Ag Report: Oct. 19, 2012

Thompson wins big titles at national shorthorn show

Submitted

Morgan Thompson won titles in both the open and junior shows at a national event featuring nearly 3,000 animals.

Morgan Thompson, a Spencer County girl whose roots in dairy cattle are deep in Shelby County soil, took home several big prizes during the World Dairy Expo Milking Shorthorn Show last month in Madison, Wis.

Morgan, the granddaughter of Glenn and Lise Sageser of Shelby County, was the reserve intermediate champion of the open show and the Grand Champion of the junior show, which Lise Sageser said represents  the biggest award a child can win in her age group, showing two heifers. The event featured nearly 3,000 animals and 860 exhibitors.

Her 3-year-old, Sageser Clay Penny, competed in the World Dairy Expo International Futurity, taking first place and in the categories of best udder and best bred and owned, and, in the 3-year-old class, she was second in the open show and fist in the junior sow and was second for best udder.

Her spring yearling, Sageser Red Ruben Nickel EXP, took third place in the open show and first in the junior show.

Morgan is a junior at Spencer County High School and is involved in the Shelby County 4-H Dairy Club.

Morgan won numerous prizes at the Kentucky State Fair and will be competing next month in Louisville at the 39th annual North American Livestock Show.

Other Shelby entrants in livestock show

Shelby County livestock owners are competing the livestock show, which will be Nov. 3-16 and is expected to be nearly 25,000 entries in what is billed as the “world’s largest purebred livestock show.”

Amy Keach of Bagdad has entered six head  in the dairy goat/Saaren categories, and Aaron and Tyler Bitzer of Shelbyville each have entered in the beef cattle/Gelbvieh categories. All three won ribbons at the Kentucky State Fair.

Animals from purebred farms in nearly every state and Canada will compete in 10 expo divisions. There are numerous 4-H events as well. More than 200,000 American and foreign visitors typically attend.

The event also includes a rodeo.

Drought management meeting

The Shelby County Extension Office will host a Drought Recovery and Management meeting at 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Topics will include pasture renovation and management, managing resources to maximize profitability and nutritional options with available forages.

Specialists will address these topics as they pertain to both cattle and equine operations. Representatives from University of Kentucky, Burkmann Feeds, Bagdad Roller Mills, Merial and Pfizer will be on-hand to answer questions.

Dinner will be provided, so an RSVP to 633-4593 are requested to reserve a meal. The event will satisfy educational component for CAIP funding requirements.

Farm accidents down

Hardin County Extension Agent Matt Adams said Kentucky has seen a decline in agriculture and farm-related fatalities with the expansion of seat belts and rollover safety devices on farm equipment.
According to data Adams obtained from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, the state recorded 12 agriculture-related fatalities in 2010 and nine in 2009. Statistics for 2011 were not available, he said.
The bulk of the fatalities reported involved tractors or other farm equipment, but Adams said the number also reflects forestry-related accidents with chainsaws or fallen trees.
Adams said the numbers are down considerably since the 1990s when the state averaged around 50 agriculture fatalities per year.

Farm to School Week 
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer proclaimed next week as Farm to School Week in Kentucky.

“More and more Kentucky schools are buying foods from local farmers to serve to their students,” Comer said. “The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program helps schools connect with local producers. The schools buy fresh produce and meats to serve to their students. The farmers get another market for their products.”
Thirty-one Kentucky school districts that participate consistently in the Farm to School Program spent some $280,000 on local foods during the 2011-2012 school year. Those school districts serve approximately 325,000 students. A total of 84 school districts are members of the Kentucky Proud program, which helps Kentucky farmers market their products.

New 4-H Web site

The Kentucky 4-H Foundation celebrates National 4-H Week by launching of its new Web site, www.kentucky4hfoundation.org, and the signing of a National 4-H Week Proclamation by Kentucky Governor Steven Beshear. In Kentucky, more than 228,000 4-H members and 16,000 volunteers are involved in 4‑H. The new Web site offers a new look and navigation to better interact with visitors.

Bulletin board

• The Oldham County Extension Office is hosting MarketReady Producer Training on Saturday to provide participants with a professional marketing education to improve sales relationships and get up to speed with the latest local food programs. Registration is $25, which includes class materials and lunch. Space is limited to 30 participants. The registration form is available online at http://ces.ca.uky.edu/oldham/UpcomingEvents. 
• Master Stocker, which is open to any beef producer who is involved in or interested in raising stocker cattle, is 6-9 p.m. Thursday at the Shelby County Extension Office. There are eight classroom sessions covering topics that will improve your understanding of best management recommendations for stocker and backgrounding operations. Registration fee is $50 to cover meals and materials.  Registration form and information is available at http://ces.ca.uky.edu/oldham/UpcomingEvents.
• Officials of the USDA Farm Service Agency, Rural Development and the Natural Resources Conservation Service will attend a public meeting hosted by the Kentucky Women in Agriculture in Simpsonville to provide program updates and discuss the Hispanic and Women Farmers and Ranchers Claims Process. The meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the Simpsonville Gymnasium at 108 Old Veechdale Road. For more information, send an E-mail to Debra Hunt at debra.hunt@ky.usda.gov
• The Shelby County Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday, 8 a.m. until noon, through Oct. 27 at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. Vendors from Shelby and surrounding areas offer several varieties of season produce, plus eggs, jams, jellies, flowers, perennials, shrubs and trees. In addition there is handmade soap, jewelry, pottery, yarn goods and other crafts.
• A second Master Stocker session on nutrition management will be 6-9 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Shelby County Extension Office. Registration fee is $50 to cover meals and materials. Registration form and information is available at  http://ces.ca.uky.edu/oldham/UpcomingEvents.

The Kentucky Ag Report is compiled weekly from news releases distributed by Keeton Communications, the Kentucky Press News Service.