Bullitt County Farmers,
I wanted to take this
opportunity to introduce
myself. My name is Marlee
Kelley, and I’m the new
County Extension Agent for
Agriculture and Natural
Resources. I graduated from
the University of Florida in 2017 with a degree
in Animal Science. I recently completed my
Master’s from the University of Kentucky in
Animal and Food Science. I specialized in
Meat Science, specifically looking at how
feeding different vitamins can affect the meat
quality of livestock. While at UK, I had the
opportunity to work under Dr. Gregg Rentfrow,
the Extension Meat Science Specialist, and
coach the Meat Judging Team.
I’m excited to join the University of
Kentucky Cooperative Extension family here in
Bullitt County. I look forward to meeting
everyone so please feel free to call, email or
stop by and see me!
Sincerely,
Bullitt County Extension Agent for Agriculture
and Natural Resources
Phone: (502) 543-2257
Email: [email protected]
Upcoming Meetings
Bullitt County Ag Development Council
1st Thursday of Each Month at 7pm
Bullitt County Cattlemen’s Association
2nd Tuesday of Each Month at 7pm
Young Farmers
1st Tuesday of Each Month at 7pm
February 20th Alfalfa and Stored Forage
Conference- Hardin County Extension
Office, Elizabethtown, KY
March 17th Cow-Calf Profitability
Conference- Taylor County Extension
Office, Campbellsville, KY
March 18th Cow-Calf Profitability
Conference, Warren County Extension
Office, Bowling Green, KY
March 19th Cow-Calf Profitability
Conference- Hardin County Extension
Office, Elizabethtown, KY
March 19th Novel Tall Fescue Renovation
Workshop- Lexington, KY
March 30th A Grower’s Guide to Kentucky
Hemp Production- Hardin County Extension
Office, Elizabethtown, KY
April 21st-22nd Kentucky Grazing School-
Princeton, KY
On-Farm Composting of Animal
Mortalities
Dr. Stephen Higgins, UK Biosystems and
Agricultural Engineering Specialist
Why should you Compost. Composting can
provide animal producers with a convenient
method for disposing of animal moralities and
also provide a valuable soil amendment. In
addition, the finished compost can be
stockpiled and reused to compost other
mortalities.
Rules and Regulations. Kentucky Law KRS
257.160(1) (f) allows disposal of animal
carcasses by composting if the disposal is
performed in accordance with state
administrative regulations (302 KAR). A permit
and registration with the State Veterinarian is
no longer required for agricultural operations to
compost animal mortalities in Kentucky if the
composting operation is not being used for a
commercial purpose. Kentucky Administrative
Regulation 302 KAR 20:052 states that all
facilities should be constructed to meet the
requirements of the Kentucky Agriculture
Water Quality Act. Kentucky law (302 KAR
20:052) also requires that reasonable cost-
effective efforts be taken to prevent odor,
insects, and pests. For more information about
rules and regulations, contact your local
Cooperative Extension Service, conservation
district, or other county officials.
Choosing a Site. The composting area should
not be built in a floodplain, within 300 feet of a
water well, stream, sinkhole, pond, property
line, or public road, or within 1500 feet of
churches, schools, businesses, or any other
public use area. When choosing a site,
consider that any runoff lost from the compost
pile should be diverted to an existing manure
storage structure or to a vegetated filter strip.
In addition, if the composting structure is
located within a pasture, fencing is required to
exclude livestock from both the composting
pad and the filter strip.
Materials. Two basic ingredients are
necessary for composting animal mortalities:
animal carcasses and a bulking agent. The
bulking agent soaks up the leachate produced
by the decomposing carcass, provides
aeration, and increases the carbon-to-nitrogen
(C:N) ratio. Some sort of ground-up wood
product makes the best bulking agent. The
carcass contains a high concentration of
nitrogen and water, and the wood product, high
in carbon, wicks up the moisture. Traditional
bulking agents include sawdust, wood
shavings, and wood-based bedding and
manure.
Composting Process. At least 2 feet of
bulking material should be placed below the
carcass, and at least 2 feet of bulking material
should cover and surround the sides of the
animal. Completely covering animal parts will
help control odors and deter scavengers from
exhuming the carcass. A typical pile for a large
animal (more than 1,000 pounds) should have
a height of approximately 6 feet.
Adding Mortalities. Mortalities may be added
until the pile reaches the upper limits of
manageable height, which depends on the type
of equipment you have and the composting
structure itself. If a producer adds an additional
fallen animal to an existing pile, the producer
may expose un-composted material that was
on the inside of the pile to the outside, which
will attract vermin and flies to the pile. Anytime
un-composted material is exposed to the
outside, it should be top dressed with
additional bulking material, manure, or finished
compost. The rumens of all ruminant animals
may be vented before composting. This
venting will prevent carcass explosion from
trapped gases, which would expose it.
Management. Composting of animal
mortalities does not involve a lot of ongoing
maintenance, but it does require active
management. The pile should be periodically
checked for temperature, moisture, odors, etc.,
as optimum conditions are needed for
decomposition.
