Agriculture

The Clark County Extension service is joining with the Clark County Conservation District, the Clark County Farm Bureau and the Clark County Cattlemen’s Association to conduct an agriculture field day on Thursday. The activities will begin at 3 p.m. at 3600 Colby Road. Along with a corn maze, there will be a demonstration of a large square baler from the University of Kentucky. There is a growing interest in the use of “biomass” for fuel, and the large rectangular bale appears to be the most likely package of choice for the biofuels industry.

Kathy and Harky Edwards showed off their business, the Harkness Edwards Winery & Vineyards, during the Clark County Farm Bureau Agriculture Day on Thursday. Approximately 75 attended the tour, which visited three farms to see alfalfa hay-baling demonstrations on Combs Ferry Road, the winery and vineyards, and goat milk and cheese production on Grimes Mill Road.

Eleven years ago, Gov. Paul Patton challenged Kentucky’s agriculture community to think outside of the box to find innovative ideas for diversifying Kentucky agriculture away from its dependency on tobacco.   Thousands of Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund  (KADF) projects and more than $350 million later, Gov.Steve Beshear has issued a new challenge to Kentucky's agriculture community. “No doubt, this fund has helped our farmers turn ideas into realities, but we’re at a critical juncture in this program's evolution,” Beshear said during the GOAP Conference in February.

EXTENSION COUNCIL TO MEET The Clark County Extension Council will meet at noon on Aug. 28 at the Clark County Extension Office. AG COUNCIL TO MEET The Clark County Agricultural Development Council will meet at 1 p.m. Aug. 28, also in the Clark County Extension Office.

LOUISVILLE - Summer vacation may be only beginning for most students, but that doesn't mean Kentucky Farm Bureau's emphasis on education is slowing down. Eighty-four high school juniors from 54 counties across the state have accepted invitations to attend KFB's 27th annual Institute for Future Agricultural Leaders, held in two locations this month. IFAL is a unique five-day summer leadership conference that highlights a variety of careers in agriculture while exposing high school students to a preview of college life.

Democratic Candidate Bob Farmer should not be given the honor of serving the Commonwealth as our Ag Commissioner. I’m not one who is generally offended by comedy routines, even when they use humorous stereotypes — most often depicting those of us who grew up in rural areas with a little levity.  But after hearing Farmer’s insulting comedy routine about the folks in Eastern Kentucky, which he has apparently been performing for more than...

During a campaign stop in Winchester this morning, B.D. Wilson, a Democratic candidate for commissioner of agriculture, said the Department of Agriculture should focus on innovation and serve as an economic engine. Wilson, who spoke to about 40 locals at the Cantukee Diner, pledged to support existing agriculture while searching out new opportunities in alternative fuels, agribusiness and agritourism. “You’ve got to think outside of the box, and you’ve got to be innovative,” he said.

Boyle County Conservation District Boyle County Conservation District has scholarships available for both high school and college students. The $1,000 George Crafton Memorial Scholarship is available to high school seniors planning to attend college with a major in the field of agriculture, conservation, or natural resources. The $1,000 Conservation of Natural Resources Scholarship is available to students currently enrolled in college and majoring in the field of agriculture, conservation, or natural resources.

The Bluegrass Heritage Museum and the Winchester Farmers Market are joining forces to host a showcase of life in Clark County in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The exhibition and demonstrations of Kentucky's early life is entitled “Growing Kentucky, Agricultural Exhibitions & Conversations.” “We wanted to present agriculture to the people of this town to show what it was like when people first arrived here,” said Debbie Barnes, president of the Winchester Farmers Market.

Less than 150 years ago, industrial hemp was big business in central Kentucky, and Clark County was at the center of the industry. It could return to the region as a cash crop, depending on what action the Kentucky General Assembly takes during its 30-day session. Hemp's history in Kentucky, though, was far from consistent. A drought in 1854 and the Civil War devastated the industry. In the two decades between 1869 and 1889, production boomed from 155 tons to more than 1,000 tons 20 years later.

Samuel Dewey "Frosty" Whitehead, 86, of Lexington, passed away Monday, Oct. 1 at his home.  Born Sept. 28, 1926, in Brodhead, “Frosty” was a son of the late Murphy and Grace Lee Johnson Whitehead. He was an Army veteran having received the Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon, the Victory Medal, and the Occupational Medal of Japan.  “Frosty” was an agriculture inspector for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the widower of Alice  (Howard) Whitehead. He was an avid golfer and loved University of Kentucky basketball and football.

LOUISVILLE - Summer vacation may be only beginning for most students, but that doesn't mean Kentucky Farm Bureau's emphasis on education is slowing down. Eighty-four high school juniors from 54 counties across the state have accepted invitations to attend KFB's 27th annual Institute for Future Agricultural Leaders, held in two locations this month. IFAL is a unique five-day summer leadership conference that highlights a variety of careers in agriculture while exposing high school students to a preview of college life.

In preparation for my final column as the Clark County Extension Service agent for agriculture and natural resources, I looked back in the files and found the first column I wrote for The Winchester Sun in 1996. It is interesting how much some things have changed in 15 years, and how much some things have remained the same. In 1996, the primary mission of the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service was to bring to the people of Clark County the research-based information that has been generated at the University of Kentucky and other land grant universities, and to help our clients use that information to improve their lives and their community.

Harlan Hale Veal Sr., 95, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Jan. 26, following a short illness. He was a native of Lexington, born Nov. 30,. 1916, to the late Willmot Preston and Rae Belle Hale Veal. He was the widower of Willie Rogers Veal, to whom he was married for 68 years before her death in 2008. He graduated from Bryan Station High School and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. During the four years at the university, he lettered for his achievements in track. He taught vocational agriculture at Paint Lick High School, Flemingsburg High School, Wilmore, Nicholasville, Woodford County and Jessamine County High School, where he retired in 1978.

Longtime Nicholasville city commissioner Harlan Veal Sr. died Thursday, Jan. 26, following a short illness. He was 95. Veal served on the Nicholasville City Commission from 1981-1989, 1992-1993 and from 1997-2000. Current city commissioner Johnny Collier, who served with Veal from 1997-2000, said Veal left his mark on the city. “He was a very involved person in the community,” Collier said. “The expertise and the knowledge that he brought to the commission from being involved in the whole community as a Realtor and as a teacher I think was a valuable asset to the commission.” Collier said he felt improvements across the city would be one of Veal's legacies.

As Election Day 2011 approaches, I am writing to express my support for James R. Comer for Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture. He is the best person for this job. James Comer is a real farmer. He is a former Kentucky Future Farmers of America state president and holds degree in agriculture from Western Kentucky University. James is a full-time farmer from Monroe County and knows firsthand the issues that we in agriculture face each day as we make a living and provide safe and healthy food for our own families and yours.

FRANKFORT - Boyle County has been given $179,000 in agricultural development funds that will be used to provide cost-share incentives to area farmers. The Kentucky Agriculture Development Board, chaired by Gov. Steve Beshear, approved the funding after the Boyle County Farm Bureau Federation submitted a proposal to the state board and the Boyle County Agriculture Development Council. The cost-share program, known as a County Agricultural Investment Program, is designed to provide farmers with incentives to allow them to diversify their current production practices.

There have been questions about the possibility of Kentucky farmers selling and shipping hay to Texas and other southern tier states to help in drought relief that has stricken that area for most of the year. Tom Keene, hay specialist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, put together a “punch list” of some of items that farmers should be aware of before shipping their hay. - Have your hay tested by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture before shipping and send test results with hay when it is shipped.