Chelsea Sapp

ANR Success Story #3

April 3, 2023

                                                                                Homesteading Basics Series

Starting in February and going through June 2023, I am hosting a homesteading basics series. These classes are geared towards new/beginning farmers and homesteaders. February’s class taught participants about backyard poultry. Dr. Jacobs from UK Poultry Extension visited and spoke about why one may want to raise backyard poultry, cost, equipment, medications needed, flock management and types of chickens. This class impacted 7 white females and 5 white males, 3 being kids under age 12.

Most recently in March was the beekeeping class. This was a highly requested class by several people in our community. I partnered with the Green River Beekeepers Association President to teach about beginner’s beekeeping. Topics covered during this class: getting started with the proper equipment, cost, where to buy bees, how to harvest honey, maintaining hives and proper protective clothing. Participants learned the importance of pollinators and the differences between worker bees, drone bees and the queen. Our guest speaker brought a live display of bees to accurately show how bees work in their hives. Many of the participants were interested in starting beekeeping and this class helped them get a better understanding of what they need. They also had the opportunity to become a Green River Beekeepers Association member and have access to free beekeeping equipment and monthly meetings in rotation at different county extension offices. This program impacted 11 white females, 2 African American females and 5 white males.

For the rest of the series, there will be topics on fruit trees, raised bed gardening and canning. I have taken sign-up’s prior to the classes to have adequate learning materials available for each participant. Currently, 12 people are signed up for the fruit trees class with Dr. Shawn Wright from UK, 12 participants are enrolled for raised bed gardening which will be via zoom with Dr. Rick Durham and 14 participants are enrolled for beginners canning in partnership with our Marion County FCS Agent. I am excited to offer these classes and reach a new audience that would not normally be involved in extension programming. I have had several people thus far be introduced to extension through Homesteading Basics and have attended more than one program since coming to the first class. Each class also has Snap-Ed information and recipes available for clients to take home and try.