University of Kentucky Agricultural News

Aiken, Wendroth become Fellows of national professional societies

2009-11-20T08:41:00Z

Two professors in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture recently were named Fellows of two professional societies during the societies' annual meetings in Pittsburgh.

Glen Aiken, who is an agronomist and animal scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- Agricultural Research Service and adjunct professor in UK's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, was named a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America.

Ole Wendroth, an associate professor in plant and soil sciences, became a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America.

Fellows of both societies are nominated by other society members based on their professional achievements and service to the society. In both societies, only 0.3 percent of members are elected Fellows.

"Being elected as a Fellow in one's scientific society affirms the scientist's professional accomplishments and indicates the high regard for the scientist by society members," said Todd Pfeiffer, chair of UK's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. "Along with their scientific productivity, Drs. Wendroth and Aiken have served as editors of their societies' primary research journals, being trusted as discerning evaluators of the experimental evidence and interpretations of their colleagues."

Aiken's research focuses on forages and grazing management. His research looks at ways to improve production and well-being of livestock that graze tall fescue pastures infected with an endophyte, which produces alkaloids that reduce a grazing animal's vitality.

In the society, Aiken serves on the rapid response committee. He previously served as technical editor of Crop Science, on the society's biosecurity committee and as chair of Division C06, which is the forages and grazinglands division. Aiken is also a Fellow of the Agronomy Society of America.

"It's something I appreciate a great deal," said Aiken on becoming a Fellow. "Anytime you get recognition from your peers, it makes the recognition particularly special."

Wendroth's research is in soil landscape processes, with an emphasis on water and solute transport and biomass development. He specifically studies nitrogen levels in fields and ways to best utilize nitrogen so it is beneficial for crops and the environment.

He is an associate editor for the Soil Science Society of America Journal and the Vadose Zone Journal. In past years, Wendroth has served as associate editor of the Journal of Environmental Quality and as associate and technical editor for the Agronomy Journal. In addition, he serves on the society's committees for the soil physics early career award and the Don and Betty Kirkham award. Wendroth is also an American Society of Agronomy Fellow.

"It's a very big honor for me to be elected a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America," Wendroth said. "I've always enjoyed interacting with my colleagues and students. These interactions have helped me accomplish many goals, and it's these accomplishments that have helped me receive this recognition."

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Center revitalizes UK College of Agriculture's presence in Eastern Kentucky

2009-11-19T11:10:00Z

For decades the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture has offered Eastern Kentuckians vital support through Robinson Forest, Robinson Station and the Wood Utilization Center. Until now, all three units were operating independently of each other. Now, all three are combining under one umbrella and a new name to reflect their unity - the Robinson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability.

"I am grateful to the faculty and staff leaders of Robinson Forest and Robinson Station for initiating this exciting new strategy," said Scott Smith, dean of the UK College of Agriculture. "I know it will advance the impact and the efficiency of these facilities that are so critical to our support for this region."

David Ditsch, formerly superintendent of Robinson Station, will lead the center as director, reporting to Nancy Cox, UK College of Agriculture associate dean for research and director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. Cox will administer the new center at the college level. Ditsch said he believes the center's consolidation will be beneficial on many levels.

"We believe this change will not only be a cost-effective measure for the college's efforts in Eastern Kentucky, but it also gives us a clearer focus and a more unified appearance," Ditsch said . "We'll continue to offer the applied research and educational support to our county agents and clients, but we'll also add some new partnerships and explore new programming opportunities."

The center's new organization will not result in the closing of facilities that have historically offered educational programming and forest industry support, but rather open up the facilities for more collaboration by UK colleges, departments and state agencies.

"Really this is a great opportunity for the public to get a better understanding of all the college's resources committed to the Appalachian region," Ditsch said. "It also allows us to participate in the college's sustainability goals by managing our Eastern Kentucky resources in a more sustainable way."

Ditsch said the unification is an especially huge plus for Robinson Forest. The center has already teamed up with the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Department and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to host the first Youth Elk Hunt on the Paul Van Booven Wildlife Management Area, where five youths were chosen from around the country to participate in October.

"We're trying to get involved in more partnerships like this to show Eastern eKentuckians the variety of things we have to offer," he added. "It will be exciting to see how the center evolves from this point forward."

