Author: Edwin Chavous
Major Program: Small Farm Diversification
The Kentucky State University (KSU) Small Farm Program is an Extension program designed to help farm families with decision-making skills to solve farm and home problems. It includes educational programs that emphasize farm production, farm management, and marketing. It also includes the use and understanding of local county programs and USDA agencies and their programs, plus providing technical assistance in completing applications for the program and the entire application process.  
Author: Kendal Bowman
Forth going the recent pandemic, the U.S. economy still hasn’t fully recovered. It has really hit hard in small towns. The supply chain can’t keep up, inflation is out the roof, and farmers are still getting the same prices they have always gotten for their product. Even to this day, we are still suffering a labor shortage.On Tuesday April 12th, 2022, The Owen County Agriculture Extension Agent Kendal Bowman partnered with German American Bank to offer a workshop where producers can
Author: Heather Graham
Three Wolfe County farmers have been granted funding through the Kentucky Horticulture Council's Small Fruit Initiative. Through this program, the farmers work with their local ANR Agent, UK horticulture specialists, and the KY Hort Council to establish and/or expand their current plantings. Farmers have worked with the ANR agent to collect soil samples and evaluate the results for what crops are best suited for those growing areas. All three farmers are going to be, or have already, planted
Author: Christy Cassady
Resources available through the University of Kentucky’s Center for Crop Diversification (CCD) include enterprise budgets for a number of specialty crops. A 2016 Kentucky Specialty Crop Block Grant allowed the CCD to update its vegetable/melon budgets for 18 crops. In addition to updating the vegetable/melon budgets for large-scale production (per acre), the CCD also developed new small-scale budgets (per .1 acre or 100-foot row) for the same 18 crops. As part of a 2018 Kentucky Specialty
Author: Deborah Stumbo
Early April in Pike County, mushroom workshop to encourage diversification at the Farmers Market and a product that several of the local restaurants would be proud to serve. We held our first Wine Cap mushroom workshop back in the fall. It was a huge success. To follow-up we held another workshop in May to encourage more folks to get into raising mushrooms both for themselves and for a money maker at the Farmers Market. Because of our workshop last fall and a grower reall
Author: William Crawford
According to the 2017 USDA Census, black-operated farms accounted for 4.7 million acres of farmland, just 0.5 percent of the U.S. total. 85 percent of these minority farms had fewer than 180 acres. The average size of black-operated farms was 132 acres. The relatively small acreage of these position them to be conducive to the production and marketing of non-traditional crops. My work as an Area Agriculture Agent with one such small farmer began many years ago, long before I was employed through
According to the United States Department of Agriculture's 2017 Census, black farmers account for only 1.3% of Americans growing food and fiber. Totaling just 45,508, this is a far cry from the 1920's when that number was 925,708, a time when the total population was drastically smaller. Also cited by USDA, 17% of our farms have a worker whom is either currently serving or is a past member of the US Armed Services. It stands to reason, by combining those statistics, there are very few bl
Author: Paul Sizemore
Tobacco was the primary income for farmers in this area for many years and since the buyout from the Tobacco Companies in 2001 it has been a struggle for farmers to replace it. Farmers quickly realized that they had to start producing something else to sustain their operations and for many the answer was Vegetable Production. It was obvious that the farmers had a good grasp on production but the problem seem to be in Marketing because that was something they had not had to do in Tobacco Producti
Author: Faye Kuosman
Woodford County is becoming more urbanized, and the Horticulture and Agriculture Extension Agents get more questions from residents with small acreage who are considering what enterprise may be available to help supplement their income in the future. In response to this need, the Agriculture and Horticulture Agent developed a four-week series entitled ‘Living on a Few Acres’. The series was held at the Woodford County Extension Office. It opened with a session called “Where Do
Author: Chelsea Sapp
Agricultural Literacy with 21st Century The Marion County Extension Office is a partner with the 21st Century program which is an after-school program that is available to school aged youth in Marion County. At this program the youth receive homework help, extra practice on weak subjects and get a lesson from our office over a variety of different topics. Every month I attend 21st Century and teach students about agriculture literacy topics using Kentucky Farms Feeds Me passport activ
Author: Jeremy Williams
With additional funding from the Kentucky Office of Agriculture Policy, the Harlan County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent worked with the Harlan County Agriculture Development Council and Harlan County Conservation District, as they were able to distribute $10,000 for farmers in Harlan County. The ANR agent advertised the funding, provided education information to farmers and support to the Agriculture Development Council and Conservation District during their process. Farmer
Farm diversification has become a must to compete in the ever changing market place of agriculture. Owsley County Cooperative Extension Service conducted multiple workshops to help farmers diversify their operations and find resources to assist in developing infrastructure at their operations. Owsley County Cooperative Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Kentucky State Small Farm Program worked with farmers to obtain High Tunnels and other Projects that would help them to Diver
September 2021 Success Story Before and During a Pandemic: Kentucky State University Small Farm Area Extension Agent Assisted a Limited-Resource Minority Farmer with Technical Assistance for USDA Farm Service Agency and Rural Housing in Franklin County, KentuckyCOVID -19 has al
December 2021 Success Story “KSU Small Farm Area Extension Agent Assists Limited-Resource Minority Farmers with Technique Assistance in USDA Rural Housing in Boyle County in Kentucky”The Kentucky State University (KSU) Small Farm Program is an Extension program designed to help farm families with decision-making skills to solve farm and home problems. It includes educational programs that emphasize farm production, farm management, and marketing. It also includes the use a
Author: Adam Barnes
A Small Farm plot. Since 2014 Bizzell Bluff Farms has utilized research-based information provided by Cooperative Extension to help make operational decisions for their farm. Mr. Rushing started his small farm operation with a you pick blueberry patch as a fun extra source of income. Livingston ANR helped with publications, variety selection that best suited the area and soil testing. Not only has Mr. Rushing’s hobby blueber
Author: Phillip Long
Since we use these stories as a resource for multiple requests, don’t restrict Success Stories only to traditional Extension appointments and activities. Any accomplishments and efforts that are noteworthy may be included.When new land owners purchase farms, or those wanting to begin farming in Jefferson County, the Extension Office is usually their first stop for information regarding nest steps. They are typically unaware of programs that may offer financial assistance, legal right of wa
Author: Dee Heimgartner
During the Small Diversified Farm Series, participants indicated a desire to tour a successful diversified farming operation. The host agents made this a reality. Agents form Marshall, Livingston, Calloway, Crittenden, McCracken, Trigg and Caldwell counties collaborated to host the first ever "Small Diversified Farm Field Day." The field day was hosted by Trimble Farms in Caldwell County. The Trimble's Farm operation is very diverse. The family has experience selling fruits, v
