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Farm Credit Services Provides Scholarship Opportunities

The Shelbyville KY newspaper, The Sentinel-News, wrote an article in the Wednesday January 23 2008 edition about scholarship opportunities being made available by Farm Credit Services of Mid-America.  This company is a $13 billion organization that does various farms programs lending and serves Kentucky, as well as Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee.

This year, they are making $36000 available to its members, their children/dependents, and their spouses that are a part of Farm Credit Services, and that are studying agriculture or business at 4 year colleges and universities.  18 scholarships worth $2000 each will be given to those students that qualify based on their academic record, leadership traits, and support within their community.

This is an important…

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Kentucky Horse Park to receive $29 million

The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington KY is to receive approximately $29 million to be used for improvements in preparation for the 2010 World Equestrian Games to be held there at the facility.  The money is being allocated by Governor Beshear as a grant to the KY Horse Park from the state park improvements fund.

But, this grant is coming with some resistance.  $15 million of the $29 million is coming from moneys that had been allocated to the Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park which is located in Senate President David Williams district.  Williams has voiced disagreement with the allocation stating that when the General Assembly in Kentucky approved $60 million for KY state park improvements in 2006 under Governor Fletcher’s administration, that it did…

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Lexington KY Land Bank is Proposed

According to the Tuesday January 22 2008 edition of the Lexington-Herald Leader newspaper, there is on the table a proposal for creation of a Lexington KY land bank.  First off:  what is a land bank?

A land bank is a means of acquiring vacant, tax delinquent, or neglected real estate (basically all of the property that is currently undesireable and not cared for by its present owner), and then is re-sold at a very low cost to a real estate developer that would revitalize the property for a new use.  Essentially, creating an economic revitalization in some depressed or impoverished areas of the local community.

The Lexington Kentucky Mayor, Jim Newberry has earmarked $2 million out of the Lexington KY budget for use in a possible land bank initiative. …

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Efforts to ban horse slaughter continue

Efforts to ban horse slaughter continue to move forward within the various government channels.  In the most recent government spending bill that Congress has approved, there is a provision that would effectively remove the ability to slaughter horses in the United States.

How this was implemented within the context of the bill is really quite simple.  The USDA that monitors all meat inspections, would be prohibited from collecting its fees - this would in turn not allow them to supervise the slaughter, and that would in turn remove the ability of the horse slaughter facilties to be able to operate without their supervision.

This is an example of just one aspect that many persons find objectionable within the horse industry.  There are other efforts…

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KY Horse Farms Production Level Results in Declining Horse Values

The most recent January Keeneland sales in Lexington KY are showing one thing:  the KY horse farms production level are resulting in declining horse values.  The numbers from the sale overall shake out as follows:

# Sold:  153

# not sold:  55

Gross Sales:   $1 million

Average Price:  $6652

Median Price:  $3500

Unselective breeding, and overbreeding are starting to take its toll on horse values.  Persons aren’t wanting to purchase any old nag just because it happens to be from Kentucky.  They are being selective - and the horse breeders in KY need to start paying attention to the market demand, or they may end up being stuck with too many horses of their own.

The Taylor Made Sales Agency January Sale, was the top sale for the 8th consecutive…

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KY Horse Farms struggle with Hay Prices

The Louisville KY newspaper The Courier-Journal wrote an excellent article in the Friday January 18 2008 edition regarding a growing problem for many KY Horse farms.

As many of you are aware, hay prices this year have gone up dramatically.  This has led many Kentucky horse farms owners to begin giving away, or donating their hroses because they lack adequate food for the horses to get through the winter.  In some more extreme cases, horse owners are simply abandoning their animals.

The problem began back in the Spring of 2007.  Hay stocks were recorded to be the lowest that they’ve been in about 50 years.  Then there was a late hard frost that killed almost all alfalfa crops in KY.  Add in the very long drought this summer, and soaring temperatures -…

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Stewart Home School Equestrian Therapy Program

The Stewart Home School equestrian therapy program caters to persons with intellectual disabilities - and was destroyed by fire on November 5, 2007 and 7 of the 8 horses were lost in the blaze. The only horse to survive was Tia Marie who made it out of the disaster with singed whiskers and a shorter mane, but nonetheless in relatively good spirits given the tragedy. Tia Marie’s stablemate is a horse named Cyclops and is on loan from the Indian Ridge Farm from Buff & Kim Bradley until the facility can be rebuilt and new horses can be a part of Tia Marie’s new herd.

The community has banded together, along with some very generous donations - and the Stewart Home School equestrian therapy program is starting to rebuild. Aid as far away as Kansas, Oklahoma…

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Lexington Kentucky Keeneland Sale set for January 7-13 2008

Lexington Kentucky Keeneland Sale has been set for January 7-13 2008. It is being called the January Horses of All Ages Sale.

There are currently 1201 broodmares listed as being available for the sale and it includes many industry leading mares that are in foal to some of the top stallions such as:

A.P. Indy

Distorted Humor

Elusive Quality

Smart Strike

Storm Cat

Unbridled’s Song

among many others

There will also be a lot of younger horses available for sale at the January Horses of All Ages Sale. There is scheduled for 862 yearlings to be marked for sale.

And there are 482 horses that are of appropriate racing age going to be put on the market.

Only 2 stallions are listed currently as available for sale.

The sale in January 2007 at…

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Equine Equity Act - Tax incentives sought for Racehorses

Senator Mitch McConnell the representative from Kentucky, is currently seeking approval for the Equine Equity Act.  This proposal would provide tax incentives for racehorses.

The proposal is currently part of a much larger bill with The Farm Bill that was approved by the U.S. Senate last week.

This tax incentive for the Equine Equity Act would allow horse owners to depreciate their racehorses over a 3 year period, and also it would help them by reducing their capital gains from a 2 year period down to just 1 year.

As The Farm Bill has currently been proposed, President Bush has promised to veto either the House approved or Senate approved versions of the bill.

This tax incentive would certainly spur the ongoing vigorous effort that is being sought…

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Kentucky Farm Bureau Goals for 2008

Kentucky Farm Bureau announced some new goals to be implemented for 2008, which included providing motivational means for new vets to enter into the large animal (horses, cows, etc) areas of practice.  Funds are also being solicited and earmarked for a new training center that is currently located in Hardinsburg Kentucky.  And they are also lobbying politicians to implement stronger legal recourses against persons that trespass on other people’s farms with ATVs (and subsequently damage the farms or livestock, etc.).

Many other proposals are being lobbyed on a national perspective.  But on a Kentucky Farms perspective, the items slated for placing effort behind include:

Improving the veterinarian diagnosis centers for identifying, quarantining, and…

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