Cooperative Extension Service Scott County

1130 Cincinnati Rd Georgetown KY 40324-8934

(502) 863-0984 Fax: (502) 863-2392

extension.ca.uky.edu

March 2020 AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Note from the Agent I hope this newsletter finds you well! It is hard to believe that we are already to March. I want to bring your attention to a couple programs up-coming that I think would be beneficial to many producers in the county. On March 16th we will be hosting a Baleage program here at the office titled “What Best Producers in Kentucky do to Make Good Baleage.” Dr. Jimmy Henning will be pre-senting for us that night and dinner is sponsored by Southern States – Georgetown Cooperative. That same week, on March 19th, there will be a Novel Tall Fescue Renovation workshop held at the UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Topics include tall fescue toxicosis, establishment and first year management, drill calibration, seed quality and testing, Economics, cost share and incentive programs, plot tours and a producer panel. See the link in the “Save the Date” section to get your tickets. If you have a program you would like me to host, please reach out. Extension thrives when pro-grams are centered around the local needs. Ben Conner Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent

Save the Date March 10, 6:00pm-7:30pm, Scott County Exten-sion Office – BQCA Training March 16, 6:00pm, Scott County Extension Of-fice – What Best Producers in Kentucky do to Make Good Baleage March 19, 8:15am-4:30pm, UK Veterinary Diag-nostic Laboratory – Novel Tall Fescue Renova-tion Workshop, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kentucky-novel-tall-fescue-renovation-workshop-tickets-84953174231

April 14, Glasgow, KY – Fencing School (see Fencing School section in Newsletter)

April 16, Grand Rivers, KY – Fencing School (see Fencing School section in Newsletter)

April 21 -22, Princeton, KY – Grazing School

Forage Quote of the Month Source: Forage Livestock-Quotes & Concepts

Volume Two

“Where there is No Vision, There is no Hope” ~ George Washington Carver Genuine vision of a better future is essential in creating a better life. There are costs involved, and one must be willing to bear those costs. Too many people give up, submitting to a life of drudgery. This includes some forage-livestock producers, who muddle along, with no vision to see how new inputs and better management could result in more efficient operation and greater profitability. Lack of vision prevents moving to higher levels of for-age-livestock productivity.

Dead Animal Removal

Countryside Industries is our DAR provider for Scott County. The number to contact for dead animal removal is 849-421-1867. Pro-ducers will be billed by the Scott County Conservation District $15.00 per head the month following removal.

Grazing School and Fencing Schools

This years Grazing School will be held at the UK Re-search and Education Center in Princeton on April 21st and 22nd. The school cost $50 and is limited to 45 participants. Registration deadline is April 7th. For more details go to: https://grazer.ca.uky.edu/files/2020_spring_grazingschool_flyer.pdf There will be 4 opportunities to attend a Fencing School in Kentucky. The goal of the schools is to help producers learn the newest fencing methods and sound fencing construction with classroom and hands-on learning. These schools last 1 day and are limited to 30 participants. Registration is $30 and the deadline to register is 2 weeks prior to the work-shop you chose. The dates and locations are as fol-lowed: April 14th – Glasgow, KY April 16th – Grand Rivers, KY May 19th – Frankfort, KY (small ruminants) May 21st – Campton, KY For more details go to: https://grazer.ca.uky.edu/files/2020_fencingschool_flyer_final_1small.pdf

Creep pens Benefit Calves

Source: Steve Higgins, director of environmental compliance for the Kentucky Agricultural Experi-

ment Station Each winter, Kentucky farmers find themselves con-tending with the effects of mud. Mud can cause a multitude of problems including weak calves, wasted hay, destroyed fields and erosion. Creep pens may be a way to ensure calves get off to a good start and re-duce the amount and effects of mud on your farm. Creep pens allow you to designate a space for calves to rest and, in some cases, get supplemental feed and access to clean water without having to compete with or be in the way of adult cattle. These pens can im-prove calf health and reduce their risk of being tram-pled by adults. UK’s Eden Shale Farm in Owen County, which is operated by the Kentucky Beef Net-work, has had great success using creep pens for their calves. Calves instinctively want to rest in dry spaces. Often-times, this means they lay in wasted hay in the feed-ing area, but this increases their risk of being tram-pled. By installing a creep pen, you are allowing only calves to have access to one area of your farm. These pens are created by using creep gates, which have smaller openings. The creep area should provide a dry, comfortable area for calves using bedding or grass. Placing a heavy traffic pad at pen entrances will cut down on erosion and mud. Within the area, a producer may want to give the calves a place to seek shelter and/or supplemental feed. By providing sup-