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Scientists reflect on 25 years of no-till wheat research

2009-11-19T11:02:00Z

No-till wheat research at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture has come a long way since a drill dropped seeds in the first test plot more than 25 years ago at UK's Research and Education Center in Princeton.

In the fall of 1983, many producers and industry professionals widely viewed no-till wheat as a risky endeavor. Over the years, it has provided many benefits to growers and the environment and catapulted UK to a national leader in the field.

UK wheat scientists Lloyd Murdock and Jim Herbek have been in the UK College of Agriculture since the beginning.

"In the early 80s, farmers were planting no-till corn and soybeans but were still using conventional tilling methods for wheat," said Murdock, UK soil scientist. "It made sense to plant no-till wheat and make this a complete no-till system."

Some wheat producers in far Western Kentucky began to express interest around that time, but they had a lot of concerns including yield losses, weed control and increased disease and insect pressure.

"No-till wheat was a totally new concept," Murdock said. "Nobody thought it would work, but those growers inspired us to begin research."

Herbek began a study to determine if yields were comparable between no-till and conventional wheat. The results of the study showed they were comparable. However, many growers tried it and didn't like it.

"There weren't really any no-till drills readily capable of planting wheat then," Herbek said.

"And it didn't look really good because it left a lot of skips in the field," Murdock added.

One group that was interested though was the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association. With their help and financial support, Murdock and Herbek began a long-term research project in 1992 to compare no-till and conventionally tilled wheat in the state's typical two-year, three-crop rotation with corn and double-cropped soybeans. They also studied the things that were restrictive to no-till wheat.

Initial results showed comparable yields. They also showed stand establishment and weed control as two of the biggest restrictions to adopting no-till wheat. The results surprised many in the industry.

"A lot of growers were concerned diseases and insects would be worse with no-till wheat," Herbek said. "But studies conducted by UK entomologist Doug Johnson and Extension Plant Pathologist Don Hershman showed that it wasn't as big a concern as growers expected."

Murdock and Herbek worked to improve stands and residue management. Despite the results and new recommendations, many growers remained hesitant.

Murdock, Herbek and other researchers from the college continued to work and find the benefits of no-till wheat. Over the years, various studies have looked at aspects of no-till wheat including stand improvement, nitrogen management, no-till drill comparisons, water holding capacity and soil erosion. Researchers found no-tillage leads to reduced soil erosion and improved soil quality. In addition, yields for double-crop soybeans and corn can increase when following no-till wheat.

"It's really been a group effort from across the college," Murdock said. "A lot of people have had to believe in this."

Whenever results were available, Herbek and Murdock published and talked about them whenever and wherever they could. Slowly, Kentucky growers began to switch their acreage to no till.

No-till acreage received a boost in 1997 as the result of another UK research project in 1997 funded by the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association. This study looked at on-farm comparisons of conventional and no-till wheat. Participating growers split a field between the two tillage methods for the study. By the end of the study, most of the participants had completely switched their entire crop to no-till.

"They saw the immediate benefits of no-till including reduced labor, fuel and energy costs," Herbek said.

The second big acreage push came around 2000 when the Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association did a study that suggested the state should increase no-till acreage. The association strengthened its emphasis on no-till wheat, and UK scientists continued to conduct research. In the 2008-2009 growing season, 69 percent of all Kentucky wheat producers planted no-till wheat.

While UK research continues on conventionally tilled wheat, the majority of the college's wheat research focuses on no-till. Data collection continues on the study that began in 1992, possibly making it the longest, continuous, no-till study in the nation.

No-till wheat has spread from the first UKREC test plot to other states and regions including Illinois, southern Indiana and Tennessee. Other states are experimenting with how it fits into their cropping systems.

"I don't know if we can take all the credit for its spread," Murdock said. "There's kind of this idea that the time has come, but our influence has been pretty broad."

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Workshop teaches how to stretch holiday funds, resources

2009-11-19T10:55:00Z

For many people, finding enough money to fulfill all their holiday obligations is challenging even in good economic times. Tough economic times make it even more difficult.

During a recent workshop, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension agents and local specialists showed participants how they could make their money go farther during the holidays.

Holidays Unwrapped II was a daylong workshop that was open to the public. Extension Homemakers and family and consumer sciences extension agents in the Pennyrile area began planning the event about a year ago as one of their two annual seminars, said Nancy Hunt, Crittenden County family and consumer sciences agent and planning committee member.

