News

Make Mesonet Work For You

Have you heard of Kentucky Mesonet? You may have seen one of their 86 weather stations around the state collecting valuable weather data that you can access online or through their app. Now, you might be thinking, “So it’s another weather station… so what?”

Highlights of House-Passed 2026 Farm Bill

It has been eight years since a farm bill was passed; however, there have been several extensions of this bill. Historically, the legislation is renewed every five years with a bipartisan vote. The last farm bill was passed in 2018; however, a divided Congress has not been able to reach a renewal agreement since its expiration in 2023, outside of three extensions of the 2018 farm bill. 

Survey: Rising Fertilizer Prices Leave Farmers Uneasy

Many of us have seen the Fertilizer Availability Survey results released by the American Farm Bureau Federation. This survey was conducted from April 03 through April 11 to understand how global fertilizer market disruptions are affecting producers during spring planting and captured responses from more than 5,700 farmers and ranchers. The key takeaways for producers in our Southern Region are:   

Spring Cleaning for Healthy Plants

Clean tools and surfaces might look harmless, but a quick rinse isn’t enough to stop the spread of invisible plant diseases. Microscopic pathogens can linger on containers, shoes, and equipment—putting healthy plants at risk. Proper cleaning and disinfecting is essential for small-scale growers and home gardeners alike. Learn which products work best and how to use them effectively in this guide from Plant Pathology.  Cleaning & Disinfecting Hand Tools & Planting Supplies

Food Safety Plans New Publication for Urban Farms

All produce growers will benefit from having a farm food safety plan, with growers in urban areas facing some unique challenges. A new resource has been developed to help guide urban farmers through developing a basic food safety plan.

Marketing Strategies to Crush Mother’s Day Sales

Mother’s Day can be one of the most significant sales opportunities of the year for cut flower growers. With preparation and targeted marketing, you can position yourself to capture this high-value market window. Think through some of the marketing strategies below to crush your Mother’s Day sales. 

New Video: Plant and Plug Sales at Auctions

A new beginner-friendly video is now available to help growers confidently participate in plug and plant sales held at Kentucky Produce Auctions. These sales provide an excellent opportunity for growers to expand the variety of flowers and vegetables they offer their customers without starting every crop from seed. Check out the video here.

Recommendations for Starting Disease-Free Vegetable Transplants

Home gardeners and commercial growers likely have placed their seed orders or have last year’s seed saved. Over the next few weeks, many will plant those seeds in order to establish transplants for spring and summer gardens. In some cases, those seeds may germinate, wither, and die (Figure 1). In other cases, plants may establish but become diseased shortly after transplanting.

Seed Starting

The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and daffodils have opened their sunshiny faces. Spring in Kentucky is a magical time, and for our growers it signals the start of seed-starting season and the promise of a summer bounty. Timing Is Everything

CCD Resource Agent Overview/Update