Kentucky Proud search engine makes it easier to find your favorite Kentucky products.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 29, 2008
For more information contact:Bill Clary
(502) 564-4696

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Looking for a beef producer close to home? Trying to find out where you can buy your favorite Kentucky Proud products? The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has launched an Internet search engine that enables consumers and businesses to find the Kentucky Proud foods and products they’re looking for.

“The Kentucky Proud search engine is easy to use, and it’s free,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “Anyone can use it to search through about 1,300 Kentucky Proud members selling more than 18,000 products. We expect it will boost sales of Kentucky Proud products, which will mean more income for Kentucky farmers and more economic activity in our rural communities.”

From the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Web site, www.kyagr.com, users may go to the Kentucky Proud pull-down menu and click on Find KY Proud Producers or Find KY Proud Products. On the “Search for KY Proud Producers” site, users may enter any combination of the company name, the county and the city to find Kentucky Proud producers. On the “Search for KY Proud Products” site, users may select one or more product categories and then select one or more product names. Users may narrow their search to a specific county or city, or search for all products in a county or city.

The search result provides links for viewing details of each member’s listing. Each listing contains contact information for the Kentucky Proud member, the products the member produces and/or sells, the member’s physical address and the Web site address if it has a site.

The Department plans to add more detail to the listings – for example, listing organic products.
Kentucky Proud members are encouraged to check their listings regularly to make sure they are accurate and up to date. Members may contact Donna Baker at donnaj.baker@ky.gov or (502) 564-4983 to make changes or additions to their listings.

World's Longest Chile Ristra

More than a thousand men, women and children of all ages stepped right up and twirled together twine and red chile pods in an attempt to create a world record chile ristra at the New Mexico State Fair, September 14th. In five hours and 45 minutes, participants used a whopping 3,250 pounds of red chile pods to create a ristra spanning 157.7 feet. State agriculture and chile commission officials are asking Guinness to establish a new category specifically for a chile ristra. The ristra was weighed, measured and documented by the state Agriculture Department's Weights and Measures Division.
A ristra is the traditional method for drying red chile peppers in the Southwest. The chile pods are tied together with string in an overlapping design and hung outside to dry before being used in red chile sauces and dishes.

Texas Ag Commissioner Surveys Livestock Damage Caused by Hurricane Ike

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples traveled to Southeast Texas on Wednesday, September 17 to meet with the men and women on the ground who are working tirelessly assisting in the massive hurricane recovery effort. After sitting down and hearing the needs of officials in Beaumont and Jefferson County, Commissioner Staples surveyed Jefferson and Chambers counties by air.


Don Gohmert from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Commissioner Staples saw an extremely broad path of massive destruction – from entire communities wiped away to highways and bridges either destroyed or covered with massive barges. Acres and acres of cropland and pastures had been swallowed by the salty surge, estimated at up to ten miles inland.


From the air, live cattle were wading through belly deep-water miles from high ground. Some cattle were huddled together on top of levies searching for a path back home but finding no safe place to turn.


The fences, barns and corrals that used to dot this region are now gone, cleared away by the massive wall of water and wind.




A long road of recovery is still ahead for Southeast Texas. You can help by calling AgriLife Extension Service at (979) 845-2604 or you can donate to AgriLife's "No Fences" Hurricane Ike Horse and Cattle Relief fund online. Monetary donations are needed to defray transportation costs associate with the rescue of horses and cattle, as well as the purchase of goods like feed and water troughs.

You can see more of the full-sized photos of the tour in a slideshow HERE. Or you can click on the photo below to start an embedded slideshow.

Lights Dim on 2008 Colorado State Fair

The 2008 Colorado State Fair, in Pueblo, CO, has come to a close offering eleven days of entertainment to nearly 490,000 people.