The UK Cooperative Extension Service and the Pennyrile Area Extension Homemakers Association sponsored the event.

"We're just like the rest of the world in that the economy has impacted all of us," said Laura Wilson, Lyon County family and consumer sciences agent who served on the workshop's planning committee. "We hope participants leave here with creative ideas that allow them to enjoy the holidays while conserving resources."

Participants attended two general sessions where presenters offered ideas on gift wrapping and sewing. In addition, they chose two of the four breakout sessions. The sessions were taught by agents and specialists from around the area, UK and Kentucky State University. They discussed topics such as stretching money during the holidays, renewing holiday decorating trends, card making and making decorations from materials found in home landscapes.

"People don't realize that they've got things at home that they can use to decorate with -- things they may otherwise throw away," said Mary Hobgood, president of the Lyon County Extension Homemakers and a member of the workshop's planning committee.

Darl Henley is an Extension Homemaker from Crittenden County. She came to the workshop for new ideas for the holidays and plans to share what she's learned with other Homemakers in her home county.

"The items they've shown us are absolutely beautiful," she said. "The speakers were informative and knew their topic. I've learned so many things I can use."

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4-H Dairy Judging Team places in national competitions

2009-11-19T10:40:00Z

The Kentucky 4-H Dairy Judging team participated in the All-American Dairy Judging Contest in Pennsylvania and the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held in conjunction with the World Dairy Expo this fall.

"The team competed against 12 other teams from across the United States and had an excellent day at the Pennsylvania All-American Contest," said Larissa Tucker, senior extension associate for dairy youth programs for the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. "They were the second place team overall in the 4-H contest. They placed in the top five in three of the five breeds. They won the Holstein breed team competition. In oral reasons, the team placed third overall."

Team members are Alex Poole, Madison Shanks and Kevin Herndon from Spencer County and Dylan Barber of Taylor County. Team members earned several individual awards. Herndon placed third in Guernseys, Shanks placed fourth in Holsteins and Poole placed third in Holsteins, Jerseys and the oral reasons competition. Poole was also third-high individual overall in the contest.

At the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest, the team placed ninth overall. They won the Jersey breed team award and were the seventh place team overall in oral reasons. On an individual basis, two team members joined the All-American club - Poole was the 22nd overall high individual and Shanks placed 18th overall. Shanks also placed eighth in the Jersey individual awards. Herndon placed fourth individually in Jerseys. Barber placed 21st in the Brown Swiss breed.

Team members credit several people for their success including the following breeders who served as hosts for the workouts: Rocky Run Farm, Alpine Hill Swiss and the University of Kentucky Dairy. Tucker said the team was also thankful to their sponsors including Kentucky Nutrition Services, Farm Credit Services of Mid-America, Oliver and Virginia Payne, Dairy Farmers of America, KABA/Select Sires, Kentucky Jersey Cattle Club, Church & Dwight, Neo-Gen, Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Kentucky State Fair.

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UK College of Agriculture helping develop fallen stock disposal standards

2009-11-12T10:40:00Z

Dealing with fallen stock disposal is a reality for any livestock owner and understanding the regulations surrounding the process is likely the biggest challenge. In light of recent Food and Drug Administration regulations, researchers at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture are defining a more natural way of disposing of dead animals to control the spread of pathogens and disease outbreaks.

" The FDA came out with a final rule that said rendering plants that accepted cattle over 30 months of age, which is any breeding animal, would have to have the sensitive tissue removed, which is basically the brain and the spinal cord," said Steve Higgins, researcher for the UK Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. "Basically it goes back to the issue of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalitis). They don't want to risk these constituents of BSE infecting the food stream."

Higgins emphasized that there currently are no cases of BSE in the United States and that the new rules will allow U.S. beef to get back into markets that have been unavailable for some time.

The 30-month rule creates a lot of record keeping for rendering companies and many companies who were picking up carcasses, no longer have a market for them, Higgins said.

"So, rendering as a means of disposal, basically went out the window," he said. "Burial is an option, but it's very expensive. So we had to find an alternative and now we are demonstrating composting as a viable alternative. It's unbelievably cheap to do it."

Higgins' method for composting dead farm animals safely breaks down the carcass while keeping pollutants out of the ground water. It's an odorless process that won't attract scavengers and also provides an end product that farmers could use as a soil amendment.