Correct Temperature. Place a long-stemmed
compost thermometer near the carcass to
determine internal pile temperatures, which
need to reach temperatures of 140° to 160°F
and be maintained for five days to ensure
destruction of pathogens. Temperatures will
increase within two to four days of loading
carcasses in the pile. Temperatures will remain
at 140° to 160°F for approximately two weeks,
followed by a gradual decline in internal pile
temperature.
Maintaining Moisture. Moisture is the most
important condition when composting. To
estimate moisture level, collect some compost
in your hand and squeeze it. If moisture drips
from your hand, the pile is too wet. If your palm
does not get wet, the pile is too dry. When your
hand is wet but not dripping, moisture is
optimum.
Finishing Compost. If all goes well for the
producer, the mortalities will be sufficiently
broken down approximately three to six months
after the pile is loaded to 6 feet. The time frame
will vary depending on the size and surface
area of the carcass. At the end of the two-to-
three-month period, the moisture level and
temperature will have substantially decreased.
The pile may need to be turned and moisture
added to increase temperatures and re-
establish composting bacteria. Two to three
months after this midpoint turning, you will
have a product that can be stored or applied to
land.
Using the Compost. If the composted material
is to be land-applied, it should be applied as a
fertilizer source and incorporated into your
nutrient management plan. Along with land
application, composted material is also good
for topdressing new additions to the compost
pile, which prevents foul odors from escaping.
Soil Sample
Now that we are into winter, it is a good
time of the year to sample your fields, gardens,
or lawns to see what type and how much
fertilizer you need to make the soil as
productive as possible. Besides nitrogen, now
would be a good time to apply any necessary
nutrients (phosphorous, potash, lime if needed
to raise the pH).
For each sample you want to submit, we
need at least one pint (sandwich bag) of dry
soil 4-8 inches below the soil surface. We have
soil sampling bags here at our office if you
want to stop by and pick some up before you
sample. We have soil probes for loan, as well.
Bring those in now so that you can get
the results more quickly and in some cases go
ahead and apply the fertilizer now so that the
soil will be ready for your yard or crops. This is
a free service provided by Bullitt County
Cooperative Extension District Board for
residents of Bullitt County.
Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference
The new Hardin County Extension Office will
be hosting the 39th Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored
Forage Conference on February 20, 2020.
Topics include:
Managing Alfalfa Nutrient Uptake
Don’t Let Insects Eat Your Alfalfa Plant
Fertilizing Profitable High Yield Alfalfa
Getting the Upper Hand on Diseases of
Alfalfa and Grasses
Updates on an Online Alfalfa
Management Tool Under Development
What’s New in Alfalfa Weed Control
Advances in Hay Mechanization
Making a Profit with a cash hay Alfalfa
Operation
Early Registration is just $30 until February
13th, 2020. After February 13th it increases to
$40.
The event begins at 7:30 am and will last until
3:45 pm (EST). You can register at:
www.KYAlfalfa2020.eventbrite.com
2020 Noel Tall Fescue Renovation
Workshop
8:30-4:30 Thursday, March 19, 2020
UK Veterinary Diagnostic Lab 1408 Bull
Lea Rd. Lexington, KY 40511
Toxic tall fescue reduces livestock
weight gains and lowers reproductive
performance. This one day workshop will give
you the tools and information needed to
improve your management of toxic tall fescue
or to remove it and replace it with novel
endophyte varieties. Speakers include local
producers, company representatives and
extension specialists from across the country.
Topics include:
Fescue toxicosis
Economics
Testing
Establishment
Management
Products
Incentives
Early registration is $65 before March 11,
2020. After March 11th it increases to $80.
Registration includes all materials,
refreshments, and lunch. Register online at:
http://TallFescueKY2020.eventbrite.com
For more information, visit forages.ca.uky.edu
or www.grasslandrenewal.org
Pesticide Training
Spencer County is hosting a Private
Pesticide Training. If your card has expired, will
expire this year, or if you need to get certified
for the first time, then you will need to attend
one of the meetings below.
February 20, 9:30 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.
Please call Spencer County at (502) 477-2217
to register for either of these sessions by
February 14.
Forage Timely Tips: February
Continue grazing stockpiled tall fescue if available.
Assess grass stands. If thin, consider frost seeding clover (6-8 lb/A red + 1-2 lb/A ladino white clover).
On pastures with lower fertility, consider adding 10-15 lb/A annual lespedeza with the clover seed.
Consider applying nitrogen at first green-up to promote early growth.
Sign up for shared use drills for spring renovation.
Service and calibrate no-till drills.
Apply lime and fertilizer according to soil test.
The USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) in Kentucky accepts year around
applications through the environmental quality incentives program (EQIP).
EQIP is a conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to farmers who
face threats to soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land. Through EQIP, NRCS
develops contracts with agricultural producers to voluntarily implement conservation practices.
Persons engaged in livestock or agricultural production and owners of non-industrial private
forestland are eligible for this program. Eligible land includes cropland, pastureland, private non-
industrial forestland, and other farm lands.
For more information about EQIP or other programs offered by NRCS, visit us on the web at
www.ky.nrcs.usda.gov or contact your local NRCS service center at 2001 Buchannan Blvd.
Bardstown, KY 40004, contact number (502) 348-3363 Ext. 3
Cooperative Extension Service
Bullitt County
384 Halls Lane
Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6263