The problem

Edmonton is the seat of Metcalfe County and has only two small grocery stores selling fresh produce.   The produce on offer at the grocery’s is often poor in quality, limited variety, and costly.  

The educational program response

The Metcalfe County Farmers Market (MCFM) was started in 2008 by the Metcalfe County Extension Agents for Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture Education in response to repeated requests from community members for access to purchasing locally grown produce.  MCFM operates on Extension property, with a paid market manager and volunteer board of directors with FCS/ANR Agents providing training/support, and nutrition education.  The sixteenth annual MCFM producer organizational meeting and chili supper occurred 2/16/2023, with the largest ever recorded participation of 32 potential producers.  Metcalfe County FCS Agent prepared a “local beef” chili supper and provided training on the Home-based processor/microprocessor certification programs; egg sale regulations; the KY Proud FM resource guide; and offered a general Q & A session.  

Metcalfe Co FCS Agent provided six community outreach educational programs at the MCFM during the 23/24 program year, with the following topics: Radon, Plate-It-Up-KY Proud in-season produce recipe sampling and nutrition education (3), Green Cleaning/make a sample of powder green laundry detergent to try at home, Food Preservation Q & A/publications/pressure canner gauge testing, 

he participants/target audience

During the 2023 season, MCFM operated 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Fridays from April 12, 2023 – December 22, 2023.  Each 2023 market day hosted an average of 15 participating paid member vendors with 7 selling their own farm grown fresh produce/accepting alternative payments.  

Program impact/participant response/Other partners 

In 2023, MCFM producers realized $68,759.00 in sales, $ 9769.00 of that income from the various alternative payment programs.  MCFM saw a big administrative win this year, when it received 501-C-3 status from the Federal Internal Revenue Service. 

MCFM partners with Metcalfe County public schools FRYSC and Barn Lot Theater, to offer “MCFM Kids Coins” youth nutrition program, providing each child under age 18 who comes to the market, a $5.00 coin to spend on any whole food, with $1400.00 distributed and spent in 2023.  This current season will see MCFM’s fifteenth year of participation in the WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition voucher programs, with the FCS Extension Agent managing the enrollment, producer trainings, and mandated farm visits for these alternative payment programs, resulting in 27 hours of reported NEP/PSE effort.   Sixteen producer vendors were trained in Metcalfe County and have been enrolled to provide their own locally grown fresh produce to our community, while accepting alternative payments for the 2024 market season, with three additional vendors accepting alternate payments who were trained in their home counties, but who also participate in the MCFM weekly.

Both the Metcalfe Co. FCS Agent and the NEP Assistant set-up and provide Extension FCS/ED outreach in-person, at the MCFM.  Each outreach activity reaches an average of 2/3rd's of customers coming through the Market.  Each Friday the Market is open, there are from 200 - 500 customers that come through, with the highest participation weekly occurring June - September, in conjunction with greatest fresh produce availability.   Click counters are utilized by several vendors and a board member weekly to attain customer count data.