plemental feed you also can jump start your weaning program. Find a dry, well-drained area of your farm to place a creep pen. This area should be near the calving area. You can maximize its use by positioning the pen in a location where there is access to multiple pastures. Ideally, it would be near your winter-feeding area, hay storage facility and machinery storage to help reduce fuel costs and time. Being near the feeding area can also help calves pair up with their mom af-ter they finish eating. To install a creep area, you will need gates, fence, geotextile fabric, gravel and possibly access to feed-ers and waterers. You can reduce installation ex-penses by using materials you have on hand and re-purposing an area of your farm that fits creep pen criteria. While you still may have some upfront costs, the cost of losing one calf would pay for this project’s implementation. Additional information, including a sample design, is in the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service publication, AEN 143, Calf Areas, Pens, or Pastures: A Case Study, which is available online at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/AEN/AEN143/AEN143.pdf or by contacting your Scott County Extension office.

Want to grow hemp in 2020? Here are some things you need to

know

Source: Doris Hamilton, hemp program manager, Kentucky Department of Agriculture

There is an astronomical amount of interest for growing hemp in Kentucky, yet many new growers may not realize that applying to participate in Ken-tucky’s program is an involved process that requires fairly significant leg work on their part. To grow hemp in Kentucky, you must submit an ap-plication and receive a license from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The application deadline to grow hemp this year is March 15. Here are some tips to help you with that process. Before you do anything, KDA asks growers to as-

sess their financial risk before entering the in-dustry. The hemp marketplace is still in its infan-cy. The supply chain is still developing; hemp varieties are unpredictable and many regulatory issues remain unresolved at the federal level.

To be considered for the program, you must get the background check application from KDA’s website and submit it to the Kentucky State Po-lice. Once you receive the results, you can upload them to your KDA grower application. Back-ground checks are required for individual appli-cants and key participants within a business.

Continuing on page 3

Each field must be at least a quarter of an acre, and producers must be able to plant 1,000 plants. You cannot grow hemp in your yard or within 1,000 feet of a school or public park.

Know where you want to grow. You must pro-vide KDA with a growing location for your hemp. If you change your growing location af-ter submitting an application, you will be charged a $750 site modification fee. All grow-ing locations must have a Kentucky address. If the property doesn’t have an address, you must estimate one. The online application software includes a mapping feature that enables the applicant to identify hemp fields, greenhouses and storage areas.

The KDA has a Summary of Varieties List that includes more than 200 tested varieties to help educate farmers about their THC testing histo-ry. This tool helps producers select varieties that are likely to test below the legal limit of 0.3%. If you want to grow a variety that is not on that list, after obtaining your license, you must submit a “New Hemp Variety or Strain Request Form” along with a certificate of anal-ysis that shows the variety has a total THC not

more than 0.3%. The KDA does prohibit some varieties due to their THC testing history in Kentucky, where they consistently test above the legal limit.

You must secure your own seeds and a buyer for your product. You should read these busi-ness contracts carefully and be comfortable with their requirements.

Hemp is eligible for crop insurance in 2020. Contact your local crop insurance agent for more information before the crop insurance sales closing date of March 15.

Once approved for the program, keep copies of your grower license within easy access and near hemp materials. You may be required to display it for KDA officials or law enforcement. More information and the hemp grower applica-tion is available on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s website, https://www.kyagr.com/marketing/hemp-pilot.html. More information on UK’s hemp-related agronomic and economic re-search is available at https://hemp.ca.uky.edu/ or by contacting the Scott County office of the Uni-versity of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

MONEY FOR FARM IMPROVEMENTS AVAILABLE…

Scott County Conservation District 100 East Penn Avenue Georgetown, KY 40324 502-863-2466 Email: scottcountycd@yahoo.com Please visit www.agpolicy.ky.gov

for more information on line

NEXT GENERATION FARMER PROGRAM (NEXTGEN)

Applications will be available for Scott County’s NEXTGEN to assist farmers in making important on-farm investments.

Application Period:

April 22—May 10, 2020 No applications will be accepted after May 10, 2020.

Application Availability:

Scott County Conservation District Monday – Friday (9:00am – 4:00pm)

For More Information:

Contact Darcy Smith at 502-863-2466 or email scottcountycd@yahoo.com All applicants are scored, based on the scoring criteria set by the Kentucky Agriculture Development Board.

Ben Conner, Scott County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural

Resources Education

Presented by Dr. Jimmy Henning, Forage

Specialist for the University of Kentucky

Monday, March 16th, 6:00 PM RSVP by calling the extension office

at (502)-863-0984

Scott County Extension Office; 1130 Cincinnati Road,

Georgetown, KY

Dinner and Program Sponsored by: Southern States - Georgetown Cooperative