2024 KY Annual Producer Conference & Field Day
Schwartz Show Stock and Meat Company
Hickory Hollow Acres
October 19, 2024
Morning 8:30am-12:30pm
Fleming County Extension Office
1384 Elizaville Road
Flemingsburg, KY 41041
Speakers: Commissioner Johnathon Shell and Kentucky Farm Bureau
Association Business Meetings: Board of director and officer elections
Afternoon 1pm-3:30pm
Schwartz Show Stock and Meat Company
Hickory Hollow Acres
Field Day: forage management, reproduction, lambing/kidding and more!
Cost: $35/single; $50/couple
Additional lunches: $10 each
Online registration is closed but you can register at the door at 8:30am EST
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Featured Speaker:
Kentucky Farm Bureau
Farmland Transition Initiative
Association Meetings
The KY Annual Producer Conference is not only about producer education, it is also a time for the associations to conduct their annual business meetings. Below are links to the 2024 business meeting results.
Kentucky Goat Producers Association
We are in for a treat this year! The annual conference will include an afternoon field day where sheep folks will visit Schwartz Show Stock and Meat Company, while goat folks will visit Hickory Hollow Farms. Both farms will talk about forage management, reproduction, lambing/kiddni., and provide a tour.
Let's Meet our Hosts!
Hello, my name is Jeff Rice, my wife Jo Ann and I live on an 80 acre farm just outside Sharpsburg Kentucky. We like the Kiko goat for their excellent health and mothering abilities we also love our myotonics for their entertainment value. Our goats are raised on pasture and rotated through 8 paddocks to control parasites. We sell all our doelings and around a third of the bucklings to other producers. The remaining bucklings are sold at market. I have attended KSU’s third Thursday thing over the years and the Small Ruminant Profit School to gather information and learn from other producers.
Zack and Margaret Schwartz in Flemingsburg, Ky invite you to visit their family farm, home to approximately 250 ewes. They have a commercial flock to produce lambs for their direct to consumer meat business and club lamb ewes for 4-H projects shown across the country. They will discuss AI breeding, Ile de France commercial breeding, lambing, rotational grazing over a variety of cover crop forages and more at the field day.
Disaster Relief
As many of us use the Annual Conference as a time to catchup with friends, but lets also use this time to help our neighboring producers.
Over the past week KSGDO has been contacting colleagues in TN, VA, and NC to see how we can help our fellow producers. At this time, we have made contact with NC and have two legitimate donation options. I spoke with Dr. Andrew Weaver, NC State, who was taking supplies to people yesterday morning. He sad the devastation to livestock producers is quite extensive and expects it will take years to rebuild. Compounding the situation is electric is not planned to be functioning until next spring, which will make over wintering livestock a near impossible task. At this time, NC producers need fence and feed supplies. Below are two ways to help provide those needs:
WNC Communities
Contribute to WNC Communities in an easy 2 step process - donate online at wnccommunities.org and send quick email to jenniferferre@wnccommunities.org saying “The donation from *insert your name* is for livestock fencing in western NC.” This small added step will ensure that supplies reach those in need quickly and efficiently. WNC Communities is a local 501(c)3 - they are ag-oriented, nimble, and prioritize efficient use of funds. This organization will provide financial structure while farmer volunteers on the ground will get fencing materials to the places that need it.
Hay and Livestock Assistance Form (NCDA&CS)
https://ncdisaster.ces.ncsu.edu/2024/10/ncdacs-hay-assistance-portal/