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: Extension Day at the Market Program, Lunch at the Market Program, Cooking programs, marketing, increased access (e.g. location, hours, WIC/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 & March-June 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 & March-June 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: Spring & Summer, 2022
Author: Kayla Watts
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
According to Census Bureau Quick Facts for Breathitt County, 30% of the population live in poverty; often struggling to provide food/nutrition to their families.Breathitt County FCS Agent, Kayla Watts, in partnership with the Robinson Center for Appalachia Resource Sustainability (RCARS), and God’s Pantry, came together to set up a monthly food distribution for the county.Food is delivered monthly via God’s Pantry’s system. The food is then boxed and distributed by Extension st
Author: Reed Graham
Major Program: Local Food Systems
Over the past decade, people have taken more interest in where their food comes from and what is in their food. In Breathitt and surrounding counties, interest in heritage skills has increased as a way to preserve skills of grandparents as well as extending their food dollar and taking pride in creating food for their family. This can be seen by the popularity of country ham programs for youth and adults in Kentucky.The Breathitt County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Reed Gr
Author: Kayla Watts
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Heritage skills and an interest in how food is created has become very popular over the last decade. Cooking and preservation skills not only allow individuals to stretch their food dollars, but also allows them to select what ingredients are used in their foods, and ultimately what foods are consumed by their family and friends. In keeping with the health benefits and economic benefits of cooking and preserving one’s own food, the Breathitt County Family and Consumer Sciences (
Author: Ryan Spicer
Major Program: Agriculture
Livestock and livestock products account for about half of Kentucky’s farm income. Therefore, the role of livestock and livestock projects in the Kentucky 4-H curriculum is fundamentally important. Youth must understand the role of agriculture in their daily lives, and the importance of livestock and livestock products in the type, kind and quality of the foods that they eat. To ensure this is accomplished in Breathitt County the 4-H agent partnered with 10 classro
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 2022 is less than $200 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 pr