With approval of the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian, Higgins set up a site at the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station in Woodford County to demonstrate two composting systems, bin and windrow.

"Windrow and bin composting are basically a ‘Composting for Dummies' technology," he said, drawing a parallel to the series of books with similar names. "It's hard to mess it up. Bin systems work really well for small animals such as hogs and chickens. When you get into large animals, more than 1,000 pounds, a windrow system works best because you've got more open area."

Presently, Kentucky requires an animal weighing more than 300 pounds be quartered before disposal. Higgins says that can turn farmers away from practicing safe on-farm methods. For that reason, he demonstrates how to do whole carcasses in an open-air facility that doesn't require a lot of capital to install.

The UK demonstration site uses a water quality best management practice of soil cement for its flooring. It's less expensive than concrete and just as impermeable.

Once the required impermeable flooring is installed, the rest of the process is easy and inexpensive, according to Higgins. First he lays two feet of wood mulch or some type of carbon source on the base of the bin or windrow. Wood chips are readily available from storm-damaged trees on the property. He can also get them inexpensively or even free from county mulch programs or tree services. The entire carcass is rested on top of that mulch bed and covered with more wood mulch - at least 3 or 4 feet for a very large animal.

"That angle of repose will give you about two feet minimum on the sides covering up the carcass. Nothing is to be exposed.. Completely cover the animal," Higgins said.

This method prevents odors from escaping the pile, so scavengers aren't attracted to the hidden remains.

The pile will quickly heat up to about 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and in five to six weeks, nothing but a few bones will remain.

"You're actually using beneficial bacteria that are ubiquitous," Higgins explained. "They're everywhere. They're on the animal and in its gut. What you get is a sudden surge in the population of these microbes, and they basically feed off that carcass, breaking it down into its bare essentials."

The resulting compost can be spread on fields or used to compost future downed stock, which is the method Higgins prefers. Each succeeding use of the material results in faster composting because the base is already inoculated with a healthy population of beneficial microbes.

Some farmers might have concerns that composting an animal that died of an illness will inoculate their farm with that disease. Higgins said that won't happen.

"Any disease-causing pathogens are destroyed by beneficial bacteria and by the heat that's generated in the composting process," he said. "It's controlled, it's managed, and it takes care of a lot of nuisance and water quality concerns," Higgins said.

UK is working with the Kentucky Division of Conservation and the Kentucky State Veterinarian's Office to develop standards for the composting method. Higgins' method could lessen farmers' headaches when facing another task - creating their agricultural water quality plan.

"When farmers are developing their Ag. Water Quality Plans, one of the things that they have to deal with is dead animal disposal," said Amanda Gumbert, water quality liaison with the UK Cooperative Extension Service.

Gumbert is working with Steve Higgins, Kentucky's Agriculture Water Quality Authority, and the Division of Conservation to help develop the language for a new practice standard, including clear information about composting as an option for disposing of carcasses.

"In the (current) state statute, composting is an option for disposal, but there have been permitting issues before," she said. "The language is somewhat confusing as to what is legal and what is not. What we're trying to do is get people away from throwing dead animals into sinkholes or dragging them out to the "back forty and leaving them where they could create other problems."

The state's practice standards are designed to prevent contamination of groundwater sources. Gumbert explained that leachate from a carcass left in a sinkhole would go right into the groundwater, and then, potentially contaminate water that is pumped from wells, comes out of springs or gets into the public water supply.

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Effects of poor nutrition in beef cattle may be delayed

2009-11-12T10:36:00Z

So far, 2009 has been a great year for forage production in Kentucky with plenty of grass for grazing and even plenty to spare for hay making. Most farmers still have accumulated pasture to graze over the winter as well. But the previous two years of drought conditions still might have an effect on cows.

"The problem is the delayed effects of poor nutrition," said Roy Burris, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture beef specialist. "Last winter we were suffering from a feed shortage caused by two consecutive years of drought conditions which caused us to maintain our cows in less than optimum conditions."

Burris said pregnancy rates for spring-calving cows are lower than usual this year. Farmers should pregnancy-check their herds to identify open cows, then plan ahead for their winter feeding program.

