Success Stories - Kentucky Extension Reporting System

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Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

Cooperative Extension Service

Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

Impacts

Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

Fiscal Year: 2025

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2025

Jul 1, 2024 - Jun 30, 2025

Success StoriesKentucky Extension Reporting System

4-H Fresh Chefs: Second Year Success

Author: Deana Reed

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

4-H Fresh Chefs: Second Year Success

     For the second year, the Meade County 4-H Fresh Chefs Club was a volunteer lead, 4-week, summer program that focused on healthy food preparation, food and kitchen safety, the benefits of shopping at a local farmer’s market, and food preparation on a budget.  Each 3-hour meeting included the following agenda: Introductory Smoothie – a recipe to jump start the learning process and to encourage positive member interactions.Group discussion or demonstration

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Cooking With A Purpose

Author: Chanda Hall

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

According to the Greater Louisville Project, the childhood food insecurity rate is much higher than the overall food insecurity rate. Often, individuals must make difficult (and ongoing) trade-off decision between paying for housing or transportation and buying nutritious food.   Feeding America stated, in Kentucky, 710,000 people are facing hunger and of that number 208,330 are children.  Seeing changes in culture, family structure, and food costs, this is leading to changing the way

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Young Scientist and Chefs

Author: Chanda Hall

Major Program: Science, Engineering, and Technology

Science in the Kitchen is a unique program that allows students to connect their everyday lives to their education experiences.  Our goal is to increase their critical thinking skills while utilizing information to answer scientific questions.  Many students struggle in the areas of science and math.  As a way of alternative learning, Jefferson County 4-H has worked with all 4th and 5th graders at Carter Elementary School, introducing them to kitchen chemistry.As a way to introduc

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Cooking with a purpose

Author: Kelly Smith

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

According to the Greater Louisville Project, the childhood food insecurity rate is much higher than the overall food insecurity rate. Often, individuals must make difficult (and ongoing) trade-off decision between paying for housing or transportation and buying nutritious food.   Feeding America stated, in Kentucky, 710,000 people are facing hunger and of that number 208,330 are children.  Seeing changes in culture, family structure, and food costs, this is leading to changing the way

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Exploring Nutritious Foods with Dr. Yum’s Food Adventure

Author: Courtney Luecking

Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General

Nutritious foods during early childhood lay a foundation for lifelong health. Yet more than half of children under age 6 in Kentucky do not consume the recommended daily amounts of fruit and vegetables that are core components of nutritious eating patterns. Exposure to a variety of fruit and vegetables and encouragement and praise to engage senses beyond taste can support increased willingness to try new foods. Ten Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) agents across Kentucky are piloting Dr.

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Succession Planning Series

Author: Chelsey Anderson

Major Program: Farm Management, Economics and Policy

The Cumberland County Women in Agriculture group gathers once every other month to have educational sessions as well as network. From those meetings, a need arose around the succession/estate planning subject matter. The Cumberland County ANR agent along with the Cumberland County FCS agent partnered together to offer a four-part, succession planning series that started in September 2024 and wrapped up in February 2025. In total, 33 participants participated in the series. Of those, eight attend

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Garden Success

Author: Chelsea Sapp

Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home

 Early last spring, I assisted a new client and their family with planning their first garden. They were new to gardening so I provided them many helpful resources to aid in their knowledge. We took soil tests and determined the next steps for the garden. This helped with picking the location of the garden. Then, my client and I put together a map of where vegetables should be planted and created a guide for planting dates and expected harvest. They planted carrots, potatoes, lettuce, tomat

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Hiking Club

Author: Kenna Knight

Major Program: Active Living and Health Promotions General

The PENco Hiking Club has quickly become a cornerstone of community engagement, fostering wellness, friendship, and environmental stewardship. What began as a simple initiative to encourage locals to explore nearby trails has grown into a dynamic, collaborative program that brings together residents from across Pendleton County. Through the joint efforts of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS), and 4-H, the club has cultivated a space where individuals of a

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Master Haymaker

Author: Jessica Barnes

Major Program: Forages

Kentucky ranks 4th nationally for hay production. In 2023, more than 2 million acres were harvested, producing 4.16 million tons of hay. Alfalfa hay production by Kentucky farmers is estimated at 270,000 tons with sales in 2022 totaling a whopping 344 million dollars. (National Agriculture Statistics Service and Economic Research Commission).  The opportunity and market to sell high quality hay is present but the requirements to get to a quality finished product can be daunting. Agricu

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Inspiring Young Scientists Through Hands-On STEM Exploration

