Extension
It Starts With Us
Accessing Nutritious Foods in Breathitt County
2. Improve Physical and Mental Health
Kayla Watts, Reed Graham, & Ryan Spicer
Food Preparation and Preservation
Nutrition and Food Systems General
Local Food Systems
Super Star Chef
A foundation of nutrition knowledge, skills and competencies in topics such as food safety, handling and preparation, cooking methods and techniques, feeding practices, food science, and food systems are essential to changing dietary behaviors. With the increased trend of chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky, individuals, families, and communities need tools and environments that support healthful dietary decisions. CES agents are encouraged to reach diverse audiences to help combat chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky communities.
Routinely employ healthy dietary practices that promote health and wellness (e.g. consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables and improve food management skills)
Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity
Generate positive attitudes toward changing dietary decisions to be more healthful.
Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods
Decrease intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium
Employ healthful cooking methods, feeding practices, and food preservation techniques
Increased access to healthy food via local farmers markets, food retailers, and/or home gardens
Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease.
Improve food and nutrition-related skills (e.g. gardening, preparation and preservation techniques, safe food handling, food resource management)
Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices
Increase motivation to access and prepare healthier foods
Outcome: Nutrition knowledge, skills, and competencies
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: use knowledge and skills to improve food-shopping management; utilize the food label to make healthy food choices; choosing smaller portions; increased food preservation knowledge; demonstrated recommended food preservation practices
Method: Self-report surveys; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Preparing and preserving food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: preparing more home-cooked meals; modifying ingredients and/or preparation techniques to improve nutrition
Method: Self-report survey; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Dietary intake
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: eating 4-6 servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily
Method: Self-report surveys about fruit and vegetable intake or other dietary improvements; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Availability and access to healthy food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: utilizing delivery systems/access points (e.g., farmers’ markets, CSAs, WIC, food pantries) that offer healthy foods; supplementing diets with healthy foods grown or preserved (e.g., community or backyard gardens, fishing, hunting, farmers markets); dollar value of vendor-reported sales or EBT, WIC, or Senior benefits redeemed at farmers’ markets; number of pints of foods preserved through water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or drying.
Method: Self-report survey
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Audience: Communities
Project or Activity: Farmers Market Outreach
Content or Curriculum: Lunch at the Market Program, Cooking programs, marketing, increased access (e.g. location, hours, EBT), Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud resources, Farmers Market Toolkit, Super Star Chef
Inputs: Nutrition Education Program (NEP), paid staff, grant funds, facilities, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Date: April – October/Growing seasons
Project or Activity: Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approaches
Content or Curriculum: Faithful Families, Kentucky Farm to School Task Force Resources, Health Coalitions, resources for early care and education settings
Inputs: Volunteers, grant funds, faith-based organizations, community partners, key stakeholders, SNAP-Ed Toolkit
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Food Preparation for Better Health
Content or Curriculum: Cook Together Eat Together, Mastering Food Choices, Dining with Diabetes, Super Star Chef, Champion Food Volunteer, Faithful Families, Body Balance, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Resources, plans for prenatal- and infant/toddler-specific curriculum, resources for early care and education settings
Inputs: Programmatic materials, paid staff, community partners, faith-based organizations, health coalitions
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year
Project or Activity: Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Home-Based Micro-Processing Training, Champion Food Volunteers
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP
Date: July – September for adults and youth
Project or Activity: Family Gardening Program
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Home-Based Micro-Processing Training, Champion Food Volunteers
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP
Date: July – September for adults and youth
Project or Activity: Breathitt County Pride Program
Content or Curriculum: Various Publications, PBPT and other support trainings
for local growers/producers, soft skills materials
Inputs: ANR Agent, Specialists & Curriculum
Date: On-Going/Various
Author: Ryan Spicer
Major Program: Family and Consumer Science
According to the American Heart Association, teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime, they will be more likely to eat healthier as adults, and build self-confidence. The Breathitt County Agent for 4-H Youth Development wants to provide these learning opportunities to the youth of Breathitt County in the anticipation that this statement will hold true. To ensure these learning experiences are offered during the Covid-19 pandemic the age
Author: Kayla Watts
Major Program: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
According to the 5-A-Day program developed and promoted by the USDA, citizens are encouraged to increase fruit and vegetable consumption to 5-9 servings daily. Although community members may understand the importance of consuming more fruits and vegetables, access to recipes using these foods, as well as, access to these food products can be difficult. Breathitt County residents have minimal access to healthy foods, thus making it even harder to combat health epidemics such a
Author: Reed Graham
Major Program: Beef
Profitability in a small cow/calf operation can be very difficult. According to a recent fact sheet from the University of Kentucky Ag Economics department the estimated gross return per cow in 2021 is $168 and that doesn’t include Depreciation or Interest on Equipment/Facilities, Land, or Labor. Smaller producers with under 50 cows would have a hard time making a living off beef cattle at that projection.With the help and guidance of Breathitt County ANR Agent Reed Graham one producer sou
Author: Kayla Watts
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
According to the 2019 Census Bureau Quick Facts for Breathitt County, the median household income is $27,344.00; placing 30% of the county population living in poverty. Those living in poverty often struggle to provide adequate nutrition/food to their families which directly affects the health of those families. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting existing food relief efforts in the county, Extension personnel began looking at ways to fill the gap between those in poverty and
Author: Ryan Spicer
Major Program: Agriculture
With a majority of today’s U.S. consumers three to four generations removed from agriculture, many do not have a good level of knowledge about agriculture and food production. Based upon research conducted by Sullivan, Higdon & Sink consumers know more about movies (40%), politics (45 %), history (47 %) and music (51 %) than they do about food production (40 %). To increase this level of knowledge in the youth of Breathitt County the agent for 4-H Youth Development partnered with APPHa
Author: Reed Graham
Major Program: Local Food Systems
In response to COVID and the desire to continue programming, the Quicksand Area Agriculture Agents decided to offer a weekly virtual program for our clients. The series has been titled, "Mountain Monday Zoom Series" and it offers participants to "explore various topics impacting farming, natural resources, gardening, agriculture, and more in the mountains." The series began on February 1 and is continued through the end of April. Topics were: Small Ruminant Management, P
