Extension
It Starts With Us
Home and Commercial Horticulture
Horticulture
Wayne Kirby, Danielle Barrett
Commercial Horticulture
Commercial Horticulture - Crop Marketing
Farmer's Markets
Home & Consumer Horticulture
Local food, flowers and plants continues to be in demand from consumers, restaurants, retail outlets, schools, and the local people. It is anticipated that sales of Kentucky food products will from $14 million in 2014 to $24 million in 2020. Consumers and contract buyers lack year round safe access to locally produced products like produce, flowers and plants. Extension serves as resource to provide training to insure locally grown food is safe appropriate to meet local food demand and consumer demand.
*Increase in the number of vendors, variety of local food products, sales and/or profits at farmer’s markets, road side stands, or community supported agriculture
*Increase access to local foods in restaurants, retail outlets, school and other institutions
*Maintain or increase consumer confidence/ demand in local foods
*Maintain or increase economic stability of farm operations.
•Apply best management practices in marketing
•Apply food safety practices and/or procedures
Earn certification(s) for:
•Redeeming USDA script
•selling and /or providing samples at farmer’s markets
•Microprocessing
•Better Process Control School
•USDA GAP
Choose local food products when available
•Purchase local food and food products
•Advocate for local food producers (i.e. feature on menus)
•Amend purchasing procedure to accommodate local food purchasing
Contract buyers/ Consumers
•Identify/ locate local food producers and processors
•Explain local food needs and purchasing procedures (i.e. quantity, quality, deliver, etc.)
Initial Outcome: Identify/ locate local food producers and processors
Indicator: Consumers will buy local produce at Farmer's Market/local vendors
Method: Observation
Timeline: Throughout year
Intermediate Outcome: Participants will choose local food products when available. Individuals will purchase local food and food products from local producers. Individuals will advocate for local food producers (i.e. feature on menus)
Indicator: Amend purchasing procedure to accommodate local food purchasing and selling
Method: Observation , year end profits from Farmer's Market, attendance at Farmers market
Timeline: 2019-2020
Long-term Outcome: *Increase in the number of vendors, variety of local food products, sales and/or profits at farmer’s markets, road side stands, or community supported agriculture. Increase community support
Indicator: Farmers Market continues to grow and consumer confidence is shown by supporting local foods. Local schools/business buy local produce.
Method: Observation, sales
Timeline: 2019-2021
Audience: Farmers market vendors
Project or Activity: farmers market
Content or Curriculum: horticulture publications
Inputs: UK and KSU faculty, publications, research trials, CCD, Commodity growers
Date: Summer
Audience: Commercial growers
Project or Activity: Educational programs, demonstrations, field days
Content or Curriculum: Horticulture publication
Inputs: UK, KSU specialist, publications, research trials
Date: Throughout year
Audience: Non-Commercial growers
Project or Activity: Educational programs, demonstrations, field days
Content or Curriculum: Horticulture publication
Inputs: UK, KSU specialist, publications, research trials
Date: Throughout year
Audience: general public
Project or Activity: Farm visits, field scouting, workshops
Content or Curriculum: Horticulture publication
Inputs: UK, KSU specialist, publications, research trials
Date: Throughout year
Audience: General public
Project or Activity: educational programs, demonstrations
Content or Curriculum: Horticulture publications
Inputs: UK, KSU specialist, pubs
Date: Throughout year
Author: Robert Kirby
Major Program: Commercial Horticulture
With the tobacco buyout leaving farmers with machinery, greenhouses and the need to ease their dependency on tobacco several Knox County farmers have chosen Commercial Horticulture. Through the Knox County Extension Service and resources from the University of Kentucky such as newsletters on farm demonstrations, variety trials, farm visits, field trips, educational programming and farm visits from University Specialist, producers have met their production needs and supplementing their farm
Author: Robert Kirby
Major Program: Commercial Horticulture
With most of the high tunnels in Knox County being NRCS grant funded, certain stipulations are agreed upon by producers when receiving the grant. One of the stipulations is that producers will agree to grow produce in the ground of the high tunnel for a minimum of four years. Almost all producers in the county have selected tomatoes as their primary crop because of the profit potential but have struggled growing in the ground the second and third years because of nematodes. To address the
Author: Robert Kirby
Major Program: Commercial Horticulture
Thru efforts of the University of Kentucky Horticulture Specialist, a three night education webinar series on high tunnel tomato production was offered across the state for agents to host in their counties. These webinars were hosted by our local Knox County Agriculture and Natural Resource agent where the series was well attended. All participants have reported less disease and insect pressure as well as an increase of five or more pounds of tomatoes per plant production. Participan
