Extension
It Starts With Us
Natural Resources and the Environment
Natural Resources & the Environment
Samantha Gamblin, Tori Carter, Lorilee Kunze, Nathan Rider, Ruth Chowning
Farm Management, Economics and Policy
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Natural Resources
Cook Wild Kentucky
Bullitt County is a rapidly urbanizing county with diminishing traditional agriculture. This continual rapid increase in the suburban population has led to a large non-rural population that has limited knowledge of rural environments, natural resources, and sustaining those for future generations. Local leadership identified a need for educational programming in this area to help protect and beautify our county's natural resources.
This continual rapid increase in the suburban population in Bullitt County is resulting in a steady decrease in the agricultural utilization of its land. As a result, education and information in the fields of small farming, farm succession, home horticulture and urban gardening is severely lacking in suburban areas. Due to this dynamic there is an increasing need for educational assistance on natural resources and environmental issues throughout Bullitt County.
Participants will practice sustainable gardening and agriculture production practices and have less negative impact on the environment.
Participants will gain gardening skills to promote health and wellness.
Participants will improve herd/flock management and livestock quality and wellbeing.
Participants will be able to teach others how to properly fish, hunt, and cook wild game in Kentucky.
Participants will improve forest land management and improve livelihoods through working forests.
Participants will improve curb appeal and energy efficiency of their homes through their landscape.
Participants will improve overall health and wellness by being more active in outdoor activities.
Participants will test soil and continue monitoring soil health to improve production and sustainability.
Youth will be advocates for agriculture and healthy and sustainable food systems.
Participants will increase access to healthy food via local Farmer’s Market, food retailers and home gardens.
Participants will use fewer pesticides, improve pesticide safety, and become certified applicators.
Participants will implement herd/flock management techniques.
Participants will implement improved pasture/forage crop management techniques.
Participants will implement hunting and fishing skills on private or public land and cook wild game at home.
Participants will learn about opportunities to generate income from forest land while maintaining healthy forest ecosystems.
Participants will improve their current landscape by practicing learned skills.
Participants will improve production of homegrown fruits and vegetables.
Participants will test their soil.
Participants will increase involvement in local beekeeping association.
Participants will increase the number of hives in county.
Participants will decrease number of hives lost to disease and other factors.
Youth will practice and apply skills and knowledge in the production of food.
Students will improve food and nutrition-related knowledge and skills through simple gardening.
Participants will increase knowledge of grazing and producing high quality cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, and other livestock.
Participants will increase their awareness of fishing, hunting, and cooking wild game.
Participants will increase their awareness of tapping maple trees for sap, improving timber stands, and promoting healthy forest ecosystems.
Participants will gain skills about gardening.
Participants will gain knowledge about proper use and handling of pesticides and pesticide safety.
Participants gain knowledge about soil health and soil testing.
Participants will gain knowledge about identifying insects.
Participants will reduce stress through gardening.
Participants will increase their knowledge of beekeeping.
Participants will increase their knowledge of agricultural best management practices.
Youth will gain an understanding of healthy and sustainable food systems.
Youth will practice and apply skills and knowledge in the production of food.
Outcome: Growing food at home
Indicator: Number of students who report using knowledge and skills to plant, care for and grow vegetables
Method: Self-reported survey; parent reported behaviors
Timeline: Pre- post program and 3-month follow-up
Outcome: Increase agriculture production and profitability
Indicator: Higher production and increased profits
Method: Self-reporting, observation
Timeline: Pre and Post program, year-to-year over the next 5 years
Outcome: Increase livestock health and wellbeing and improve pasture/forage crop management
Indicator: Higher production and increased profits
Method: Self-reporting, observation
Timeline: Pre and Post program, year-to-year over the next 5 years
Outcome: Increase knowledge of fishing and hunting in KY
Indicator: Increase in people fishing and hunting in Bullitt County
Method: Self-reporting, observation
Timeline: Pre- and Post- trainings, 1-year follow-up
Outcome: Increase knowledge of forest ecosystems and opportunities in working forests
Indicator: Increase in people tapping trees, sustainably harvesting timber, protecting forest ecosystems
Method: Self-reporting, observation
Timeline: Pre- and Post- trainings, 1-year follow-up
Intermediate Outcome: Participants follow through with soil test and amend soil properly
Indicator: Soil test submission and follow up phone call
Method: Written and oral
Timeline: 1July 2022 - June 2023
Long Term Outcome: Participants continues to monitor soil health and use integrated methods to improve soil health
Indicator: Repeated soil testing and follow up
Method: Written and oral
Timeline: July 2022 - June 2023
Intermediate Outcome: Participants will be able to select tree varieties for home plantings. They will gain better fruit tree management skills.
