Fayette Alliance Blog

Krikorian

The Fayette Alliance appreciates Mr. Krikorian’s efforts to make this innovative development project happen. Its apparent that many challenges still remain for infill redevelopment projects in Lexington…from financing, zoning, and land-assembly issues. The Fayette Alliance will continue to work with city-hall to implement development incentives, design guidelines, a landbank, and other measures to overcome these hardships. This is essential if we want a downtown Lexington we can all be proud of–one that will improve our economy, environment, and quality of life. We’ll keep you posted of all progress.

The Fayette Alliance supports Showprop Lexington’s TIF application which was approved by the LFUCG Council 14-1 on Thursday December 3rd.  Once Mayor Newberry signs the TIF application, it will go to Frankfort for review.  We will keep you posted of all progress, and thank you for supporting our town, our farms, and our future.

Showprop Lexington LLC is seeking Tax Increment Financing for its $70 million mixed-use project in downtown Lexington.

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Fayette County Farm | Photo by Jeff Rogers | www.jeffrogers.com

Fayette County farmland is still fertile ground for new ag initiatives

by Todd Clark, 9.28.11, BizLex.com

Lexington, KY – Recently Emily H. Cowles, in her BizLex article titled Altered Landscapes, asked the question, ”With so much beautiful Bluegrass farmland for sale, we must ask ourselves, what will become of this farmland if the foal crop continues to decrease and Kentuckians leave — either voluntarily or involuntarily — the horse industry all together?”

I believe agriculture will continue to need and use this land. Many of the historical uses will continue, while new agricultural enterprises will crop up each day! These uses, both old and new, require fertile soil, an asset which Fayette County has and needs to protect.

As a first-generation, full-time Fayette County farmer, I have always had to do things a little differently to make a living while farming. In my 20-plus-year career as a farmer, I have found opportunity in building relationships within the farming community, thinking outside the mainstream mentality and having a passion for farming. Tobacco, hay and cattle have led the way, but in recent years some non-conventional animals are moving to the forefront…Read more at BizLex.com

Teachers Rebecca Russell, right, and Carrie Davis, second from right, talked to a class last week about plant identification at Locust Trace AgriScience Farm. The $18 million, 80-acre facility opened in August with the start of the new year for Fayette County Public Schools. | Kentucky.com CHARLES BERTRAM

Locust Trace farm offers Fayette students a new learning experience

By Jim Warren, 9.28.11, Kentucky.com

…Locust Trace is a real school, with a classroom building that offers a variety of courses for students interested in agriculture-related careers.

But it’s also a full-fledged farm, with wooden fences, pastures ready for livestock that will be arriving next month, a working veterinary clinic, and an indoor arena and stables for livestock shows and similar events. Eventually, there will be orchards, gardens and vineyards, which students will operate as part of their studies.

Locust Trace also is the most environmentally advanced facility the school district has ever built. Among other things, it boasts environmentally friendly paving to limit rainwater runoff, deep wells to supplement water needs, the country’s third-largest solar-thermal array to help heat buildings, a photo-voltaic system to generate the farm’s own electricity from sunlight, and artificial wetlands that will clean the facility’s wastewater naturally and then gradually release it underground.

Serious planning for the facility began in 2009, when the federal government gave the district 80 acres of land…Read more at Kentucky.com

The Fayette Alliance wishes all breeders and consignors best of luck during the September Keeneland sale.

A filly by Unbridled Song sold for $1 million Monday night. PHOTOS BY Z — photos by Z

The Keeneland Fall Sale: A Look at What Happened

By Jim Beach, 9.27.11 BizLex.com

A stronger yearling market came just in time for some, too late for others and welcomed by all in the thoroughbred industry.

The results of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale were encouraging for an industry that has been struggling along with the rest of the economy in recent years.

“It’s one of the best sales we’ve had in several years,” said Beau Lane, of Beau Lane Farm in Bourbon County. “There’s a lot more enthusiasm.”

And a fair amount more money being spent…Read more at BizLex.com

Strong Keeneland yearling sale provides some relief for horse industry

By Janet Patton, 9.25.11, Kentucky.com

This must be what it felt like when it rained after the Dust Bowl: Big fat drops of real money finally started falling at Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale this year, and it wasn’t just a passing billionaire cloud.

The steady downpour could reach the roots of an industry that has been in a sales drought since 2008.

At first, when the sale opened Sept. 11, it looked like another case of dark clouds but no storm. Almost a third of the first 60 horses that went through the ring went unsold, and the buyback rate for the night stayed about 32 percent…Read more at Kentucky.com

Keeneland sale soaring with two more $1 million horses

By Alicia Wincze Hughes, 9.16.11, Kentucky.com

Historically, the quality of the Keeneland September yearling auction is supposed to dwindle the deeper it gets into its massive catalog.

Five days into the 2011 edition of the 13-day exercise, the largest auction of its kind continues to defy trends.

Thursday’s Book 2 action could have doubled as one of the select sessions as two youngsters surpassed $1 million to spearhead another day of bullish gains… Read more at Kentucky.com

Leon makes $1.2 million purchase; Keeneland sale numbers continue to be up

by Alicia Wincze Hughes, 9.14.11, Kentucky.com

One bright spot as the Thoroughbred marketplace battles the economic downturn is that new buyers have had a chance to get into the game.

Benjamin Leon is among those who jumped at that chance, and on Tuesday the noted owner and breeder of Paso Fino horses once again showed how serious he is about becoming a prominent player in the Thoroughbred industry.

One year after buying the sale-topping $4.2 million colt at the 2010 Keeneland September yearling auction, Leon made another splashy purchase when he took home a dark bay filly by Bernardini for $1.2 million in the name of his Besilu Stables during Tuesday’s third session… Read more at Kentucky.com

$1 million dollar Unbridled’s Song filly sets tone for Keeneland’s Tuesday sales

By Alicia Wincze Hughes, 9.13.11, Kentucky.com

In the wake of an opening session that took its participants on a stomach-churning ride of emotions, Monday’s action at the Keeneland September yearling sales managed to level off both in terms of attitude and overall spending.

While the peaks were not as high as Sunday’s, the second day of select offerings still produced enough sparks to maintain the overall positive trend.

Unlike the first session which finished strong to post across-the-board gains after getting off to an ugly start, Monday’s session was a steady — if not as spectacular — exercise as both domestic and international buyers continued to seek out good value at the top end of the market…Read more at Kentucky.com

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A.P. Indy colt tops first night of Keeneland sale at $1.4 million

By Alicia Wincze Hughes, 9.12.11, Kentucky.com

As the results trickled in through the first half of the Keeneland September yearling sale Sunday evening, much of the cautious optimism that had been present on the grounds was threatening to turn to angst.

When the dust finally settled on the opening session of the world’s largest yearling auction, however, there was a renewed sense that people’s overall faith in the Thoroughbred marketplace had not been displaced…Read more at Kentucky.com

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Insiders see reasons for optimism at Keeneland’s September yearling sale

With its extensive catalog spanning all aspects of the marketplace, the Keeneland September yearling sale annually provides the Thoroughbred sales arena with the best measure of the industry’s health.

As the world’s largest yearling auction begins its 13-day run Sunday, those who help drive the fickle machine see reasons to think that some of the ailments that have plagued the sales are healing.

Despite the volatility of the national economy, the ample traffic present at the Keeneland barns this weekend is fueling optimism that the 2011 September yearling auction can build on recent encouraging signs in the marketplace…Read more at Kentucky.com