Woodford County Conservation District

06/07/2026

Congratulations and good luck, Carolina!

Carolina Rhea will begin the selection process to serve on the 2026-27 Kentucky FFA State Officer Team today in Lexington. Over the next couple of days, she will go through an extensive interview process and will find out on Thursday if she has been selected to serve as a State FFA Officer.

Please join us in sending Carolina a BIG Woodford County good luck! 🎉👏

06/05/2026

"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲?"

Many farmers are finishing up their first hay harvest of the year: Cutting, tedding, raking and baling.

What does hay have to do with conservation you might be wondering... well, p𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒!

Perennial forage crops have living roots in the ground year 'round. Their roots stabilize soil, create food and habitat for soil organisms, and slowly build organic matter. Their leaves protect the soil surface from the impacts of rain, hoof traffic and other forces as they fuel root activity through photosynthesis. Forage crops contribute to greater soil nutrient and moisture storage, and they also filter surface water runoff. All of these functions provide services on and off the farm.

Woodford County is fortunate to have many thousands of acres of pastureland that serve a variety of 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 functions.

Share your hay and pasture photos in the comments!


Limestone Family Farm
Stones Farm

06/03/2026

The Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service is building an Ag. business directory. Please share this with anyone who you think might want to be added to the directory.

Are you interested in joining a WOODFORD COUNTY - AGRICULTURE RESOURCE DIRECTORY? We are building a comprehensive RESOURCE DIRECTORY to connect our Woodford County community with local agricultural products and services.
If you offer any of the following, We'd love to include you! Click survey link below to sign up.

https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0MrWl5i70Lfempw

Woodford County Conservation District
Woodford County Farm Bureau
Woodford County, Kentucky
City of Versailles, Kentucky

06/01/2026

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗴. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴?

The Woodford County High School Environmental Club is partnering with the Woodford County Conservation District, Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service and Woodford County Extension Master Gardeners to plant a 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽?
A pollinator strip is an intentional planting of plants that provides food and shelter for pollinators and birds. Habitat such as this is most effective when it includes a diversity of plants that will flower throughout the growing season, therefor providing nectar for a longer period of time.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
There are many different ways to establish pollinator habitat, but the first step should always be competition control. In this case, we used a non-selective herbicide to kill the existing lawn. We then broadcast a mix of native forbs and grasses over the ground, when we knew that soil moisture was going to be adequate, and used a rake to improve seed to soil contact. Last week, with the help of the High School Environmental Club, we transplanted several dozen native plants that had already been started to help ensure that we will have something to show earlier than we would otherwise. These plants will also help hold the soil and provide cover from rain while everything begins to grow. Establishing native pollinator habitat is generally a slow process, so expectations must be adjusted but the benefits are well worth the wait.

Want to talk about establishing pollinator habitat or learn about funding opportunities? Stop by the Ag. Resource Building and we will get you connected with what you need to succeed!

Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service
Woodford County Extension Master Gardeners
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

05/30/2026

The Woodford County Conservation District is seeking proposals from qualified individuals to coordinate a Young Conservationist Gathering this summer. This individual will also support social media and stakeholder engagement and generate conservation success stories in Woodford County.

The request for proposals can be downloaded on our website under the Education & Outreach heading.

www.woodfordcd.com

Woodford County, Kentucky
City of Versailles, Kentucky
Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service

Woodford County Conservation District promote and protect our natural resources; promote conservation through information and education.

05/29/2026

Although it has rained a lot recently, we are still in a drought. Please consider reporting what you're seeing. Give our office a call if you need/want assistance.

Attention Woodford County Residents!
You can now report the drought conditions you’re seeing on your farm through the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) system. CMOR is a nationwide tool from the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, developed in partnership with the National Integrated Drought Information System and USDA. Your report helps build the national picture of drought impacts. Your on the ground observations make a real difference. Share what you’re seeing and help strengthen drought monitoring across the country.

https://droughtimpacts.unl.edu/Tools/ConditionMonitoringObservations.aspx

05/28/2026

As posted in the Ag. Resource Building yesterday, the Woodford County Conservation District will hold a special education committee meeting on Thursday the 28th at 9:00 a.m.

All meetings are open to the public and welcome community input.

05/27/2026

The Woodford County Conservation District and several Woodford County farmers attended the Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Local Working Group Meeting for the Shelbyville work unit on Tuesday. The annual meeting provides an opportunity for stakeholder feedback on how Farm Bill money is used locally and statewide. Our work unit includes Woodford, Anderson, Franklin, Henry, Shelby, Trimble, Oldham and Jefferson counties.

Do you have feedback for NRCS? Let us know what resource concerns you think should be prioritized.

Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts - KACD
Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service
Woodford County, Kentucky
City of Versailles, Kentucky

05/22/2026

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service work unit for Woodford County is hosting a 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 M𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟔𝐭𝐡 to solicit public input about conservation priorities in our area and in Kentucky.

RSVP to the Woodford County Conservation District office if you want to be part of the conversation. Comments can also be submitted to our office to be shared on your behalf.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐍𝐑𝐂𝐒 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝?

Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service
Woodford County, Kentucky
City of Versailles, Kentucky
Woodford County Farm Bureau

05/21/2026

Office closing: Monday, May 25th.