Agriculture & Natural Resources
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Our program provides education, training and technical assistance to individuals and businesses concerned with profitable agriculture.
What Is Agriculture and Natural Resources?
Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) is a program area of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Extension ANR programs are part of the outreach program of the University Of Kentucky College Of Agriculture. We provide informal education in agricultural production and environmental stewardship.
Departmental specialists, researchers, and county agents develop and implement ANR programs. In addition to production agriculture, a small staff of Extension Associates provides focused assistance to state and county staff on interdisciplinary and critical-need programs. These programs may deal with the interface between production agriculture and environmental stewardship. Associates also address the relationship between farmers and non-farm rural and urban citizens. Our programs make a difference in the lives of millions of Kentuckians through research-based education.
Working with our other land grant partner, Kentucky State University, we extend the resources of the University to the people in their local communities. County agents serve as the link between people in every Kentucky county and experts in the universities. They coordinate and provide educational programs for the public through meetings and workshops, field days, personal communications, and web or satellite broadcasts. Agents also provide publications, newsletters, computer programs, videos, and other educational materials.
Secretary Rollins Suspends Live Animal Imports Through Ports of Entry Along Southern Border, Effective Immediately
SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Western Kentucky to Assist
Businesses, Nonprofits and Residents Affected by Severe Storms

USDA to Open General and Continuous Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment for 2025
WASHINGTON, May 12, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced several Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment opportunities for agricultural producers and landowners. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for both the General and Continuous CRP beginning today through June 6, 2025.
CRP, USDA’s flagship conservation program, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. For four decades, CRP has provided financial and technical support to agricultural producers and landowners who place unproductive or marginal cropland under contract for 10-15 years and who agree to voluntarily convert the land to beneficial vegetative cover to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and support wildlife habitat. The American Relief Act, 2025, extended provisions for CRP through Sept. 30, 2025.
“With 1.8 million acres available for all CRP enrollment this fiscal year, we are very aware that we are bumping up against the statutory 27-million-acre statutory cap,” said FSA Administrator Bill Beam. “Now more than ever, it’s important that the acres offered by landowners and those approved by USDA address our most critical natural resource concerns. With the limited number of acres that we have available, we’re not necessarily looking for the most acres offered but instead prioritizing mindful conservation efforts to ensure we maximize the return on our investment from both a conservation and economic perspective.”
David L. Embrey
Extension Agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4-H Youth Development
(270) 597-3628 dlembr2@uky.edu Edmonson County Extension Office 116 Mohawk St, Brownsville, Kentucky 42210-9003