“I am proud of the fair we put on this year. State Fair staff and management offered a wide range of family attractions while staying true to our goal of supporting youth and agriculture,” said General Manager, Chris Wiseman

Highlights from the 2008 Colorado State Fair:

• Attendance was slightly up from 2007; 486,659 people attended the 2008 Fair which is 1,621 more than 2007.
• The 2008 Colorado State Fair Jr. Livestock Sale presented by Colorado’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives drew in more than $393,200 for Colorado’s 4-H and FFA youth.
• The Fair offered more free, family attractions that ever before including sea lions, monkeys, daredevils and tigers.
• Louis Sandoval, 71, of Pueblo, Colo. drove home in a new 2008 Dodge Avenger after the rodeo on August 28 and all he had to do to win it was purchase a rodeo ticket.
  Sugarland played to a sold out crowd of 7,816 people.
• The Tough Enough to Wear Pink auction raised close to $9000 for the St. Mary Corwin Cancer Patient Needs Fund.
• US Smokeless Tobacco won the sponsor calf dressing for the third time, beating out seven other Colorado State Fair sponsor teams.

“The Colorado State Fair staff and management strive to offer a wide variety of family attractions that entertain and educate. I believe the increasing attendance numbers is a reflection of that effort,” said Wiseman.

For more information about the 2008 Colorado State Fair, visit www.coloradostatefair.com.

Kentucky Commissioner Farmer and Governor Beshear call for federal ag aid.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 19, 2008
For more information contact:Bill Clary
(502) 564-4696


FRANKFORT, Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer today joined Governor Steve Beshear in calling for federal aid for Kentucky farmers affected by the current drought in the Commonwealth.

“I appreciate Gov. Beshear’s request for a disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” Commissioner Farmer said. “I suggest that USDA also make aid available for farmers whose crops were flattened during the wind storm last Sunday. I pledge to work with USDA and Kentucky’s congressional delegation to get Kentucky farmers the aid they need to get through this growing season.”

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has received reports that corn and tobacco crops in western Kentucky were heavily damaged by last Sunday’s wind storm. The Kentucky office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported earlier this week that yield estimates for corn, soybeans and hay have declined because of the drought.

The Palmer Drought Index placed the central and bluegrass regions of Kentucky in mild drought and eastern Kentucky in moderate drought as of Monday.

Commissioner Farmer repeated his call for permanent federal funding for agricultural disaster relief. “Farmers must be able to get the help they need quickly and with a minimum of red tape,” Commissioner Farmer said.

Diagnostic lab expansion is another victory for Team Kentucky

by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer

I spoke at the groundbreaking for the expansion of the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center on Sept. 12 in Lexington. The laboratory is an important firewall for keeping Kentucky free of livestock disease.

Livestock accounted for more than $3 billion in farmgate receipts in 2007, so it’s important for Kentucky’s economy to have state-of-the-art diagnostic labs to keep our state’s herds disease free. Our outstanding diagnostic labs and our strong surveillance system assure consumers and trading partners that they can buy Kentucky livestock and livestock products with confidence. That assurance enables Kentucky livestock producers to compete in a global market, which means money in their pockets.

Every dollar invested in livestock medicine means $6 to our livestock industry. Our outstanding diagnostic labs are so important to Kentucky’s agricultural economy that the Kentucky Department of Agriculture gave $800,000 toward the labs’ operating budgets for the next two years, even though we are struggling to deal with deep budget cuts.

Kentucky is free of brucellosis, tuberculosis and virtually all major livestock diseases that affect other states and countries. In recent years, we have successfully contained limited outbreaks of equine disease. But now is not the time to rest on our laurels. Every November, Kentucky hosts the North American International Livestock Exposition, the world's largest purebred livestock expo, which brings 22,000 livestock entries to the Kentucky Exposition Center. Two years from now, human and equine athletes from more than 60 nations will come to the Kentucky Horse Park for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. This is an opportunity for us to show the world why we’re Kentucky Proud of our commonwealth. We must be ready.

Western states are having problems with brucellosis, tuberculosis and avian influenza. Disease can spread like wildfire without the hard work of diligent veterinary officials and practitioners and the availability of state-of-the-art diagnostic labs to perform fast, accurate testing. The much-needed lab expansion will give Kentucky the capabilities we need in an extremely competitive world.

The expansion is the product of a team effort between Gov. Steve Beshear, the Kentucky General Assembly, the KDA, UK and Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry. It’s yet another shining example of something good happening when people work together toward a common goal.

