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A feature report with a Kentucky Proud entrepreneur, who retired from state government and who, with a Christmas gift recipe for her special sauce, has turned that hobby into a thriving Kentucky Proud business.  Nancy Ward of Ward’s Kentucky Specialties provides details of her growing product line with items now available at Kroger stores and on line.

A feature report with Josh Lindau who coordinates applications at the Ky Ag Department for USDA specialty crop block grants.  While California receives many millions of dollars, last year Kentucky earned just over $200,000.  Lindau explains how Kentucky farmers exploring these crops, can help increase our share of those funds.

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From fighting the spread of resistant weeds to more effective use of chicken litter as a fertilizer source, the Ky Soybean Board works with UK researchers each year to help fund their work on methods and practices to improve efficiencies on the farm.  The board’s Davie Stephens of Hickman County is featured.

An update with Christy Cassady on the UK Center for Crop Diversification which has just opened a Facebook page and is in the middle of some major upgrades on its web site offerings.  Cassady talks about some of the trends in crops that Kentucky farmers are trying, and about some of the tools that the center can provide for getting into new crops.

The second in a three-part series on the issue of wild hog damage in the state and Ky Fish and Wildlife’s efforts to eliminate the problem.  F&W’s John Hast is featured, talking about the need for landowner involvement in their efforts to first reduce and then eradicate the problem.

Although CBOT futures performed well Sunday evening, the tide turned south overnight and accelerated downward after the 830 am CT reopening – resulting in lower closes.  Most of the pressure was blamed on beneficial rainfall in Argentina over the weekend.  Beyond the nearby December Live Cattle contract, cattle futures closed mostly higher with most contracts hitting new highs for this move that started back in mid-October.  

The year 2016 brought state farmers a lesson in meteorology as they saw how quickly the weather can change with wetter-than-normal conditions for most of the spring to a very dry period in the fall.