Author: Kelly Jackson
Planning Unit: Christian County CES
Major Program: Horticulture, Commercial
Plan of Work: Enhancing Production through Sustainable Agriculture and Marketing Strategies
Outcome: Initial Outcome
The accessibility of information to farmers has never been higher. Emails, blogs, social media, videos, and online training are bridging the information gap. This is true for all agricultural sectors except Amish and Mennonite farmers. Christian and Todd counties are two of the most Amish-populated counties in the state. Kentucky is the 8th most Amish-populated state with 15,000. Limited access to phones and internet sources, make it challenging for Amish farmers to get timely production information. To improve access, the ANR agent and Horticulture agent for the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service for Christian County launched the AgMatters newsletter. AgMatters targets produce, tobacco and dairy farmers (the three most common commodities of our Amish growers). AgMatters is received monthly by 460 growers in Christian and the surrounding counties. It is also distributed at the Fairview Produce Auction. Newsletter content comes from Extension commodity-specific newsletters, posts from Kentucky Pest News, and e-newsletters from NRCS, USDA, and other Cooperative Extension systems. Articles included are relevant, timely and adaptable to our clientele. The response from the growers has been very positive. Many growers have contacted us for more information about articles or highlighted publications. A pdf version is also shared with surrounding ANR and Horticulture agents.
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