Chelsea Sapp

Success Story #2

January 2024

Accommodating Clients

I work closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Office here in Lebanon along with the County Ag Investment Administrator. With our working relationship, I am to host and teach a variety of topics that meet education requirements for the CAIP program. This program is very popular in my county and benefits numerous farmers which allows them to make on-farm improvements. My role in this program is educating farmers in their respective program area. This is a big undertaking due to my client’s schedules between farming and working full-time jobs, some even having a commute further than an hour.

When scheduling programs for clients to attend for educational requirements for CAIP, I strive to be as flexible as possible. I offer early morning classes, evening classes and have met clients individually during the day. I fit clients’ schedules and availability in my own and cater to them. A client thanked me months later at a meeting he attended for my ability to work with him with his busy schedule and make sure he got his training completed. He said if it had not been for me being flexible and willing to work around his schedule, he would not have been able to receive the cost share funds to improve his farming operation. He commutes to Louisville for work and that is over an hour drive one way, this highly limited his availability among family responsibilities. If it had not been for my efforts, this farmer would have gone without much needed funds for his farm. I am proud of the commitment I have to my client and the dedication to better my community and strengthen client relationships.  

While this success story focuses on one individual, there are multiple farmers I have worked with to accommodate and will continue to do so.