Woodford County Conservation District

09/14/2026

The Woodford County Conservation District's cover crop programs are OPEN.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 provides gardeners with enough wheat/clover seed to cover 500 square feet. Bags of seed can be picked up, with planting information, at the Ag. Resource Building during normal business hours.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 reimburses crop farmers $20/acre for cover crops planted before December 1st up to 100 acres or 75 acres for to***co. Applications are available in our office or on our website at woodfordcd.com/localcost-share.


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

09/10/2026

The Graddy family has been farming between Clifton and Steele Rd. for hundreds of years and Lucy Smith (along with her brother Campbell) embodies that legacy. Lucy and her husband Johnny Mac have dabbled in vegetable and cut flower production and continue to improve the land that they steward by grazing cattle and using goats to control invasive plant species.


Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service
Woodford County Farm Bureau
Woodford County, Kentucky
City of Versailles, Kentucky
Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts - KACD
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

09/09/2026

If you call the Woodford County Conservation District (859-873-4941) and are unable to get through, you can reach our office by calling the Farm Service Agency phone number at 859-873-3411 or by emailing us at [email protected].

Thank you for your patience as we work on addressing this issue.

09/04/2026

The Ag. Resource Building will be closed on Monday, September 7th in observance of Labor Day.

09/01/2026

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐬?

The Woodford County Conservation District's annual Art & Writing Contest is an opportunity for young people in Woodford County to demonstrate their understanding of conservation knowledge using visual art and creative writing.

This year's theme is "Ground Rules: The Story Beneath Your Feet" and we are especially excited about it! You can download a copy of the tabloid (an educational resource full of interesting information and fun activities for grades 1-12) on our website at woodfordcd.com/contests.

Interested teachers (home schools included) are encouraged to reach out to our office for more details about contest participation. Classroom visits from District staff are available but require advanced scheduling. The contest submission deadline is December 1st!

08/27/2026

CSP & EQIP applications are due
September 25!

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to help address resource concerns with structural, vegetative, and management practices.

• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) rewards producers for existing conservation and supports enhancements that take their stewardship to the next level.

Reach out to your local NRCS office or Conservation District to discuss which program best fits your operation.

08/26/2026

Next in our series of Conservation Stories is Rusty Thompson!

Rusty Thompson, along with his wife Martha and their son Travis, steward hundreds of acres on both sides of Tyrone Pike, which includes the land that Rusty grew up farming. Rusty has coordinated food for the Conservation District's annual Spring Fling Awards banquet for years and can often be found volunteering his time with the local Cattlemen's Association.

You can view past Conservation Stories, and learn more about the Woodford County Conservation District, by visiting our website at
https://www.woodfordcd.com/conservation-stories

08/20/2026

State and federal conservation cost-share programs are available to land owners and land managers (tenants and operators are eligible) in Woodford County through the Woodford County Conservation District. Both of these funding opportunities aim to incentivize the adoption of best management practices on privately owned land.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 "𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞?"
They are practices that are proven to conserve natural resources (reduce soil erosion, decrease excess nutrient runoff/leaching, etc.). The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Kentucky Division of Conservation have a long list of practices that are eligible for funding. The term can be misleading because every property and operation is different. What is "best" for one context is not always best for another.

If you are interested in either of these funding opportunities, there are three basic steps:
1. setup farm records with the Farm Service Agency office located in our building if you have not already.
2. submit a request for technical assistance to our office and wait for someone to reach out about scheduling a site visit.
3. explore available programs and practices that address the specific natural resource concerns on your property and submit an application as appropriate.

Application deadlines are in the fall, and notification of funding is delivered the following year. These are competitive programs and funding is not guaranteed. However, applications can be resubmitted. If you are interested in the state or federal cost-share, don't wait! Contact our office and start the process or reach out with any questions.

Find out more on our website: https://www.woodfordcd.com/cost-share

Both of the bigger cost-share programs (up to $20,000 for state and unlimited for federal) have Fall deadlines. Notifications of award are sent out in the spring of the following year.

08/18/2026

Krista Lea has had a big impact on soil and water conservation in Woodford County for only having lived and farmed here for 5 years. Aside from operating Texata Farms with her husband Russell, Krista works as an Extension Specialist with the University of Kentucky where she provides practical solutions and information to forage producers in Kentucky (and beyond!). Through her management of the Pasture Evaluation Program, Krista has positively impacted thousands of acres of pastureland in Woodford County by helping horse farms mitigate toxic tall fescue, increase pasture productivity, conservatively manage soil nutrients, and develop grazing management plans.

Woodford County Cooperative Extension Service
Woodford County Chamber Of Commerce
Woodford County, Kentucky
Woodford County Farm Bureau

08/12/2026

We were fortunate to have Emma Greathouse working with us as an intern this summer. Emma is responsible for all of the Conservation Stories that we are publishing every other week. She also organized a Young Conservationist Council gathering, assisted with board meeting prep, and even gained a little web design experience. Thanks for your contribution to conservation in Woodford County, Emma!

You can view Emma's conservation stories on our website at woodfordcd.com/conservation-stories. We will continue adding them to the website as we release them here.