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is published quarterly for stockholders, directors, business associates and friends of Central Kentucky Ag Credit.
PRESIDENT AND CEO
Jonathan Noe
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Alvin Lyons, Chairman
Jim Rankin, III
Joe Myers, Vice Chairman
Lee Hood
Patrick Higginbotham
Mary-Lynn Hinkel
Dan Grigson
EDITOR
Cassie Johnson, Marketing Coordinator
PUBLISHER
AgFirst Farm Credit Bank
DESIGNERS
Joey Ayer
Gwen Carroll
Jessica Deas
Phereby Derrick
Simeon Roberts
PRINTER
Professional Printers LLC
ADDRESS CHANGE
Address changes, questions, comments and requests to cancel your free subscription to the Ag Credit Leader should be sent to Central Kentucky Agricultural Credit Association by calling 859.253.3249 or mailing to PO Box, 4100 Lexington, KY 40544-4100.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The Farm Credit Administration does not require the association to distribute its quarterly financial reports to stockholders. Copies of the association’s annual and quarterly reports are available upon request free of charge by calling 859.253.3249 or writing to Marcus Barnett, Chief Financial Officer, Central Kentucky Ag Credit, PO Box, 4100 Lexington, KY 40544-4100, or at AgCreditOnline.com
Your online privacy is always a top concern at Ag Credit. For a complete copy of the latest version of the online privacy policy, please visit our website and click on the home page link. NMLS#604727
There’s no better time to celebrate the American beef industry than in May, National Beef Month. Did you know that Madison County is the second largest beef- producing county in Kentucky?
On May 24, Ag Credit saluted the area’s farmers, ranchers and the beef cattle they provide with a drop in at our Richmond office. We partnered with Madison County Farm Bureau, Madison County Cattlemen’s, Madison County Cooperative Extension Services, Bluegrass Stockyards of Richmond and the Kentucky Beef Council to host the 4th annual Madison County Beef Day.
Almost 800 burger meals were distributed to members of the community within just an hour and a half. The event also served as an opportunity to connect cattle producers and consumers in Madison County.
The United States remains the world’s largest producer in 2023. The beef industry involves thousands of American farmers, ranchers and processors who help keep our economy strong and put food on our tables.
Central Kentucky Ag Credit takes pride in finding innovative ways to assist the local agricultural community. Our Cultivate program is designed to nurture tomorrow’s community leaders with a special focus on young, beginning and small farmers.
The two-year program is designed to increase participants’ knowledge of ag financing, marketing, production and more while networking with peers from across Ag Credit’s 17- county territory. Thirteen participants applied and were ultimately selected by the program’s advisory council and Ag Credit staff.
Participating Ag Credit employees are Vice President and Chief Lending Officer Richard Medley, Regional Lending Manager Willie Wilson, Marketing Coordinator Cassie Johnson, as well as loan officers Shelbi Taylor and Randa Morris and Anna Mattingly. Aaron Clark, Marcus Wiseman, and Andy and Danielle Bratcher – all graduates of the previous program –are members of the advisory council. They have been great advocates for the program and help plan the group’s quarterly meetings.
In May, the Cultivate group toured Marcus Wiseman’s family farm, where Wiseman explained how his cattle operation is run. After the tour, the group traveled to the Clark County Farm Bureau office, where retired Brig. Gen. Ben Adams III gave a powerful and motivating leadership speech.
Cultivate participants will meet again in August to tour Ayres Livestock in Lancaster, Ky.
Are you tired or eating the same old lunch every day? Would you like a free meal brought to you at the farm? If you answered yes, then you’re in luck! Central Kentucky Ag Credit will roll out its Meals in the Field program for current member-borrowers this fall.
Here’s what to do:
• Beginning this summer, call into your local branch to let them know you’d like a free meal.
• You’ll then be entered for a drawing for a free meal for you and your team.
• If your name is drawn, your loan officer will bring you your meal on the date of your choice
Where are you from?
Richmond, KY
Did you grow up on a farm?
Yes, I have been a farm girl all my life. Where did you go to college?
Eastern Kentucky University
Were you involved with any clubs/ teams growing up?
I was in 4-H and FFA growing up, and I was in 10 different agricultural and educational clubs in college. I also was a 4-H Volunteer Leader.
Interesting Facts about yourself.
I’ve been in the cattle-showing business since I was 10. I’m also a singer who has produced two CDs. What’s even more interesting is that me, my husband and our soon-to-be-born son, Ben, survived our first tornado this summer.
