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Joel Armistead wins first place in Agricultural Innovation Exchange Program

Joel Armistead was honored as the first place winner of Kentucky Farm Bureau's Agricultural Innovation Exchange Program.

Joel Armistead, a farmer from Adairville, KY, was honored as the first place winner of Kentucky Farm Bureau’s (KFB) Agricultural Innovation Exchange Program. He was recognized during the December 4 general session of KFB’s annual meeting in Louisville.

In this competition that identifies original, agriculturally-oriented innovations that make work around the farm easier, faster or more effective, Armistead was honored for his no-till corn planter that applies four products at once – seed corn, 32-percent liquid nitrogen, liquid potash and phosphorus fertilizers. His invention was designed to reduce the number of times a farmer needed to work a field, and to apply fertilizers in the best place, at the best time to reduce total usage and loss from runoff after a rain. Not only was this invention a more efficient use of time and resources, but it also provided cost savings of more than $35 per acre.

In addition to receiving a plaque to commemorate his recognition as the first place finisher in the competition, Armistead was also awarded $300 for his winning entry.

The Agricultural Innovation Exchange Program was initiated to help surface inventions, equipment modifications, innovative cropping systems, marketing techniques, management methodologies and other creative farming practices developed by KFB members. The program encourages KFB members to share their innovations with other farmers and to help them find new ways to cut costs, improve efficiencies, protect or improvethe environment and increase net income.

Kentucky Farm Bureau, with more than 465,000 member families statewide, is the state’s largest general farm organization. Approximately 1,500 members attended KFB’s 95th annual meeting in Louisville, December 3-6, to recognize this year’s individual and organizational achievements and adopt policy for 2015. To view all the updates released from this year’s annual meeting, visit KYFBNewsroom.com.