"Plan to give cows some supplemental feed from calving time until grass is adequate to maintain good body condition going into the next breeding season," he said. "Farmers should have adequate hay supplies, but they should still calculate their needs to be sure."

If farmers need additional hay, Burris said it's cheaper this year, and they should still have time to construct a feeding pad from geotextile fabric gravel to minimize waste.

Farmers should probably sell open cows after feeding them long enough to put some weight on them.

Poor nutrition in previous years manifests itself in thin, bred cows who need to regain body condition, and producers can do this by putting them on some good accumulated fescue pasture to get them in good body condition by early May for the spring breeding season.

"You could also keep a few more heifers to replace some of the cows that were liquidated in the previous two years," Burris said. "Also, producers could consider a short, postweaning feeding period for their feeder calves instead of taking them from the cow to the market and, they could still consign to CPH-45 sales if they hurry."

Burris said producers routinely should carry over some hay they have stored inside and remember to feed outside hay first.

"Hopefully, you'll have some inside hay left over, and you can use that in case of a pasture or hay shortage next year," he added. "You don't have to ‘zero-out' your hay supply this winter if some of it is stored inside."

The low pregnancy rates this year may surprise some producers, but Burris said he's observed over several years that "wet years will disappoint you and dry, though not drought, years will surprise you."

He said farmers should realize cows that are moderate in size and milking ability have a better chance of rebreeding after times of limited feed than their larger, heavy-milking counterparts do.

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UK is leader in $6 million study of medicinal plants

2009-11-11T14:57:00Z

The University of Kentucky is the lead institute in a group of universities that received a $6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to study the molecular genetics and biochemical potential of medicinal plants.

"Our major goal is to capture the genetic blueprints of medicinal plants for the advancement of drug discovery and development," said Joseph Chappell, who is the project coordinator and professor of plant biochemistry in the UK College of Agriculture.

During the two-year project, researchers will look at the chemical composition of 14 medicinal plants. These include well-known plants, such as ginseng and foxglove, and others known for their medicinal and therapeutic values. Researchers will study the plants' genetic materials to determine key components that may be important in the treatment of human diseases with the goal of advancing the drug development pipeline. Researchers will also study how to improve the existing compounds to increase their efficacy.

Chappell's work includes obtaining materials for the 14 medicinal plants in the study. He will also do the initial processing of materials to determine the plants' genetic blueprints to study their chemical compositions.

"We are proud that Dr. Chappell is providing leadership for a national team of scientists, attesting to his recognized stature in the scientific community," said Nancy Cox, associate dean for research and director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. "This is one of the largest grants to the college in several years."

In addition to UK, project directors are located at Michigan State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Other member institutes include Iowa State University, University of Mississippi, Purdue University and Texas A & M University. The associated researchers represent a broad spectrum of expertise from plant biology to drug development.

"We are bringing together the talents and skills of experts from all of these institutions in hopes of forging a paradigm in drug discovery," Chappell said.

More information is available on the group's Web site at http://medicinalplantgenomics.msu.edu.

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Horse genome publication concludes project initiated in Lexington

2009-11-11T14:55:00Z

Four researchers from the University of Kentucky Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center and a faculty member in UK's Department of Computer Science were among 58 co-authors of a research article published Nov. 6 in Science that reported the first complete sequencing and assembly of the horse genome.

"This is the culmination of a project that began in 1995 from a workshop in Lexington, Ky.," said Ernie Bailey, co-author and professor of veterinary science.

Since the workshop, scientists from 25 countries have collaborated on what is known as the Horse Genome Project to build preliminary maps of the horse genome and use genomics tools to address horse health issues. The group has met twice a year since the first workshop. Bailey was the coordinator of the Horse Genome Project.

Other researchers from UK include Teri Lear, professor of veterinary science; James MacLeod, John S. and Elizabeth A. Knight chair, professor of veterinary science and director of UK's Equine Initiative; Stephen Coleman, graduate student in the department of veterinary science; and Jinze Liu, professor of computer science.

"The frequent meetings stimulated research," Bailey said. "Every six months we needed a new discovery to present. With over 120 scientists active in the workshop, progress was rapid."

