The Small Farm Conference Western Style was held on Friday June 9 and Saturday June 10 with KSU’s Edwin Chavous, Marion Simon, Farmer Dr. Nancy Dawson, and former KSU Diversity Specialist Gae Broadwater guiding the event.

The theme of the Small Farm Conference Western Style was:  An Introductory Conference About Fermentation And Distillation.  The program follows:

 June 9, 2023 – Friday

3:30 p.m. CDT Opening of the Conference

Welcome

Visit with representatives from USDA and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture

4:15 p.m. “Fermentation in Action – Part 1” Dr. Avinash Tope, Ph.D. Associate Professor/Acting Chair School of S.T.E.M Academic Affairs College of Agriculture, Community, and the Sciences

5:00 p.m. Farm-to-Fork Dinner, prepared by Kentucky farmer and former NRCS District Conservationist Michael Andrews featured KY Proud Products from the Russellville Urban Gardening Project

Evening keynote address:  

Marcia Jones, Founder of Urban Connoisseurs “Creating Opportunities for the Next Generation”

Dr. Tanya Price –Selection, Cultural Anthropologist and Musician

June 10, 2023 – Saturday

9:00 a.m. Opening Session & Remarks

Dr. Kirk Pomper, Director of Land Grant Programs; Dean and Professor College of Agriculture, Community, and the Sciences

Dr. Nancy J. Dawson, Vice-Chair of the Board, Cherokee Historical State Resort Park of Aurora

9:30 a.m. Morning keynote address:  Bryson Yarbrough, co-founder of Victory Global LLC and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Brough Brothers “Introduction to the Fermentation Industry”

10:30 a.m. Fermentation and Distillation Educational Presentations, Moderator - Lindsay Heyvaert, Small Farm Area Agent, Kentucky State University, “Fermentation in Action – Part 2”, Dr. Avinash Tope

11:15 a.m. Discussion coordinated by Lindsay Heyvaert and led by the Producers listed below:

1.  Product Development and Marketing

 2.   Recipe approvals

3.  What is natural yeast?

4.  Producing raw materials

5.   KSU Certificate in Fermentation and Distillation Science

12:00 p.m. Lunch and networking

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Educational sessions continue (repeated)

2:00 – 2:15 p.m. Conference Wrap-up

2:30 p.m. Bus departs for return to KSU

MEET THE GUEST PRODUCER PRESENTERS

Michael J. Andrews was born and raised on his family’s farm in Guthrie, KY. While attending college, he worked as a Soil Conservationist Trainee for the Todd County office, raising tobacco and row crops to pay for his college education. He received his BS degree in agriculture in 1975 from MSU. Andrews started his career with the USDA-NRCS as a Soil Conservationist. He worked in several counties in western Kentucky before becoming the District Conservationist in Webster County in 1983. Michael isan active farmer. 

Ianna Clarke is a graduate of the Classic Cooking Academy in Scottsdale, AZ, and the Chase Sergeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia.  She has enjoyed a cooking career for the last seven years. 

Heather Cooper operates Cleav’s Family Market, a diversified farming operation that includes livestock, poultry, and vegetable production.  Cleav’s is an African American owned farm in Larue and Hart counties in central Kentucky. They started farming in 2004 using sustainable agriculture practices to produce naturally raised meats and produce. Animals are raised in their natural habitat with no hormones or antibiotics.  They are active with Third Thursdays and the Small, Limited-Resource, Minority Farmers Conference.

Fatima Jackson farms an 80-acre livestock meat goat operation with a few cattle in Mercer County, KY. They own about 85 meat goats, including 80 adult does and five adult bucks. They love raising goats and maximizing herd performance through sustainable practices. They also grow a few vegetables, such as garlic and hot peppers, on a small scale. Their goal is to continue developing their farm and mentoring other farmers in sustainable livestock production.

Marcia Jones is a Social Winepreneur and founded Urban Connoisseurs. For the past 12 years, she has integrated her wealth of talent with her passion for wine and worked tirelessly to increase diversity in the wine industry.  The Mission of Urban Connoisseurs is to affect sustainable growth in the African American Winemaker community by increasing the number of African American and Black Winemakers in the US and abroad, creating opportunities for the next generation to pursue various careers in the wine industry, and maintain brand and legacy for current Black winemakers by supporting winemakers who maintain high standards of sustainable practices in their winemaking—Practices that are also sensitive to the environment and never compromise on the quality of wines produced.

JoJuana Leveall-Greene purchased land in 2016 and hoped to build her dream home and leave a legacy within the soil in the historic neighborhood/ hamlet of Cadentown – a settlement for freed African-Americans after the Civil War. In Early Spring 2020, Greene Landing broke ground and tilled up the plot for planting and growing. Leaveall-Greene received a grant to lead a youth program on gardening and horticulture, and in the Summer of 2020, the program kicked off during the pandemic with ten students. They planted, watered, and cared for all these plants, enabling them to feed themselves and their families during the pandemic and lockdown. The program’s success inspired her son, James, to bring the small farm feel back to his grandmother’s (Nanny’s) land in Anderson County. Leveall-Greene continues her work with young people and her son, and growing new varieties on her land. She is active in her community and with Cherokee Historic Park.

Dr. Tanya Y. Price is an educator and musician, having graduated from Miami University of Ohio and Indiana University Bloomington with a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology. She educates college and K-12 students about African and African Diaspora cultures. Price studied drumming for nearly 20 years with the Mamady Keïta, the late Guinean Grandmaster of the djembe, Greg Ince, and Baba Charles Miller, among others. She delights in performing and teaching internationally.

Bryson Yarbrough is retired from an engineering career in the U.S. Army and focuses the import-export business on hard cider, craft beer, and Kentucky bourbon. He brings his extensive military training and experience to the spirits industry. With multiple deployments from America’s border to the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, Bryson built a camaraderie with fellow soldiers by sharing his love of bourbon. By the time he shed the uniform of an Enlisted and became an Officer, he had learned quite a bit about different spirits of the world, but nothing would replace Kentucky Bourbon. Having mastered operating in some of the most challenging environments in the World, he is now learning to master the distillation process. He serves as Chief Operating Officer of Brough Brothers Distillery. He is working with his brothers, Victor and Christian, to create their products to make an impact locally and globally.

HOSTS & SPONSORS:  Southern SARE, Cherokee Historical State Resort Park of Aurora, Kentucky State University, Brough Brothers, Urban Connoisseurs

The participants on June 9 included  67 total participants composed of: 25 women,   29 men,  Hispanics, 52 African Americans,  12 Caucasian , and 10 youth.

The participants on Jun 10 included 67  participants composed of: 25 women, 29 men,

 0 Hispanics, 52 African Americans,  12 Caucasian, and 10 Youth.

As a result of this agriculture educational conference, the total attendance was 62 farmers.   

This information will benefit underserved communities, families, farmers, individuals, and youth to improve their quality of life with state- of-the-art, research-based educational programs.

Farmers throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky were able to receive Cooperative Extension agriculture information that will enable them to increase their knowledge and family income on their farms in their respective counties.