January 2023 Edition

Agriculture & Natural Resources
Download (PDF)

Share this Newsletter

Additional Newsletters

Preview This Newsletter

A MESSAGE FROM CLINT
The mission of the Daviess County Agricultural Hall of Fame is to recognize visionaries, founders, servants, and innovators of agriculture in Daviess County. The Agricultural Visionaries Committee has submitted 15 inductees across three categories for the inaugural class.

Business Category – People involved in successful agricultural business management/ownership, which served to improve the lives and opportunities for farm families in the region.

• Charles Field, founder of Field Packing Company, longtime purchaser and processor of locally produced cattle and hogs.
• The Foors Family, founder of Velvet milk company, longtime purchaser and processor of locally produced milk.
• The Miles Family, founder of Miles Farm Supply and Enterprises. Purveyors of agricultural production resources, services, and innovation.  
• The O'Bryan Family, founder of Owensboro Grain and longtime purchaser and processor of local soybeans. 
• William Rapier, established the Curdsville fair and livestock exhibition, later established Rapier Grain and Feed on current site location of Owensboro Grain Company.

Service Category – People who led successful careers in the agricultural service sector whose efforts led to improved lives and opportunities for farm families in the region.

• Frank Cox, the soil scientist who accomplished the soil type and classification survey of Daviess and Hancock County. 
• Tom Curtsinger, the Cooperative Extension Agent responsible for initiating the Farm/City Breakfast and Ag Expo.  He led countless leadership opportunities and provided resources that strengthened the Daviess County Farm Bureau and Lions Club.
• Paul Irish, longtime adult vocational agriculture instructor who developed rules pertaining to the grain yield contests and began the Daviess County Grain Yield Variety Demonstration plots.
• Charles Loyal, longtime Soil Conservation District leader who was instrumental in education pertaining to no-till adoption and soil erosion reduction practices. 
• Jack McClure, longtime Cooperative Extension Agent responsible for service related to rural electrification adoption by farms throughout the county.  Responsible for leadership involved in organizing the Daviess County Farm Bureau and largely responsible for education and demonstration of the importance in improving soil fertility through lime addition. 

Production Innovation Category – People who experienced risk with acceptance and demonstration of new farming production enterprises and techniques that led to wide adoption and improved lives and opportunities for farm families in the region.

• William Crabtree, tobacco grower and responsible for the tobacco warehouse and auction market development in Owensboro.  
• J.C. Ellis III, landowner responsible for providing rental land necessary to establish several farming families in Daviess County and early adopter and promoter of the commercial produce production opportunity in our area. 
• William Foster, beef cattle and tobacco farmer, provider of superior beef breeding stock throughout the Ohio Valley.  Was one of three people who represented Kentucky in Washington D.C. in an effort to develop the tobacco quota program.  
• Murray Hagan, farmer and commercial seed producer.  He was instrumental in the adoption and expansion of hybrid seed corn acres. One of the key authors for the KY Certified Seed laws. 
• Charles William Hayden, farmer and one of the first to transition from black forage soybeans to the modern yellow soybeans grown today.  Charles William increased yields by introducing improved varieties from Indiana and was one of the first to possess a self-propelled combine in Daviess County.    

Several generous businesses and individuals have provided financial support to facilitate the purchase of plaques for the Hall of Fame class.  These large, attractive plaques will include the name, an engraved image, and brief biography of the person and will be on display at events this winter and at local businesses throughout this year.  Plaques will be displayed in a gallery at the Owensboro Museum of Science and History.  For more information or to nominate a person or family for this honor who meet one of the categories above, please contact me or Leigh Ann Kuegel. 

 

CPH60 CATTLE SALE
The next CPH60 cattle sale will be held at 6:00 p.m. Thursday, February 16.  Prior to the sale, a meal prepared by the Mclean County Cattlemen’s Association and sponsored by the Posey County Cooperative will be available to sellers and their families, and prospective buyers. Important changes are the 2% scale weight shrink is no longer deducted. A $2.00/head ear tag fee will be withheld by Kentuckiana on behalf of the Green River Area Sale Committee. The Kentuckiana Livestock marketing fees will be a 3% commission of your total sale value. Call Danny Fulkerson at Kentuckiana Livestock Market at 270-785-4121 if you have any questions regarding the sale terms.