Author: Lisa Jones

Major Program: Science, Engineering, and Technology

For six weeks, elementary-aged youth engaged in an exciting series of STEM activities designed to foster curiosity and hands-on learning. Using CLOVER, curriculum from a 4-H Learning Platform, we conducted a series of experiments on a variety of topics. Through engaging experiments, they explored concepts such as electric circuits using fruit, Play-Doh, and lights, the science behind butter-making by separating fat in heavy cream, density through household liquids, chemical reactions by creating

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Southern Kentucky Commercial Pesticide Training

Author: David Embrey

Major Program: Chemical Management

Application of crop protection chemicals and lawn/landscape chemicals is an important industry in South Central Kentucky.  Professional applicators must receive training to stay current on issues, pests, techniques, and safety for the products they apply.  They need to receive continuing education to maintain their license. The agriculture and horticulture agents around the old Mammoth Cave area (Currently West Areas 7 & 8) responded several years ago to a need for a commercial tra

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Self-Care: Building Meaningful Relationships and Strengthening Social Connections

Author: Jill Harris

Major Program: Mental Health and Well-being - FCS

Self-care refers to taking time to do things that improves physical and mental health. Common self-care practices include eating healthily, managing stress, and getting adequate sleep and exercise. According to the National Institutes of Health, meaningful social connections also contribute to self-care in terms of overall health, happiness, well-being, and quality of life. When committed to strengthening social connections, you are better able to support, maintain, and/or improve the life

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Understanding Suicide - KEHA Leader Lesson

Author: Macey Stewart

Major Program: Mental Health and Well-being - FCS

Suicide is a public concern and one of the most preventable causes of death. Every eleven minutes someone dies by suicide in the U.S., however, in Kentucky people die by suicide more frequently. In the U.S. and Kentucky, males die by suicide more often than females while individuals between 10 and 34 years old are at the highest risk for suicide. There are many risks for suicide including age, sex, stress, job hazards and health conditions, but it is important to note suicide can affect any

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Lincoln Trail Area FCS Agents - Creating Welcoming Communities

Author: Marla Stillwell

Major Program: Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association

The Lincoln Trail Area Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Agents hosted the Creating Welcoming Communities lesson for the Lincoln Trail Area Homemakers at their annual Kickoff in August 2024.  Over 80 Extension Homemakers and community leaders participated in the program. The program engaged participants in discussions and activities that increased their cultural proficiency.  In a survey following the event, 83% of respondents indicated they felt confident defining ‘cultur

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Youth Ag Days

Author: Heather Coleman

Major Program: Agriculture

Floyd County Extension hosted our first ever Youth Ag Days. 170 students in third and fourth grade attend.   During their day the students rotated through three different lessons.  During the Honeybee lesson led by the 4-H Agent, Beekeeper Association President Mike Hackworth and member Chris West, youth learned the importance of honeybees and why they are important to our food system and how to become a beekeeper. They were able to try four types of honey.  During their second se

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Ag Day Event

Author: Emily Davis

Major Program: Local Food Systems

In Pike County, where we lack a county fair, Ag Day provided a much-needed opportunity for the community to engage with agriculture. Pike County ANR and the Pikeville Farmers Market partnered with the Pike County Soil Conservation District to host an Ag Day, hosted on National Farmers Day as a way to recognize our local farmers and provide an educational event that highlighted local farming and sustainability. This was a Fall Festival type event for families and youth to participate in educ

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Back to Basics Beef Program in Lyon County

Author: Jay Stone

Major Program: Beef

The UK Extension Back to Basics Beef Production program was initiated to support and guide beef producers in implementing fundamental practices to improve production efficiency and profitability. The program focuses on educating producers about key aspects of beef production, including nutrition, genetics, health, and management. This program is being offered regionally Statewide and is supported in part by funding provided by the Kentucky Department of Ag Policy. Since the program's la

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Myers Towers Art Classes

Author: Kristy Porter

Major Program: Artistic & Essential Skill Development

Describe the Issue or Situation.Myers Towers is a 200 unit, 11 story high-rise subsidized housing complex in downtown Pikeville that houses individuals who are majority low-income, elderly, and have limited mobility.Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable).In 2022, Pike County Extension Community Arts, in cooperation with The Appalachian Center for the Arts (The APP) and the Pike County Housing Authority, received the Arts Access Assistance: Creative Ag

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Acting Associate Dean & Director — Craig Wood, Ph.D.
S107 Ag. Science Center North
Lexington, KY 40546-0091
+1 (859) 257-4302

© 2024 University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment