Ag Census Summary on Government Farm Program Payments for Kentucky Counties/Regions

By Will Snell | Extension Professor
Published on Jul. 30, 2024

The Ag Census provides data to examine the relative importance of government farm program payments on a state and county level.

Navigating Carbon Strategies: Understanding Offsets and Insets in Agriculture

By Jordan Shockley | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Jul. 30, 2024

As corporations worldwide intensify efforts to mitigate their carbon footprints, two primary strategies have emerged: carbon offsets and carbon insets. These approaches, while designed to address corporate emissions, have significant implications for the agricultural sector.

Should You Pay Your Kids to Work on the Farm?

By Kayla Brashears | KFBM Area Extension Specialist
Published on Jun. 27, 2024

Even in the year 2024, farming tends to be a family affair. The late nights and subsequent long hours can mean the most promising way to spend family time is by spending it together in the field or on the ranch.

Interest Rates and Refinancing

By Jennifer Rogers | KFBM Area Extension Specialist
Published on May. 24, 2024

It is no secret that interest rates have increased.  In fact, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates 11 times between March 2022 and July 2023.  This rise in interest rates has increased the cost that consumers and businesses pay on borrowed money at all levels.  Our Kentucky farms are no exception to this increase in cost.  Farm businesse

Spring 2024 Farm Observations Across Kentucky

Published on Apr. 29, 2024

The Kentucky Farm Business Management Program is a program of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky.

Maximizing Value: 2024 Spring Application of Broiler Litter for Grain Crop Production

By Jordan Shockley | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Mar. 28, 2024

Spring is here and grain producers across the state are gearing up for planting.  One of the many decisions producers have to make before planting is in regard to their nutrient management plan.  Broiler litter provides a great opportunity as a complete fertilizer and is being produced and used throughout the state in grain production.  However,

Weathering The Storm

By Jerry Pierce | KFBM Program Coordinator
Published on Feb. 28, 2024

“Agriculture is by nature a cyclical industry.” So said the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in History of the Eighties - Lessons for the Future published in 1987. It still is, with net incomes cycling up and down over the decades. So how can farms “weather the storm” when farm income is cycling down?

Kentucky’s Agricultural Districts Program

By Jerry Pierce | KFBM Program Coordinator
Published on Jan. 30, 2024

Someone asked about Agricultural Districts recently. It sounded like a farm tax program, but I had to admit that I knew nothing about them, and that I would look into it. 

Secrets of Successful Farm Managers

By Kayla Brashears | KFBM Area Extension Specialist
Published on Nov. 29, 2023

After spending over a decade analyzing a plethora of farm operations, I’ve learned a few things about what makes an operation successful. There isn’t a hidden formula anyone can follow to become successful, but there are best practices that operations can implement to position themselves favorably.   

The Economic Value of Applying Broiler Litter in the Fall 2023

By Jordan Shockley | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Nov. 29, 2023

Spring application of broiler litter is ideal for maximizing the economic value but faces challenges that include wet soil conditions, lack of time to spread litter near planting, and availability of litter in the spring.