Even so, the consortium of scientists working on the horse genome did not have sufficient resources to actually sequence the entire genome. These skills and resources existed only at the laboratories that had completed the human genome sequence in 2003. In 2005, Bailey submitted a formal request, co-authored by scientists active in the workshop, asking the National Human Genome Research Institute to sequence the horse genome and integrate with existing physical and genetic maps. In February 2006, the genetic sequencing of the horse began using a Thoroughbred mare named "Twilight" from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, N.Y. DNA sequencing of the horse genome was completed five months later by the Broad Institute, a research collaboration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

The sequencing, which was announced by the National Human Genome Research Institute in February 2007, indicated the horse genome consists of about 2.7 billion base pairs of DNA. The horse genome was found to be very similar to the organization and sequence of the human genome. Therefore, advances in human genomic research can readily be applied to the horse. Likewise, discoveries made with horses can be applied to improve human health. Research currently under way around the world on equine exercise physiology, infectious diseases, reproduction, development and performance are likely to benefit human health.

The information from the sequencing of the horse genome is currently being used at the Gluck Equine Research Center to study diseases of skeletal development and aspects of infectious diseases and reproduction.

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UK, KSU receive grant to train beginning farmers

2009-11-11T14:52:00Z

Backed by a nearly $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Cooperative Extension will offer a comprehensive training program for beginning farmers and those who are thinking about taking up farming.

The Kentucky's whole farm management education program, A Common Field, is a two-year course offered in 20 areas of the state. It will include face-to-face educational meetings at county extension offices, on-farm demonstrations and, in the second year, a mentor program that will connect beginning farmers with experienced producers. Program organizers are also developing an Internet-based version.

The commonwealth's two land grant institutions, the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University, are partnering in the program. Joining them in the project are Kentucky Women in Agriculture and the Kentucky Beef Network.

In announcing the USDA's funding for 29 universities and agricultural organizations, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan said, "Beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges and need educational and training programs to enhance their profitability and long term sustainability. The training and education provided through these grants will help ensure the success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers as they work to feed people in their local communities and throughout the world."

Lee Meyer, extension professor, and Jennifer Hunter, extension associate in the UK Department of Agricultural Economics, are the co-principal investigators on the grant. Meyer said UK has already done some work in this area, with agent training and a few county-based programs, but the USDA funding will provide the necessary resources to expand and reach many more beginning farmers in the state.

Part of the impetus for the program is the loss of farms through transitions from one generation to the next or through farm failures. Meyer sees the program as an important move to provide needed support for people currently in their early years in farming and those who might be thinking about returning to the land in the near future.

Hunter said the program would focus specifically on the producers and their interests and plans. In the first year, the course will cover topics such as enterprise evaluation, land-labor resources, nutrient management, farm record keeping, agriculture water quality plans and marketing plans, among others.

During the second year, organizers will connect program participants with mentor farmers who have similar enterprise interests. During this phase, beginning farmers will take the material they learned in the classroom and, with the help of their mentors, put it into practice on their own farms.

"This is everything the beginning farmer needs to get started and get started on the right path," Hunter said.

Kentucky State University is folding this program under their Small Farm Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Program.

"This is an opportunity for two institutions to bring together their resources for the betterment of a clientele that desperately needs good, unbiased research and support in these days of trial by fire," said Harold Benson, director of the land grant program at Kentucky State University. "To put it simply, we want to be the best helping hand that we can be and to get these farmers to the point where they are assured that they can be a success."

A Common Field will be offered beginning in early 2010. Organizers have not determined the 20 areas yet, but will choose them based on farmer interest. Beginning farmers -- defined by the USDA as those who have been farming for 10 years or less -- or those thinking about going into farming should contact their county Cooperative Extension offices now if they are interested in participating in the program.

"I think it's exciting that we've already had interest expressed from county extension agents from as far east as Boyd and Greenup counties to as far west as Henderson," Hunter said. "I'm excited because I think we're going to be able offer a program that meets producer needs and responds to the diversity of Kentucky agriculture."

Meyer said the comprehensive online curriculum will live on well past the face-to-face part of the program. It will give access to farmers who don't have the program in their counties and will be used to support and supplement the training of those in the traditional program.

"I really see that as one of the lasting legacies of this project," Meyer said. "We'll have an excellent face-to-face curriculum, but following that, we should have this very comprehensive online resource for producers to go to and continue to access in the future."

The funding for A Common Field comes from the USDA's new Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative.

For more information about the program or to express an interest in enrolling, contact the local Kentucky Cooperative Extension office.

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