To provide potential buyers with correct information, call my office to consign calves for the sale and let us know if you have calves withheld from a previous CPH sale that need to be consigned for upcoming sales. Sale documents were mailed to those who have been selling in the event during the past few years. If you did not receive the mailing and would like to participate, call my office. 

KY AG MATTERS
Extension Agents in Webster, Hopkins, and Mclean counties host Kentucky Ag Matters, a podcast designed to inform and educate both producers and consumers about all matters affecting Agriculture. As of this month, they have recorded 40 episodes with a variety of topics ranging from bale grazing to disease management in corn and soybeans, and carbon credits to frost seeding clover, and many more.  Guests range from UK Extension Specialists to commodity group leaders, as well as, extension agents and law enforcement. Their goal is to offer timely, research-based information to the agriculture community in a consistent and reliable way. If you like podcasts or if you haven’t ever listened to a podcast, check them out. It can be found on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, iHeart Radio, and Spotify.

KADF UPDATE
The Daviess County Agriculture Development Council met in December to allocate the remaining 2022 master settlement agreement appropriations for Daviess County. The council committed an amendment of $145,810.22 for the Green River Beef Improvement Group to administer the County Agriculture Investment Program, eligible for Daviess County farmers and landowners. The council committed $33,050.00 to Green Terrace Farm Market for display equipment and remodel needs.  The council also committed $5,775.00 to the Daviess County Cattlemen’s Association to replace the food preparation and beef product promotion trailer.  Council members as of July 1, 2022, are Ray Wright and Caleb Taylor representing the Daviess County Soil Conservation District, Brad Stephen and Frank Schadler representing the Farm Service Agency, Dakota Edge and Dustin Warren representing the County Extension Council, Robert Fischer and Brandon Gilles representing early career farmers, and Camille Lambert representing agricultural businesses.

POULTRY WEBINARS
Download the pdf to see the schedule.

KDA NUISANCE WEED SPRAYING PROGRAM
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture will provide the sprayer and enough chemical for the treatment of 10 acres of forage grassland or 200 gallons of spot spraying mix to be used on forage grassland. The department’s representative will demonstrate proper mixing and application techniques. A number of nuisance boradleaf weeds can be treated under this program depending on the needs of the participant. There is a maximum of 7 participants per county. Participants may only apply to the program every 36 months. Submit an application using the on-line services tab between February 1-28 on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture website at https://www.kyagr.com/.

WELCOME GRANT GARDNER
Let’s welcome Dr. Grant Gardner to the University of Kentucky as the new Extension Grain Marketing Specialist. Dr. Gardner was born and raised on a corn and soybean operation in southwestern Indiana. He received his B.S. in Agribusiness from Purdue University in 2017. He subsequently received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Kansas State University in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

Grant has experience working on both traditional grains and produce operations. He has a passion for aiding farm producers and the agricultural industry, which he attributes to his upbringing in a rural farm community. He has also held internships at various agricultural organizations, including DuPont Pioneer (Corteva), Frito Lay, and the USDA Economic Research Service.

His mission is to provide economic opportunities for Kentucky producers by conducting research related to commodity marketing, risk management, and farm management. He is building an extension program focused on commodity markets, crop insurance, and other applicable subject matter.

YIELD CONTEST WINNERS
Later planting and dry conditions at pollination reduced 2022 corn yields compared to recent years but there were still several outstanding entries in the Kentucky Extension Corn Contest from Daviess County that will be recognized at the Commodity Conference Awards Banquet in Bowling Green on January 19.  Tanner Stroup harvested the highest corn yield measured in Kentucky in 2022. The irrigated Maceo field entry was 301.83 bushels per acre. Knott Farms had the third-highest irrigated entry in Kentucky at 289.83 bushels per acre. Bobby and Austin Glenn and Brian Thompson had the second and third-highest white corn yields in the state at 253.37 and 244.39 bushels per acre respectively.  Joe and Jacob Cecil won a no-till corn district award at 285.56 bushels per acre. Goetz Bros Farms won the conventional till district award at 284.52 bushels per acre.

