Agriculture is a way of life in the rural South Central Kentucky community. The countryside is characterized by beautiful expanses of pasture and hayland interspersed with crop fields and hardwood forestland.
The livestock industry, specifically beef cattle and dairy farms, provides a major contribution to the local economy. Crop production, while economically significant, contributes to the agricultural diversity that is common on family farms throughout the South.
Tobacco, once the major cash crop produced in Kentucky, is being replaced by other crops and livestock enterprises as quota reductions reflect diminished use of the end product. Tobacco barns used in curing the crop after harvest continue to add to the beauty of the rural landscape. Local farmers work together, progressively, to promote their products, improve production techniques, and develop marketing opportunity. Crop production practices reflect conservation planning and the implementation of modern management practices to enhance and protect the environment.
The dairy industry is part of this communities rural heritage. Docile black and white Holstein dairy cows grazing green forages are a common site across the county. Local dairymen excel in milk production per cow through the utilization of modern animal husbandry. Milk production per cow now averages 13,650 pounds per year, over three times the level of production obtained only a generation ago.
Adair County continues to be one of the two top dairy production counties in Kentucky producing in excess of 109 million pounds of milk annually.
Adair county farms are mostly small in size and are family operated businesses that
are likely to remain in the family fro one generation to another. The average farm consists of 119 acres of which a portion is commonly woodland, This forest resource, properly managed, contributes significantly to annual farm revenue. Woodlands also provide a major contribution to recreation potential and the aesthetic value of a the rural lifestyle.