In 2020, Nelson County Cooperative Extension piloted a community based program intended to increase awareness of Agriculture in our community, increase social media traffic to our office Facebook page and serve as a fundraiser for 4-H.   The 2020 Bale Trail was a successful endeavor, so in 2021, our office collaborated with local farms, businesses and organizations to offer the event again.

The goals of the 2021 Bale Trail were to:

• Support 4-H (through sponsorships and community awareness)
• Bring Awareness to Nelson County Agriculture (Through supporting videos and getting visitors into rural areas)
• Provide a Family Friendly Fall Activity that took visitors to different parts of our community. 

Value added- Partnership with Visit Bardstown  sponsored signage and prize money. 4-H clubs could set up a display for free to increase awareness of 4-H programming. The Bee Keepers also set up a display which was one of the most popular!  The clubs that participated noted that is was a fun activity for their members and that the club members took pride in the displays.  Added educational videos that guests could access using a QR code  on their smart phone at each display with fun facts about agriculture.  The videos had over 175 views.  We incorporated nutritional education by creating a Wally Cat display that had healthy recipes  for guests to take.  We also incorporated the LEAP program by hosting a Hungry Caterpillar Display where two groups learned about nutrition and MY Plate through the Hungry Caterpillar Story.  

Of those responding to a follow up questionnaire, some families interacted only online, but the majority interacted both online and in-person with the displays. Some families interacted with all of the displays, but most interacted with at least half of the 15 displays. Group sizes ranged from 2-6 people, with at least half watching the accompanying videos. 2/3's indicated learning something new about agriculture from their interaction with the Bale Trail.  Participants enjoyed the creativity of the displays.

$1,000 was raised to support Nelson County 4-H programming.

Our accompanying social media posts reached over 20,000 people with over 3,000 engagements with the post.

Sponsors included local businesses, farms, non-profits and Ag Related agencies. 

 Bale Trail Sponsor who replied to a follow up questionnaire indicated that most shared Bale Trail post on their personal or business Facebook pages, increasing the reach of each post. All but one indicated that this led to an increase in engagement with their social media posts. All indicted that as a result of having a display on the Bale Trail, they saw an increase in traffic to their physical location. One sponsor noted that, "Several people came  in ... it was fun to interact with clients and neighbors." Another sponsor who had a display at their home said, "To see the joy and excitement my kids had when someone stopped by to take pictures was priceless.   one even indicated gaining new customers as a result. All were interested in participating again in 2022, one sponsor noting, ""We can't wait until next year. Our will be be bigger and better."