KWOA joins the Kentucky Farmland Transition Initiative KFTI. Many members are concerned about preserving forests for our future and have expressed concerns about preventing the transition of our lands to non-agricultural/woodland purposes. Part of this issue relates to personal estate planning tools. Another aspect is having incentives in place to encourage future owners to continue the productivity and conservation of the land. Learn more about KFTI here and visit the Kentucky Farm Bureau display at the KY State Fair.
The Kentucky Forest Sector Economic Contribution Report for 2022-2023 is now available online or as a downloadable PDF. Here's a link to the full report downloadable PDF:
https://forestry.ca.uky.edu/sites/forestry.ca.uky.edu/files/KY%20Contribution%20Report2022-23-Final.pdf The economic impact of forestry in Kentucky continues to grow. A few notable findings are:
7/10/24 In recent years the Louisville Metro Council has funded $335,000 for the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Office and $113,200 for the Jefferson County Soil & Water Conservation Office. This year the Mayor’s Proposed Budget only provided $30,000 for the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Office and $30,000 for the Jefferson County Soil & Water Conservation Office. The Louisville Metro Council successfully added funding to both line items in the Final Approved Budget. They increased the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Office funding to $182,500 which is still $152,500 short of prior year appropriations. They increased the Jefferson County Soil & Water Conservation Office funding to the full prior level of $113,200. There are discussions among some of the Council members about trying to increase the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Office funding during the mid-year budget adjustment process in January. The Metro Fiscal Year runs from July 1 through June 30. 6/4/24:The council will vote on the budget June 20, 2024. These are the links you can use to voice your concerns/opinions:
Summary: The Metro Louisville Mayor's proposed budget would defund Conservation District, see news:www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2024/04/29/greenberg-defunds-louisville-conservationg-district-in-new-budget/73469415007/ AND drastically cut Extension Service budget to just $30,000, a cut of $305,000. More detailed information from UK Cooperative Extension Service in the PDF doc below.
Your Local USDA Service Center FSA office is accepting applications for the Continuous CRP signup and for owners already in the CRP there is the Forest Management Incentive (FMI), which can help participants with forest management practices, such as brush management and prescribed burning.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can now sign up for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (Grassland CRP). The signup runs from today through June 28, 2024. Grassland CRP, offered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), is a voluntary working lands conservation program that enables participants to conserve grasslands and provide important conservation benefits for wildlife, soil health and carbon sequestration, all while continuing most grazing and haying practices.
Landowners and producers interested in CRP should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program before the June 28 deadline. What is the NWOS? The National Woodland Owner Survey is implemented through the Family Forest Research Center, which is a joint venture between the USDA Forest Service and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It is an imporatnt tool used by the USDA Forest Service to quantify:
KWOA member family is one of 3 KY finalists for the Leopold Award. KWOA is happy to see a woodlands owner as a finalist this year.
May 17, 2024 Press Release: Congress Prioritizes Parity for Forest Landowners Through Easement Program. As you know KWOA has been supporting this legislation all along the way and we are quoted in the press release. The Conservation Fund www.conservationfund.org/fcep is coordinating efforts on the national level. Here is a link to the FCEP coalition press release. Please share the press release,widely with others who share your concern for sustaining our woodland resources.
Kentucky Farm Bureau rolls out Kentucky Farm Life podcast. An opportunity to get to know the people and policies that make up Kentucky Farm Bureau and Kentucky's agriculture community through engaging discussions, stories, and interviews. Subscribe for free and get access to all four Kentucky Farm Life series!
Pine Pandemic Preparedness Plan (P4) Survey from Southern Group of State Foresters; stakeholder input request is relevant if you have pines. Check it out here https://ugeorgia.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3q56tCndVzmHDtY
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