Favorite part of being an Ag Credit Loan Officer?
Helping farmers finance their farming needs and expand their operations. I also love helping beginning farmers and watching their success.
Mike Thornton has been a valued customer of Central Kentucky Ag Credit for seven years. Thornton began farming 42 years ago while in high school with his first tobacco crop. He started working with Ag Credit when he decided to purchase his first group of Angus females. Over the years he has grown his operation and now has about 330 head of cattle. Thornton grows and sells feeder cattle and hosts an annual bull sale at the Paris Stockyards. Along with running his farm, he owns Martin Sanitation which he started in 1995 with one truck and has now developed it into a large-scale business.
Thornton has never shied away from researching and improving efficiency in his business or on the farm. Working closely with Southern States Cooperative in Paris, he has been able to ensure that he is producing nutrient dense forages to harvest and feed his cattle. Thornton takes the time to find the most effective rations and determine what crops to grow. He believes that the nutrient value in cows is essential, which is a significant reason he has succeeded in increasing his cattle’s performance. Thornton works his cows twice a year. By following a vaccination protocol, they are weighed and prepped for breeding and then brought in again to preg check. Running the cattle through the chute twice a year has also helped him keep better track of the cows’ performance.
“If a cow has had less than 1.4 pounds of gain in six months, it’s culled. If it gains around 2.3 to 2.4 pounds, the cow will do well with accepting an embryo or breeding back,” Thornton said. Due to his precise nutrient diet and consistent care, Thornton calves 140 head of cattle in 42 days.
While Thornton was focusing on producing the best feed, he also realized running and operating with the equipment he had was becoming more challenging. Seeking a new way to put up feed, such as silage, he
decided on a forage harvester, which uses a specailty header in front to cut the crop and then blow into the silage trailer behind. With this equipment and researching the best blend of forages, he has seen increased crop production per acre. Thornton has been able to improve performance in his cattle and be more efficient in production of his feed.
Like all Ag Credit loan officers, Caleb Sadler believes that building relationships between him and the customer is critical. Central Kentucky Ag Credit wants to see the farm succeed.
“I appreciate the open line of communication with Caleb and his genuine want for me to be successful,” said Thornton.
Sadler is frequently talking, visiting the farm and reviewing the reports that Thornton sends him. Thornton is progressive in his record keeping, allowing him to see where his profits and losses are. Every month, Thornton shares a report with Sadler that includes a spreadsheet of all the expenses and profit margins for each group of cattle. The report is beneficial for both men to know what to anticipate moving forward.
Ag Credit has been building relationships with our customers since 1934, and we value getting to know you. Our loan officers come from agricultural backgrounds, and most are still heavily involved with farming or cattle. “We understand what our customers are going through because we are experiencing the same things on our farms. I enjoy coming to work every day and having the opportunity to assist other producers with their operation,” Sadler said.
For more information on our loan options contact your local Ag Credit office or visit us online at: www.AgCreditOnline.com
Irvin Group Realtors & Auctioneers
31 Public Square | Lancaster, KY 40444
859.792.2521 | www.irvingroup.com
Location 1:
Acres: 57.71
County: Garrard
Date of Sale: 6/16/2023
Selling Price: $275,000.00
Improved: 4 bent tobacco barn with attached shed.
Kentucky Prime Realty, LLC
232 S College St | Harrodsburg, KY 40330 859.265.5100 | www.kyprimerealty.com
Location 2:
Acres: 610
County: Clark
Date of Sale: 3/17/2023
Selling Price: $4,575,000.00
Improved: 3 tobacco barns
Unusual Features: This farm is 80% row crop land with frontage on two rads. Located 4 miles from interstate in Clark County.
The information provided in this column is only a sample of the recent land sales in central Kentucky. Since there are many factors taken into consideration when a buyer and seller establish a price, sales may or may not reflect the current market value in any particular area and should not be used in lieu of a formal appraisal by a state certified real estate appraiser to establish a value for a particular tract of land.
ANDERSON BOURBON BOYLE CLARK FAYETTE FRANKLIN GARRARD HARRISON JESSAMINE LINCOLN MADISON MARION MERCER MONTGOMERY SCOTT WASHINGTON151 West Main Street | Lebanon, KY 40033
270.692.2153 | www.auctionsandhomes.com
Location 3:
Acres: 212.87 acres m/l in 10 tracts
County: Washington
Date of Sale: 5/20/2023
Selling Price: $1,700,000.00
Unusual Features: 84 acres m/l was cropland, and the remainder was pasture and woods.
