Quarles, UK encourage Kentuckians to grow victory gardens; campaign to reach every Kentucky county
Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Ryan Quarles has announced a new Kentucky Department of Agriculture partnership with the University of Kentucky’s Cooperative Extension Service and Kentucky’s Nutrition Education Program to encourage Kentuckians to get in touch with their agricultural roots during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Since starting the Kentucky Hunger Initiative years ago, the Kentucky Department...
UK specialists encourage Kentucky grain producers to scout fields for crop damage due to freeze, disease
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky grain crops specialists encourage grain growers to scout their fields for freeze and disease damage and determine the next steps for their crops.
On May 8 and 9, temperatures in Kentucky, with the exception of the far west regions, fell below freezing for several hours. This is the second freeze event in three weeks. The first occurred April...
First-generation students can find support to overcome obstacles during college journey
By Carol Lea Spence
University of Kentucky
For students returning to school or just starting their college careers, the fall semester may look different than they were expecting.
Yet, for many of those students, the first in their families to enroll in college, the opportunities for success are still out there, and professors, administrators, staff and even nonprofits are available to help them succeed.
Though...
UK dietetic students, professors use innovative methods to make internships work during pandemic
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, University of Kentucky students and professors in the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition are developing innovative ways for students to get the internship hours they need to graduate and become registered dietitians.
During a normal year in UK’s Supervised Practice Program, interns gain experience through on-site rotations...
UK study shows promise for drone fungicide applications; cost effectiveness examined
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
Drones are an effective way to apply fungicides to corn facing disease pressure, according to a University of Kentucky study.
The study, which was conducted during the 2019 growing season, looked at the cost effectiveness and feasibility of drone-applied fungicides to corn in Adair, Taylor and Green counties.
Most corn fungicides are applied aerially in Kentucky...
UK specialist offers strategies for dairy farmers in case of pandemic-induced demand drop
By Aimee Nielson
University of Kentucky
The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected many aspects of agriculture. While Kentucky dairy production has operated on schedule thus far, University of Kentucky dairy scientists want to offer guidance to producers to help them prepare in the event they are asked to decrease milk production.
“As of yet, Kentucky producers haven’t been asked...
UK study shows tasseling applications of foliar fungicides may provide greatest benefits
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
Corn producers have the greatest chance of controlling foliar diseases and improving the crop’s stalk strength when foliar fungicide treatments are applied at the tasseling (VT) growth stage, according to a University of Kentucky study.
“Foliar diseases like gray leaf spot and southern rust frequently appear after tasseling and into grain fill. This prompts...
UK to host virtual Wheat Field Day on May 12; specialists, industry reps to make presentations
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
In this time of social distancing and much uncertainty, University of Kentucky scientists are using innovative ways to get producers the information they need to grow high-quality crops.
As a result, members of the UK Wheat Science Group have turned their annual Wheat Field Day into a virtual experience this year. It is scheduled for 9 a.m. until noon CDT May 12...
UK to host four regional fencing schools this spring to help livestock producers learn newest techniques
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky is hosting four regional fencing schools this spring to help livestock producers learn about the newest fencing techniques and sound fence construction.
The 2020 schools will occur:
• April 14, Barren County Extension office, Glasgow
• April 16, Grand Rivers Community Center, Grand Rivers
• May 19, Kentucky State University, Frankfort
•...
UK Fragipan Field Day to feature Hickman County grain producer Jerry Peery’s Springhill Farms
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
Hickman County grain producer Jerry Peery has grown annual ryegrass as a cover crop to control erosion on his Purchase Area farm since 2012, but evidence suggests that he has been getting more out of the cover crop than just erosion control.
Peery’s Springhill Farms is the feature of the University of Kentucky Fragipan Field Day that will occur March 26.
The...
Couple comes full circle with UK through horses, pastures at Endeavor Farm in Woodford County
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky is where Keith and Laura Haag first fell in love with horses, and it’s where they turned to get advice to improve the environment for the horses on Endeavor Farm.
Keith Haag, a 2009 graduate, is the farm manager, and Laura, who graduated in 2010, is the sales coordinator for the Woodford County farm.
Since the farm is primarily a commercial...
Mitch McConnell: Hemp legalization opens new doors for Kentucky farmers, processors, manufacturers
Kentucky’s farmers are among the best in the world. It’s no surprise agriculture leaders from around the country are looking to the Bluegrass State and our prospering hemp industry.
Right now, hemp is growing in 101 of our 120 counties and $100 million worth of Kentucky grown and processed hemp products are expected to be sold this year alone.
Our Commonwealth is proud of our long history with...
UK Forestry and Natural Resources Extension receives national award for family forest education
The University of Kentucky Forestry and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension team recently won the Comprehensive Family Forests Education Award presented by the National Woodland Owners Association and the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs.
This is the second time the team has won this national award, which is presented to an educational institution that has delivered...
New life: Dying trees become useful, beautiful objects for University of Kentucky students, faculty and staff
By Carol Lea Spence
University of Kentucky
Urban life can take its toll on a tree. Pollution, trenching to lay underground utility lines, soil compaction, it’s all very hard on an old tree, and the red oak tree in front of the Agricultural Sciences Building on the University of Kentucky campus had seen better days.
But its story won’t end in piles of mulch. Instead, its wood will find its way into...
Exercise helps in weight loss, but it takes substantial physical activity to really burn calories
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
A University of Kentucky researcher found that exercise can aid in weight loss, but it takes more physical activity than most people get.
Kyle Flack, an assistant professor in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, led a group of U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers who found people need to burn about 3,000 calories per week through exercise...
Wheat, double-crop soybeans look profitable as Kentucky grain producers look ahead to 2019
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
As Kentucky grain producers look ahead to 2019, they may want to consider adding wheat seeding to their plans this fall. The combination of wheat followed by double-crop soybeans is appearing to be more profitable for the upcoming marketing year compared to a corn-soybean rotation, said Todd Davis, University of Kentucky agricultural economist.
“For the past...
UK entomology researchers find new threat to monarch butterfly food — Japanese beetles
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky entomology researchers have found that a common, invasive beetle is feeding on milkweed plants, which are the only source of food for monarch butterfly larvae. These beetles could hinder international efforts to rebuild the struggling pollinator’s population.
Adam Baker, an entomology graduate student in the UK College of Agriculture, Food...
Annual Beef Bash set for September 20 at UK Research and Education Center in Princeton
By Aimee Nielson
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Kentucky Beef Integrated Resource Management Program and the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association will host the sixth biennial Beef Bash, a unique field day for Kentucky beef cattle producers, on Sept. 20 at the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton.
“Research and outreach efforts,...
UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment specialists to host late-season field school on Sept. 6
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky specialists will host a field school for row crop producers on Sept. 6 at the UK Research and Education Center Farm in Princeton. The school will go from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. CDT and will cover late-season issues related to small grains, corn and soybeans.
The field schools are a series of in-depth, hands-on training led by specialists in...
Burkesville continues to reap benefits of partnership between UK student, Cooperative Extension Service
By Katie Pratt
University of Kentucky
The southern Kentucky town of Burkesville continues to reap the benefits of a project that began several years ago through a partnership between University of Kentucky junior Molly Morgan and Elijah Wilson, the county’s 4-H youth development agent with the UK Cooperative Extension Service.
At that time, Morgan was a high school junior, 4-H’er and Rogers Scholar...
