Agriculture

The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Department of Animal and Food Sciences annually recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the department and to Kentucky animal agriculture. This year, the department awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award to Tom Hammond and inducted Al Purnell Sr. into its Hall of Fame.

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director John W. McCauley, announced that guaranteed farm ownership loan funds for Fiscal Year 2012 have been exhausted. Farmers and ranchers in Kentucky received $59,736, 321.00 million in guaranteed loans through Aug. 31, 2012.
“Fiscal Year 2013 begins on October 1, 2012, and we anticipate that guaranteed farm ownership funds will be available in early October,” said McCauley.

Old farm sites that are long vacant often have remnants of a once thriving agricultural model that fed the whole family. Among the farm smorgasbord was the small home orchard; and among the orchard, the Kieffer pear still stands if nothing else does.
The Kieffer pear has been around for a long time and it seems we have forgotten how to treat it as an eating pear. If you have ever happened upon an old tree, you may have been put off by the hard fruit.

Stetson Baird, Brayden Morrow, Darilyn Browning, Rebecca Mobley, Michael Koch, Leah Shelburne, Lilli Hanik, Courtney Jeffiers, Christopher Miles, Apryl Wood, Scott Jeppson, Dalton Stallings, Bradley Thomas, Peter Koch, Hailey Pawley, Dillon Stallings, Sydney Warren, Thomas Koch, and Michelle Thomas participated in the country ham project this year and received the following awards at the Kentucky State Fair.  Thank you to Connie Jeffiers for doing an outstanding job as their club leader!