Agriculture

Have drought, wind, gas prices, economy, politics and the coming of fall got you down? You aren’t alone. So why not start thinking about compost. Yes, that’s right, compost. Why not? It will get your mind off of the many things you can’t do anything about. So, why not do something good for the environment and your garden and start a compost pile. Most people have leaves and dead plants this time of year and probably more so this year due to the drought and wind storm of late.

Kentucky’s soybean harvest yield estimate for September was down 8 percent from August but up 69 percent over last year at this time, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The increase is due to greater yields per acre and more acreage in soybeans. On the surface the number sounds impressive until the poor yields of 2007 are taken into consideration.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Jeffery Hall reminds producers of the deadline for those who want to ensure eligibility for crop yield losses under the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), Tree Assistance Program (TAP), and Emergency Assistance Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). Sept. 16 is the last day to pay the “buy-in” fee for crops, including grazing lands that are not fully covered by crop insurance or the noninsured crop disaster assistance program (NAP).

Even though the majority of the state is in the midst of a drought, hay supplies are up from last year. However, some livestock producers will still need to find an additional hay source to get through the winter, said Tom Keene, hay marketing specialist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

“Overall, we are in decent to fair shape on cattle hay going into the winter,” he said. “Producers who use high quality hay to feed dairy cattle and horses will likely need to import additional quantities this year to have a sufficient supply.”