Beech Tree News Network

Normally, a hot dry year would favor vegetable production as long as growers have adequate irrigation. However, when daytime temperatures inch up over 100 degrees Fahrenheit like we’ve seen several days this year, we begin to see problems with many vegetable crops.

Lexington, KY, July 30, 2012 — John W. McCauley, State Executive Director for the Kentucky USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), announced that continuous sign-up for the Highly Erodible Land (HEL) Initiative under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) started on July 23, 2012. Kentucky received a total allocation of 39,400 acres to enroll in the HEL CRP program. Offers will be accepted until either the state acreage allocation limit is reached or September 30, 2012 whichever occurs first.

Addressing the Kentucky Livestock Care Standards Commission during a public forum in Frankfort today, Mark Haney, president of Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB), spoke on behalf of the organization’s membership in support of the commission’s efforts to establish minimum standards in livestock and poultry care.

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) announces the opportunity for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) participants to request authorization to conduct emergency haying or grazing on specific CRP acres. Authorization is based on a U. S. Drought Monitor designation of D0 or higher for Butler County on or after July 19, 2012. Eligible producers who are interested in applying for approval to conduct Emergency Haying or Grazing of CRP land located in Butler County must request and obtain individual written approval from FSA before any haying or grazing starts.

Lexington, KY- July 13, 2012 - USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director John W. McCauley said that 32 counties in Kentucky have received a Secretarial Disaster Designation due to the on-going drought. These counties are eligible for FSA loans and programs to assist with recovery.

The primary Kentucky counties are: Ballard, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Daviess, Fulton, Graves, Hancock, Henderson, Hickman, Hopkins, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, McCracken, McLean, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Todd, Trigg, Union, and Webster.

The abnormally dry and hot weather, along with an early spring, has severely damaged a lot of Butler County’s corn crop for 2012.  That same weather has decimated pasture and hay fields for our livestock farmers.  Many farmers began feeding hay in June, and there will likely not be enough hay to feed Butler County’s cattle herd through the winter. 

Lexington, KY- July 11, 2012 - The USDA's Farm Service Agency is reminding producers that deadlines are approaching for various assistance programs.

The annual crop certification deadline is July 16, by which producers must file accurate reports for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planting to ensure they receive the maximum FSA program benefits possible.

When summer weather heats up with no sign of rain, gardeners hook up the water hose to give their thirsty landscapes a drink.  It seems like a simple task, but there are some ways to ensure you get the most from your efforts. 

(Morgantown, KY), June 26, 2012 –Butler County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Charlie Singleton, announced that pollinator habitats, which support a variety of pollinator species, will now be accepted as a Continuous Sign-up Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) practice. CCRP is a voluntary program that helps producers apply conservation practices to safeguard environmentally sensitive land.

Lexington, KY - Kentucky's USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director John McCauley, wants to remind farmers and landowners that local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee nomination began on Friday, June 15.