National speakers headline marketing conference.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 13, 2008
For more information contact:Ted Sloan
(502) 564-4696

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A futurist, a farmer and a food marketing expert will show Kentucky producers how to “Grow Your Cash Crop in Kentucky” at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s inaugural Direct Marketing Conference Nov. 13-14 in Lexington.

Economist, futurist and author Dr. Jay Lehr of Ostrander, Ohio, will talk about megatrends in agriculture and the future of sustainable agriculture. Innovative farmer Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley will speak on diversifying for profit, product and pleasure. Stephen Farrelly Hall, food marketing consultant and author of “From Kitchen to Market: Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty,” will present a step-by-step look at the marketing process.

Conference sessions will focus on business management, customer service and marketing. Breakout sessions will be divided into protein, produce and on-farm market. Business basics and methods of attracting customers will be addressed.

Following the conference, participants may choose from among four farm tours. At Evans Orchard in Georgetown, they can see a working agritourism destination. At the Woodford County Extension Service office in Versailles, they can tour the certified kitchen where growers may make value-added food products. At Boone’s Butcher Shop in Bardstown, they can learn how to make money on protein-based products and see the state’s mobile processing unit for small livestock species. At the University of Kentucky research farm in Lexington, they can see organic farming practices and learn about UK’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and sustainable agriculture programs.

Registration is $50. The optional farm tour following the conference is an additional $20. Accommodations for the conference are available at the Hyatt Regency Lexington. Reservations must be made by Oct. 27 to receive the reduced conference rate.

For more information, contact Donna Baker at (502) 564-4983 or go to the conference page on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Web site, www.kyagr.com/marketing/dmc.

Search engine is another Kentucky Proud success.

by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer


Consumers want fresh, nutritious foods made close to home by people they trust. The Kentucky Proud search engine will help people find them. . ...more.

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.