CBOT futures closed strongly higher, led by the corn market.  Support stemmed from continued weather concerns.   Cattle futures opened steady with Wednesday’s market, tried to move higher, but quickly turned south. Losses expanded near the closing bell.  Lean Hog futures followed the pattern in cattle futures, resulting in lower closes in the nearby August and October contracts.

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The Fleming County School Board is just beginning construction of an on-campus “farmers market pavilion” to give real life training to students in agri-tourism, agri-business, and agri-science.  School superintendent Brian Creasman provides details of how the project will unfold.  He thanked the State Ag Development Board for the major funding grant.

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‘So much to see, so little time,’ is how many of us feel as we arrive at the Kentucky State Fair (Aug 17-27).  But this year says Kentucky State Fair digital content manager, Mary Speer, a free mobile app can lay out the attractions, locate the food, and help you plot your own day at the state fair to see your favorite attractions.

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It’s called Redleaf and it’s a variety of sweet sorghum being developed by UK, a new start-up company, with help from Montgomery County sorghum producer, Danny Townsend.  UK horticulture professor Seth DeBolt describes the qualities of this new variety that can be use for the food colorant and still used to yield sweet sorghum syrup.

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The “farms to food banks” program is an effort to get unused, perfectly nutritious produce into the hands of the hungry.  Sarah Vaughn with the Ky Association of Food Banks describes how that program works day-to-day, and talks about their addition of fresh eggs to eligible products for donation.

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The first of three, regional “woodland owner short courses” is set for Laurel County on August 12.  UK forester, Billy Thomas describes some of the features of that particular workshop, including a lumber mill tour.  He says landowners can start small with their woodland improvements just by developing an overall management plan.

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Corn and soybean futures closed moderately higher, but around a nickel below the day’s highs, on traders’ concern for hot, dry weather in large parts of the Corn Belt.   Despite news of an atypical BSE diagnosis in an Alabama beef cow, cattle futures closed sharply higher today. Live Cattle opened near steady while Feeder Cattle opened $1-2 lower.