Author: Krista Perry
Major Program: Cook Wild Kentucky
According to the Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry, “an estimated 684,000 people live in poverty in the Commonwealth; One in every four Kentucky children is living in poverty; In some counties as many as 55% of children are living in poverty, and Kentucky ranks fifth in the nation for percentage of residents living in poverty at 17%.” With these statistics and as an avid outdoorswoman, the Henry County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences saw a problem and chose to ho
Author: Eric Comley
In response to the growing trend of youth and adults unsure or unaware of where their food comes from, which includes a 2018 Michigan State University study that stated more than 48% don't seek out information about their food sources, and the growing trend of living a self sustaining life through foraging and hunting, the Garrard County Extension Office staff offered a COOK WILD Program to a registered 50 participants. During the event, registered participants were introduced to a vari
Author: Samantha Saunders
The problem:We have seen over the years an overpopulation of deer in Robertson County. This issue can be noticed by number of deer related car accidents, the impact of crop yields due to deer destruction, and also by driving down the road and seeing a whole herd around each bend. This issues stems further then the boundaries of Robertson County. Surrounding counties are also seeing the impact the deer population has on farmers, landowners, and drivers. There is also an issue of lack of food for
Author: Tracie Goodman
McCreary County is largely composed of federally forested land and is home to a considerable population of wild game hunters. In the 2022/2023 hunting season, McCreary County hunters harvested a total of 507 deer. McCreary County also has a population of 3,190 individuals who are food insecure, and 94% of that population falls below the SNAP/Other Nutrition Programs threshold of 200% poverty. Since getting venison professionally processed can be expensive, many hunters process their own. However
Author: Jonathan Oakes
In South Central Kentucky, food insecurity is a sad reality that many of Extension’s clients face. According to Feeding America, 1 in 8 Kentuckians face food insecurity. South Central Kentucky is also home to many native wild game species that are commonly harvested for alternate sources of protein. However, many clients in the area struggle to prepare wild game to make it palatable. Game meats are naturally low in fat and cholesterol, but traditional cooking methods, such as frying, can n
Author: Jay Hettmansperger
The problemGarrard County Extension planned a Cook Wild program at the Extension Office. The program is a very labor intensive program and takes many hands to make it successful. Cook Wild entails cooking several different recipes with several different meats, all at the same time. Several people are needed to prepare and cook the different meals at the same time. In the same Kitchen. The educational program responseAll the Agents, SNAP assistant and several volunteers worked together to make th
Author: Trent Adkins
Author: Edith Lovett
The problem: In South Central Kentucky food insecurity is a sad reality that many of Extension Clients face. One out of 8 Kentuckians face food insecurity/The educational program response: Classes were conducted teaching clients how they could prepare foods that are available in the wild.The participants/target audience: Classes were offered to any person interested in coming. A total of 51 clients participated.Other partners (if applicable): Pulaski County and Russell County j
Author: Megan Gullett
Author: Stacy White
All hunters in Kentucky at least 12 years old and born after January 1, 1975 must have a hunter safety certification. During the covid shutdown the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife hunter education program was completely online. There were youth in Whitley County that did not have computer access at home to allow them to complete the required training. Once the program could be taught in person again, the ANR agent conducted two in-person training courses and a range da
Author: Ralph Hance
The Fifth Annual Hunt Your Food program was a great success again. Even though numbers were not what we had hoped for the entire program was well received. The collaboration of this agent and my AG counter part went well as usual. The participants were a small percentage of hunters in the area. What was lacking in numbers was made up in by enthusiasm. All members were very active, responsive and asking extremely good questions. By utilizing expertise from 3 different speakers, we were able to en
