OLDHAM COUNTY, Ky. — On the 265-acre farm in Crestwood, that’s where you’ll find third generation farmer Buck Ashlock. 

What You Need To Know

  • Corn and soybean yields forecast lower than a year ago

  • Farmers continue to face rising costs

  • Buck Ashlock is the owner of Ashlock Farms and third generation farmer

“Well, I was born and raised here. Mom and dad both worked public work in Louisville and then they came out here. That’s all they ever wanted to do was own a farm,” Ashlock said.

Ashlock feels he’s doing what he was born to do. He raises a little bit of everything from chickens to row crops and even pigs.

This year, Kentucky Ag Connection says that corn and soybean yields will forecast lower than previous years. Corn production in Kentucky is down 26% from 2021 and soybean yields are down 2 bushels from a year ago.

“It’s not that they’re going to be off, they just didn’t raise it,” Ashlock said. “So next year they may come back. So fertilizer prices went up 30 percent so people opted to raise soybeans instead of corn.”

From feed to fertilizer, rising costs hit the pockets of nearly every farmer around the state, but Ashlock is hopeful for the future of farming.

“Well, I’m hoping that there’s dedicated people like myself that don’t know any different and love it, it’s all about passion anyway and if you can figure it out, if you’re fortunate enough to be able to hold on,” Ashlock said.

According to Kentucky Ag Connection based on conditions as of August 1, corn yields are estimated at 147 bushels per acre, down 45 bushels from last year. 

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