Location 4:
Acres: 67.49 acres m/l in 15 tracts
County: Marion/Taylor County Line
Date of Sale: 5/13/2023
Selling Price: $532,000.00
Unusual Features: Land had a majority of cropland with some of the tracts not having access to county water.
Location 5:
Acres: 64.2 acres m/l
County: Marion
Date of Sale: 6/24/2023
Selling Price: $13,200.00/acre
Improved: Farm has an older farm house and old barn.
Unusual Features: Of the 64.2 acres, roughly 25 acres was being cropped.
The information provided in this column is only a sample of the recent land sales in central Kentucky. Since there are many factors taken into consideration when a buyer and seller establish a price, sales may or may not reflect the current market value in any particular area and should not be used in lieu of a formal appraisal by a state certified real estate appraiser to establish a value for a particular tract of land.
Editor’s note: In the last edition of this magazine, we announced Patrick Higginbotham’s reelection to the Ag Credit Board. Unfortunately, the article did not get published correctly. We sincerely apologize and are providing the correct article below.
Patrick Higginbotham has been reelected to Ag Credit’s Board of Directors to a second four-year term. The election followed the completion of the Annual Stockholder Meetings. He was first elected to the Board in 2019.
Higginbotham is employed with the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs as a pharmacist. He and his wife own and farm 105 acres in Fayette County, where they run a horse-boarding operation with 35 horses and produce 4,000 to 5,000 square bales of hay per year.
Higginbothom serves in multiple leadership roles in both civic organizations and his church. He is an active member of Trinity Christian Fellowship in Lexington, where he serves as a deacon.
Ag Credit is a proud sponsor of Harrison County Beef Day, which was held May 5th in Cynthiana. Representing the Association were loan officers Tom Zack Evans and Shelby Wade Kirby. The event is designed to promote the beef industry to area residents. The Harrison County Cattleman’s Association fed 860 people.
Ag Credit was a sponsor of the Kentucky Junior Simmental Field Day on May 21st in Versailles. Loan Officers Ben VanHook and Lisa Yeager were in attendance handing out water and speaking with exhibitors.
Loan Officers Tom Zack Evans and Ben VanHook attended the Scott County Ag Discovery Night June 23 at the 2023 Georgetown Kiwanis Scott County Fair. The event is for young people exploring careers in agriculture. In addition to sharing information with attendees how Ag Credit supports agriculture, Evans and VanHook also discussed the growth stages of plants and handed out Ag Credit coloring books.
Ag Credit was on hand for the Bourbon County Fair’s first Sunshine Day, a June 28 event that offered a welcoming, stress-free environment for individuals and families with sensory sensitivities and disabilities. Attendees enjoyed face-painting, cotton candy, snow cones, games, carousel rides and the petting zoo. The Association also sponsored the Sunshine Goat Show, during which every contestant received a trophy and cash prize.
Ag Credit is happy to announce that Morgan Barnes has joined the internship program this summer.
Barnes grew up on her family’s beef cattle farm in Crittenden County. She has had a passion for agriculture since early age and enjoyed helping her father and grandfather on the farm. She was also very involved in 4-H and FFA growing up. Barnes served as the 2020-21 Kentucky 4-H secretary and later became the marketing and development intern for the Kentucky 4-H Foundation.
Barnes is a rising senior at the University of Kentucky, where she is dual majoring in agriculture economics and management. She is the philanthropy chair of Sigma Alpha, a professional agriculture sorority, and president of the Agribusiness Club at the University of Kentucky. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, being on the farm and cooking.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to spend my summer with Ag Credit. I have been assigning leads, creating social media content and traveling Central Kentucky to interview customers and write articles for Ag Credit publications,” Barnes said. This internship has allowed me to learn and gain so many skills in agriculture and marketing that I will take with me into my future career. It truly has been a pleasure to get to know everyone here and be a part of the Ag Credit team.”
Lasagna
3-4 lbs of hamburger
9 lasagna noodles
2 lbs cottage cheese
2 eggs (beaten)
20 oz mozzarella shredded cheese
1 large jar of Ragu
Parmesan Cheese
Brown hamburger and drain grease. Mix hamburger and Ragu in pan, set aside.
Mix cottage cheese and eggs. Cook noodles according to package.
Once all is done, you are ready to layer as follows:
Meat sauce
Noodles
Cottage Cheese Mixture
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Noodles
Meat sauce
Cottage Cheese mixture
Mozzarella
Parmasan
Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.
