Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles will serve as Vice President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in the coming year.  Commissioner Quarles talks about being elected to the office, other Kentuckians who hold national offices and what those offices mean for Kentucky.

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There is a relatively new disease that is impacting a commonly known tree in Kentucky.  Christian County Horticulture Agent Kelly Jackson talks about what is causing the disease that is affecting Sassafras trees, how to tell if trees have the disease, what causes it and how to get rid of the insect.

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Farmers in central Kentucky will have a chance to attend the University of Kentucky Beef Bash Thursday, September 26, at the Oran Little Research Farm in Versailles.  IRM Beef Coordinator Ben Crites talks about the event, what topics will be covered, who will be speaking and other details. 

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The latest United States Department of Agriculture Food Insecurity Survey shows a decrease in hunger in the Kentucky during the past three years.  Tamara Sandburg with Feeding America Kentucky's Heartland says, although there was a decrease, the number of hungry people in the state is still too high.  

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The University of Kentucky’s final Kentucky Agricultural Training School this Thursday at the Research and Education Center in Princeton will focus on what to do after the harvest.  Extension Agronomist Dr. Edwin Richey says the event at Princeton will focus on whether to plant cover crops, post season herbicide carryover and preparing the storage bins.

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The major CBOT futures contracts closed lower with some volatility at the close. Cattle futures closed strongly higher in the upper end of the day’s trading range.  Lean Hog futures closed sharply lower with the December LH ending down the daily $3.00 limit (expands to $4.50 tomorrow).

CBOT futures closed strongly higher and at/near the day’s highs, supported by positive news in US/China trade negotiations and technical short-covering by the speculators.   Cattle futures closed higher but generally took a break after strong price gains on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Even as pork values fell sharply, lean hog futures soared $3.00 higher to limit-up levels.

Repeal of the 2015 Waters of the United States rule is a victory for clean water and clear rules. As farmers, we share the goal of protecting the nation’s water, but the 2015 Waters of the United States rule was unreasonable and unworkable. It made conservation more difficult and created huge liabilities for farmers.