by Kelley Yates
The 2022 KY Annual Producer Conference was held on October 22, 2022 at the KSU Harold R. Benson Research Facility. We had a great turnout of over 90 people who came to hear presentations on ranging from rotational grazing to feeding minerals.
First, we want to give a huge THANK YOU to our sponsors. Without their help, we would not be able to conduct our programs.
We also want to thank Kim Fields, KDA Hay Testing Program, for coming out and taking our hay samples. If you missed this opportunity, be sure to call your county Extension Agent to have them take your samples.
Presentations were given by:
Jason Wachter, KDA Program Specialist, who gave us a run down of the 2022 lamb/kid prices, along with some helpful information on how they are graded and where to located the graded sales.
Greg Brann, Synergistic Grazing Management Consulting, gave two really good presentations related to rotational grazing. First, we learned several really good tips and practices to use when co-grazing our pastures. Second, Greg gave a run down of several different forages we can include in rotational grazing and the nutritional value of each.
Dr. Michelle Arnold, University of Kentucky Extension Ruminant Veterinarian, explained how to use the diagnostic centers.
Dr. Beth Johnson, DVM, Kentucky State Veterinary Office, explained why should be providing trace minerals in our small ruminants’ diets, as well as how to properly feed them.
Both the Kentucky Goat Producers and the Kentucky Sheep and Wool Produces conducted their annual business meetings. You can see minutes from the meetings here. We would like to welcome new board members for each association as well.
Kentucky Goat Producers elected two new board members, Ramey Watkins and Bea Powell, and re-elected Angie Downs. You can read their bios here.
Kentucky Sheep and Wool Producers elected two new board members, Cheryl Kersey and Guy Taylor. You can read their bios here.
According to the surveys from the conference, 91% of participants felt more knowledgeable about rotational grazing after attending this conference, 84% felt more confident in improving the forage in their pastures, and 91% felt more connected to industry leaders and fellow producers.
If you missed the conference this year, we look forward to seeing you again on October 21, 2023!