Kentucky Agriculture Training School Hosting Valuable Workshops To Enhance Your Growing Season

CHRISTOPHER CARNEY

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY

The Kentucky Agriculture Training School (KATS), part of the UK Cooperative Extension Service at the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, is hosting several upcoming workshops focused on crop scouting, soil properties and drone pilot certification. 

KATS uses modern technology and research to provide educational experiences for individuals seeking to improve their agricultural management and productivity – making better decisions regarding crop management, production and more. 

Crop Scouting Workshop 

The UK Research and Education Center at Princeton (UKREC) hosted the crop scouting workshop on May 21, teaching attendees how to growth-stage corn and soybeans while identifying common diseases and insect pests in the two crops. 

In addition, UK specialists will taught participants ways to identify common weeds and how nutrients in the soil influence crop growth.

“This hands-on workshop was ideal for agriculture interns, new ag agents and producers, and it can serve as a refresher for others as the growing season is getting started,” said Rogers. 

Soil Properties Workshop

UKREC will also host a soil properties workshop on June 6, teaching how soil properties impact water and nutrient delivery to plants.

UK specialists, joined by National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) resource soil scientist Jerry McIntosh, will visit two contrasting soil pits that represent many of the soil resources utilized for crop production in western Kentucky.

“This training will cover many fundamentals necessary for producing a successful crop,.” said Edwin Ritchey, UK extension soil specialist.

Specific topics discussed will include profile properties such as soil texture, soil structure, nutrient distribution, soil organic matter and plant available water. After lunch, classroom discussions will cover topics like soil test values, comparisons of laboratory results and recommendations, and how different management practices influence soil health parameters. The NRCS Web Soil Survey program, use and application will also be discussed.

DRONE PILOT CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP

The Drone Pilot Certification Workshop on June 10-11 at the Hopkins County Extension Office in Madisonville, Kentucky, will help prepare individuals to become a certified remote pilot with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Drones have many useful applications in agricultural production systems. During the two-day classroom training, Mandy Briggs, assistant chief flight instructor with Parkland College’s Institute of Aviation, will guide participants in obtaining their drone pilot certification. Briggs’ students have an over 99% success rate on passing the exam.

The cost is $400. Certified Crop Advisors will receive 12 continuing education units in precision agriculture for completing the workshop. After the training, participants will take their certification exam on the afternoon of June 11. The exam costs are an additional $175. Space is limited for this workshop.

More information about the requirements for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exam is available at https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot.

Contact Lori Rogers, lori.rogers@uky.edu, 270-365-7541 ext. 21317, to register for the drone pilot certification workshop, along with general questions about any of the KATS workshops.

To learn more about KATS, visit https://kats.ca.uky.edu. ∆

CHRISTOPHER CARNEY: University of Kentucky