Indicator: Tree plantings and health of est. trees
Method: Observed and verbal
Timeline: July 2022 - June 2023
Intermediate Outcome: Participants gain knowledge of how to plant more functional and efficient landscapes and gardens
Indicator: Pre/post survey
Method: Written, verbal
Timeline: July 2022 - June 2023
Initial Outcome: Participants gain knowledge about identifying insects
Indicator: Pre/Post Test
Method: Written
Timeline: July 2022 - June 2023
Initial Outcome: Participants gain knowledge about beekeeping
Indicator: Pre/Post survey
Method: Verbal
Timeline: July 2022 - June 2023
Outcome: Youth will practice and apply skills and knowledge in the production of food
Indicator: Helping adults or parents maintain a garden, maintaining own garden
Method: Written evaluation, youth and parent testimonials
Timeline: On-going
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Gardening class for Tomatoes and Peppers
Content or Curriculum: UK horticulture publications, SNAP Ed resources, Organ Annie curriculum
Inputs: Volunteers, community partners, SNAP Ed Toolkit, FCS Agent
Date: Fall 2022, Spring 2023
Audience: Livestock Producers
Project or Activity: Small Ruminant Profit School Continuing Education
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications, Guest Speakers
Inputs: ANR Agent, Extension Specialist, Community Partners
Date: July 2022 - June 2023
Audience: Livestock Producers
Project or Activity: Master Grazer Program
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications, Guest Speakers
Inputs: ANR Agent, Extension Specialist, Community Partners
Date: July 2022 - June 2023
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Hook and Cook, Field to Fork
Content or Curriculum: KY Fish and Wildlife Programs, Field to Fork, Home Meat preparation, Cook Wild KY
Inputs: KY Fish and Wildlife Staff, ANR Agent, FCS Agent, Extension Specialists, UK Resources
Date: July 2022 to June 2023
Audience: Bullitt County General Public
Activity: Gardening Season Series
Content: UK Publications, gardening curriculum
Inputs: Various plants and demonstrative materials, volunteers, agents, specialists
Date: July 2022 - June 2023
Audience: Producers, General Public
Activity: Fruit Production Series
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications, local expert
Inputs: UK Publications, grafting equipment, root stock, specialists
Date: July 2022 - June 2023
Audience: General Public
Activity: Homeowners’ Toolbox Series
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications
Inputs: KY Dept. of Forestry Publications, UK Publications
Date: July 2022 to June 2023
Audience: General Public
Activity: Biodiversity Series
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications
Inputs: KY Dept. of Forestry Publications
Date: July 2022- June 2023
Audience: General Public
Activity: Beekeeping Series Classes
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications, local experts
Inputs: KY Dept. of Forestry Publications, UK Publications, state and local associations, Hort Agent, Ag Agent
Date: July 2022 - June 2023
Audience: Youth- All Ages
Activity: School Garden and Nutrition Initiative
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications, local expert
Inputs: KY Dept. of Forestry Publications, UK Publications, state and local associations, Extension Staff
Date: July 2022 - June 2023
Audience: Forest Landowners
Project or Activity: Master Logger, Maple Syrup Class, Mushroom Production Class
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications, Master Logger curriculum
Inputs: KY Dept. of Forestry Publications, UK Publications, state and local associations, Hort Agent, Ag Agent and Extension Specialists
Date: July 2022 - June 2023
Author: Lorilee Kunze
Major Program: Natural Resources
The Bullitt Advanced Math and Science (BAMS) Program seeks to help the gifted students of Bullitt County reach their full potential through inquiry experiences, a rigorous and relevant curriculum, and educational outreach. The Bullitt County Horticulture Program has collaborated with BAMS for many years helping them to gather data about the soil in Bernheim Forest and Arboretum. Previously, Extension mentors helped students to understand the soil sampling process, testing process and
Author: Nathan Rider
Major Program: Small Ruminants (includes sheep, goats) and Exotic animals
Throughout 2022, sheep and goat producers from 37 farms across 13 counties gathered monthly to participate in the Small Ruminant Profit School hosted by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Office in Bullitt County. The classes utilized a Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office curriculum to teach local producers about all aspects of small ruminant husbandry. After the course came to a close, producers were eager to continue meeting for more opportunities to learn from each other.
