AGR-265: Soil Sampling and Nutrient Management in Small Ruminant Pastures

Jimmy Henning, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Josh McGrath, Edwin Ritchey | Mar. 13, 2023 (Major Revision)

Pastures for sheep and goats are fertilized to ensure a reliable supply of energy, protein, and other nutrients for a long season of grazing. Management of plant nutrients maintains a balance of improved grasses and legumes and improves forage species’ competitiveness with many pasture weeds.
The most important part of obtaining fertilizer recommendations is collecting a representative soil sample to send to the lab. Soil test results and fertilizer recommendations are based solely on 10 to 20 ounces of soil submitted to the lab for analysis, which are assumed to represent several million pounds of soil in the field. If this sample does not reflect actual soil chemical conditions, the results can be misleading and cause costly over- or under-fertilization.

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IP-76: Hazardous Chemicals and Your Body

Lisa Gaetke, Ashley Osborne | Jun. 21, 2016 (Minor Revision)

Environmental contaminants, such as persistent organic pollutants, may contribute to an increased risk for chronic disease if they occur for long enough or at high enough levels. Research has shown that some hazardous chemicals may even cause the body to be more vulnerable to such medical conditions as cancer, poor immune system response, altered nervous system function, and cardiovascular disease. The good news is that certain dietary strategies may provide a defense for combating the effects of these contaminants while improving your overall health.

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ID-211: Kentucky Nutrient Management Planning Guidelines (KyNMP)

Amanda A. Gumbert, Steve Higgins, Kylie Schmidt | Mar. 4, 2016 (Minor Revision)

Nutrients are constantly cycling through farms. Nutrients come onto a farm in the form of feed, commercial fertilizers, manure, or compost, and they leave the farm with harvested crops, sold livestock, and off-site disposal of manure and other waste. Sometimes nutrients are even lost to the air, soil, or water. Nutrient management allows farmers to use nutrients wisely for optimal economic benefit with minimal impact on the environment.

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HENV-105: Planning a Zero-Waste Event

Ashley Osborne | Feb. 4, 2015 (New)

The goal of a zero-waste event (e.g., meeting, business event, birthday party, field day, wedding, etc.) is to minimize the amount of waste produced. The key to hosting a zero-waste event is good advanced planning. This publication will guide you as you plan and carry out your event.

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HENV-205: Residential Rain Garden: Design, Construction, Maintenance

Rick Durham, Brad Lee, Brad Lee, Ashley Osborne | May. 1, 2014 (New)

This publication covers the design, construction, and maintenance of residential ran gardens. Rain gardens are one of several stormwater management practices that homeowners can use to reduce their property's negative impact on water quality and flooding.

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HENV-206: Understanding and Protecting Kentucky's Watersheds

Jenny Cocanougher, Amanda A. Gumbert, Ashley Osborne | Nov. 8, 2013 (New)

Regardless of where you are, you are always in a watershed. A watershed is any area of land that drains water to a single water body such as a stream or lake.

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ID-167: On-Farm Disposal of Animal Mortalities

Spencer Guinn, Amanda A. Gumbert, Steve Higgins | May. 6, 2013 (Minor Revision)

Animal mortalities are an expected part of animal production. Depending on the scale of the animal enterprise, animal mortalities can overwhelm the producer with a large number and mass of dead animals. This publication provides guidance to the producer for handling animal mortalities in accordance with Kentucky law.

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ID-166: On-Farm Composting of Animal Mortalities

Amanda A. Gumbert, Steve Higgins, Sarah Wightman | May. 6, 2013 (Minor Revision)

On-farm composting can provide animal producers with a convenient method for disposing of animal mortalities and also provide a valuable soil amendment. In addition, the finished compost can be stockpiled and reused to help compost other mortalities.

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ID-200: Environmental Compliance for Dairy Operations

Amanda A. Gumbert, Steve Higgins, Sarah Wightman | Apr. 24, 2013 (New)

Some farmers are reluctant to talk about the environment, but because farms are under increasing review by state and federal regulatory agencies, producers need to be familiar with environmental issues and regulations. Implementing best management practices (BMPs) can help farmers continue to protect the environment and increase productivity.

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ID-207: Considerations for Starting an On-Farm Dairy Processing Enterprise

Jeffrey Bewley, Elizabeth Chaney, Brianna Goodnow, Julia Hofmeister | Oct. 17, 2012 (New)

With proper facilities and education, entreprenuers can successfully produce value-added dairy products on-farm.