Small weekly's special section has original reporting on farm industries in county and state

The Todd County Standard, a small weekly newspaper in Elkton, Ky., went beyond the usual canned copy in its annual farm section this month and published original stories about the beef, dairy and tobacco industries in the county and the state. It shared those stories with members of the news service operated by the Kentucky Press Association. (Wikipedia map)

The number of beef farmers is shrinking statewide, Tonya Grace reported. Farmers are selling their cows and growing more grains because of their high prices. Beef prices are also good because of the declining number of cows, allowing those who sell cattle to turn a big profit. Grace told the story of Daysville farmer Tony Berry, whose cattle are among the 19,300 in the county, which has only 12,460 people at the 2010 census. Grace reported the state has lost more than 200,000 beef cows since 2007, when there were 1.2 million.

Grace also reported about the state of small, family-owned dairies in the state. There are 863 dairies in Kentucky, 48 of which are in Todd County. University of Kentucky agricultural extension agent Jeffrey Bewley told her the dairy industry in the state is experiencing growth because of young farmers who intend to stay in the business a while. But many farmers, like Alvin Frogue, are worried small farms will be pushed out of business by corporate dairies. The Standard does not have a website, but the stories can be read here.