Author: Samantha Gamblin
Major Program: Camping
A typical 5-day 4-H Camp session offers upwards of 96 hours of direct, uninterrupted contact between youth and their cabin leaders/counselors. That’s the equivalent of a family sitting down at the dinner table for 30-minutes, 196 days of the year. The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting are so important to youth, especially considering the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The time we spend with youth in the camp setting offers opportunities for tho
Author: Lorilee Kunze
Major Program: Community Gardens and Horticulture Therapy
This year the Bullitt County Horticulture Program was gifted an expansive seed donation. It was such a large donation that we struggled with how to sort it, store and how it could best serve our community. Many of the seeds were distributed in the last couple of classes in the Vegetable Gardening Series. Then we decided that if any school in Bullitt County should want to start a school garden, that we would provide them the seeds for one. We made one box for each school t
Author: Nathan Rider
Major Program: Forest Education: Health, Management, and Utilization
Bullitt County is 30% covered by natural forest--252Mha in total. In fact, from 2000 to 2020, Bullitt County experienced a net increase of 0.64% in tree cover.[1] Needless to say, most Bullitt County residents and landowners have access to trees. While some may only have one tree in their front yard, many landowners maintain at least a part of their properties in natural forest or partial tree cover.As residents of Bullitt County and surrounding counties seek options for farm diversification, in
Author: Nathan Rider
Major Program: Small Farm Management
Beginning farmers, market gardeners, and landowners frequently find themselves overwhelmed by all of the aspects of getting started. Imagine someone bought a 5-10 acre home lot where they dream of homesteading and selling produce from a large garden. Maybe, they are retiring, inherited land, and suddenly became the steward of a much larger property. Possibly they are a young farmer leasing land for the first time to establish their business. Regardless of their experiences, they tend
Author: Nathan Rider
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health - ANR
The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service partners with organizations around the state to extend the resources of the university and strengthen engaging community programs. In Bullitt County the Cooperative Extension Service has worked for several years with Sunrise Children’s Services which operates a network of residential programs across the state that offer long-term, residential care and treatment to young people ages 12-18. Sunrise Children's Services works to help
Author: Lorilee Kunze
Major Program: Community Gardens and Horticulture Therapy
Horticultural therapy is a proven method for relieving stress, improving wellbeing, building confidence, learning steam subjects and building relationships. This program partners Extension with the Sunrise Home for boys. The Extension service offers hands on demonstration and cooperation planning, planting and maintaining a therapeutic garden space for 18 young boys in the Sunrise home. Working together the boys formed bonds that help them develop better communication skills, they le
Author: Nathan Rider
Major Program: Small Farm Diversification
Bullitt County, Spencer County and other nearby counties are perfectly positioned to host producers of fruits, vegetables, and flowers for markets in the urban and suburban areas surrounding Jefferson County. Hosting several farmers markets in each county, there are plenty of opportunities to scale up from backyard gardening to market gardening. However, to be competitive in those arenas, market gardeners must be skilled caretakers of crops, knowledgeable bookkeepers and business planners, profi
Author: Lorilee Kunze
Major Program: Beekeeping
Many Bullitt County property owners are seeking alternative income opportunities. One of those opportunities is urban beekeeping. Interest in urban beekeeping in Bullitt County has increased over the last several years due to the economic impact of COVID and the flood of agricultural marketing on social media. Many homeowners have an interest in beekeeping and the Bullitt County Beekeepers' Association is an excellent resource for it.Once a month the Beekeepers' Associa
Author: Lorilee Kunze
Major Program: Local Food Systems
There is a growing interest in our community to cultivate your own food and become more sustainable. There is also an interest by many, in mushrooms in particular. People want to know how to identify mushrooms and how to forage for them safely. We receive a lot of questions, as agents, about how to grow your own mushrooms at home. With the increased interest in mushrooms over the last year, the Agriculture and Horticulture programs decided it would be an excellent opportu