Kentucky diagnostic lab expansion is underway.

From left, Kentucky State Rep. Rocky Adkins (D-Sandy Hook), Sen. Joey Pendleton (D-Hopkinsville), Gov. Steve Beshear, Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer and Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry prepare to "throw dirt" to launch the expansion and renovation of the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center. (Photo by Ted Sloan)

State and local government officials, including Commissioner Richie Farmer and Gov. Steve Beshear, joined representatives from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture on Sept. 12 to break ground on the $28.5 million project... more.

Governor Beshear presented a ceremonial check for $20 million for the diagnostic lab project. Read more here.

Watch video from the groundbreaking here.

Report says 1,000 Kentucky producers have completed produce safety program.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 8, 2008
For more information contact:Ted Sloan
(502) 564-4696

FRANKFORT, Ky. — More than 1,000 Kentucky food producers have completed training for best practices for growing, transporting and handling produce to minimize the risk of food contamination, a Kentucky Department of Agriculture report says.

More than 710 farmers’ market vendors also have completed training for a state protocol to offer samples at farmers’ markets, according to the 2008 Annual Farmers’ Market Report.

“Kentucky producers are dedicated to providing clean, wholesome food,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “This tremendous level of participation in these food safety training programs should ensure farmers’ market customers that they can serve Kentucky Proud foods to their families with confidence.”

The Good Agricultural Practices program was launched last year by the agriculture department, the state Department for Public Health and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. The sampling protocol was developed through a partnership of the KDA and the DPH.

The farmers’ market report said vendors recorded estimated sales of $8 million in 2007 in spite of a late freeze and severe drought. The number of markets in Kentucky has increased from 96 in 2004 to 120 in 2008, the report said, but the number of vendors declined from 2,015 in 2007 to 1,951 this year.

The report said few Kentucky farmers’ markets are set up to accept credit/debit and EBT (food stamp) cards. The Kentucky Farmers’ Market Association has been awarded a $63,010 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to determine the economic feasibility of using EBT and credit/debit technology at rural farmers’ markets and the economic impact of the sampling protocol.

The KDA’s Farmers’ Market Program provides technical assistance for Kentucky farmers’ markets and offers Kentucky Proud promotional items at cost. The program worked with DPH and KFMA to publish the 2008-2009 Kentucky Farmers’ Market Manual, a comprehensive collection of valuable information for farmers’ market managers and vendors. The program also maintains a directory of farmers’ markets.

To read the report, go to www.kyagr.com, click on Programs, and click on Farmers’ Markets. To find out more about the Good Agricultural Practices program, go to www.kyagr.com, click on Programs and click on (GAP) Good Agricultural Practices. For more information about the state protocol for offering samples at farmers’ markets, go to the farmers’ market page and click on the link to New Sampling Information.

The future of our youth depends on us.

by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer

Another Kentucky State Fair has come and gone. The weather was ideal, the food was delicious and the fellowship was heart-warming as always. I enjoy being reunited with my farming friends at the state fair every year.

I’m especially heartened by the young people at the fair. They compete in various skill-building events like livestock shows, 4-H display contests, skillathons and the like. These events teach them the value of hard work and discipline, important lessons as they grow into their roles as tomorrow’s citizens and leaders. None of it would be possible, of course, without the support of their families and the hard work of dozens of people who conduct the competitions. Let’s be sure to thank them for all that they do every chance we get.

Like many of you, these young people are navigating an agricultural landscape that is constantly shifting under their feet. The combined forces of food safety scares, environmental concerns and the Kentucky Proud movement are impressing upon consumers the importance of local food. The rising costs of feed, fuel and fertilizer are eating into farm profits. New technology is constantly being rolled out, changing the way we do things on the farm.

The next generation depends on all of us, working together, to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead. I look forward to working with you. And I look forward to seeing you next year at the Kentucky State Fair.

Job Corps students tour Winchester, KY farm.

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s aquaculture marketing specialist, Angela Caporelli, worked with culinary instructors this summer to organize a farm tour for eastern Kentucky Job Corps culinary and hospitality students...more.