.wordpress.com/

Fungicide Efficacy Ratings for Corn and Soybeans

The University of Kentucky partners with several Midwest land-grant universities in the Crop Protection Network to conduct uniform research of fungicide products labeled for use in corn and soybean.  With slim profit margins this year, take time to go to https://daviess.ca.uky.edu/anr to review their publications that reveal the products that provide the greatest return on investment. 

Corn, Soybean, Tobacco Field Day

The University of Kentucky’s Corn, Soybean and Tobacco Field Day is July 22 at the UK Grain and Forage Center of Excellence in Princeton.  Registration begins at 7 a.m. CDT. Tours begin at 7:50 a.m. and will offer producers more in-depth, educational options related to production and soil nutrition, tobacco, integrated pest management, and precision agriculture.

UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment specialists will present the latest information on important topics such as dicamba stewardship and herbicide-resistant weeds, nutrient placement, and the effects of potassium on tobacco production.

Program organizers have requested continuing education units for pesticide applicators and Certified Crop Advisers. The field day concludes with lunch provided by the Kentucky Corn Growers Association, Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board, the Burley Stabilization Corporation, and Altria. The UK Research and Education Center Farm is located at 1205 Hopkinsville St. in Princeton.

For more information, contact Colette Laurent, UK Extension Associate for Grain Crops, at colette.laurent@uky.edu or 270-365-7541, ext. 264.

Nitrogen Soil Test

A lot of land was extensively flooded after nitrogen had been applied.  How do you decide if you need additional nitrogen? One option is to conduct a nitrate soil test.  Soil samples should be taken down to 12 inches deep, and several samples should be taken in each field of both the low and higher ground.  The samples should be mixed well, and a subsample sent for nitrate analysis.

If the nitrate-N is less than 11 ppm, there is a good chance corn will respond to a sidedress application of N ranging from 100 to 150 lbs. N/acre.  If the nitrate-N is between 11 and 25 ppm, corn may or may not respond to sidedress N.  The recommended sidedress N application at this soil test level is 0 to 100 lbs N/acre. If the soil test nitrate-N is greater than 25 ppm, there is adequate plant-available N in the soil.

Lime Spreader Available to Rent 

A reminder that the Daviess County Soil Conservation District, through a funding grant by the Kentucky Agricultural Development fund, has purchased a heavy-duty lime spreader which can be used with a tractor greater than 65 horsepower. The Daviess County High School FFA Chapter has agreed to facilitate scheduling and maintenance of the spreader. The spreader is available for rent for $100/day. This unit is for lime application only.

For more information or to reserve the unit, contact DCHS FFA Advisor Craig Howard at  (270) 499-0694.

 Please see the pdf version or the Daviess County Extension Office website https://daviess.ca.uky.edu/events/farm-succession-seminar for more information on the Farm Succession Seminar, including registration options.