The weather was better for soybeans, with Dennis and Brad McKay harvesting a state-record soybean entry of 112.18 bushels per acre. O’Bryan Grain Farms was second in both full-season irrigated and full-season non-irrigated at 96.07 and 100.15 respectively.  Ken-Maur Farms measured the highest double crop irrigated entry in Kentucky at 71.65 bushels per acre. Goetz Bros Farms had the highest non-irrigated double crop entry at 73.72 bushels per acre. Two soybean quality contest awards will be returning to Daviess County. Brian Thompson had the second-highest oil content at 21.25% and Beanland Farms had the second-highest protein content at 35.13%.  

AG EXPO
The 49th Annual Ag Expo will be held on January 25 at the Owensboro Convention Center.  The planning committee cordially invites you to attend this year’s event.  As always, we have had great support and interest from local and regional businesses who have reserved booth space for the trade show and the planning committee has a great program planned. One change from recent years is the educational program will occur entirely in Expo Hall 1 adjacent to Expo Halls 2 and 3 where the trade show is held.  The enclosed agenda provides details of topics, presenters, and trade show business participants, as of January 13. 

SUPPORT DAVIESS COUNTY’S FUTURE AGRICULTURE LEADERS
In 2022, Daviess County raised $17,630.00 through the farm truck license plate donation program. That money goes directly to Kentucky  4-H, Kentucky FFA, and Kentucky Proud to support our agriculture community (and its future) here locally and across the Commonwealth. As we look to March for 2023 farm plate renewals, we ask that you remember to make your voluntary donations on each farm license plate you renew. Think of the impact that could have on your community and its future leaders!

KENTUCKY CROP HEALTH CONFERENCE
The Kentucky Crop Health Conference will be February 9, 2023, at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. The speakers and topics are as follows:
Travis Faske, University of Arkansas, Frontline Tactics to Manage Southern Rust of Corn
Kelly Hamby, University of Maryland, Managing Insect Pests of Grain Using Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments
Larry Steckel, University of Tennessee, Managing Glyphosate-Resistant and Hard to Kill Grasses in Tennessee
Kiersten Wise, University of Kentucky, Tar Spot in Kentucky: Is it Time to Panic?
Carl Bradley, University of Kentucky, What We Have Learned From Nearly 2 Decades of Research on Foliar Fungicides of Soybean
Travis Legleiter, University of Kentucky, Management of Italian Ryegrass in Kentucky Grain Crop Rotation
Raul Villanueva, University of Kentucky, Mollusks: Frequency, Biological Control, and Management in Soybeans
To register, visit https://kentuckycrophealthconference2023.eventbrite.com Limited to 100 participants, lunch provided, and CCA and KY Pesticide Applicator credits available. Don’t wait, registration ends February 1!

UPCOMING EVENTS
January 19: Kentucky Commodity Conference – Sloan Convention Center, Bowling Green
January 24: Daviess County Agricultural Visionaries Hall of Fame Reception, 5:00-6:00 p.m., Owensboro Convention Center
January 25: Owensboro Ag Expo, Owensboro Convention Center
January 27: Private Pesticide Applicator Training 8:00-10:00 a.m., Daviess County Extension Office
January 30: Private Pesticide Applicator Training 6:00-8:00 p.m., Daviess County Extension Office
February 3: Private Pesticide Applicator Training 8:00-10:00 a.m., Daviess County Extension Office
February 7: Beef Quality and Care Assurance Training 8:00-10:00 a.m., Daviess County Extension Office
February 9: Kentucky Crop Health Conference – National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green
February 9: Tobacco Good Agricultural Practices 9:00-11:00 a.m., Daviess County Extension Office
February 14: Green Area CPH60 calf sale
February 15-18: National Farm Machinery Show, Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center
February 21-22: Mid-South Stocker Beef Conference – WKU Ag Expo Center, Bowling Green
March 2: Beef Quality and Care Assurance Training 4:00-5:30 p.m., Daviess County Extension Office
March 2: Beef Cattle Meeting: Seasonality of the Market and Timing Weaning to the Best Prices 6:00-8:00 p.m. Daviess County Extension Office
May 9: UK Wheat Field Day – Princeton
June 29: UK Grain Crop Pest Management Field Day – Princeton
July 25: UK Corn, Soybean, and Tobacco Field Day – Princeton
July 4-7: Daviess County 4-H goes to West KY 4-H Camp in Dawson Springs