“The Third Thursday Thing”, an award winning USDA Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Model State Program project of  Kentucky State University (KSU), held its 20^th Anniversary Field Day on July 20, 2017 at the Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm in Franklin County, KY.  The field day had over 600 participants who studied many agriculture topics including the production of aquaculture species, pawpaw trees, fruit and organic vegetable crops, urban garden crops, hemp, honey bees, pastured poultry, sheep, goats, beef cattle, horses, cut flowers, and gardening for persons with disabilities.  Participants had the opportunity to study leadership skills and information concerning family and consumer sciences including fabrics, home decorating, and family financial management.  Participants also had opportunities to study home based processing and micro-processing, foods and nutrition, and food safety. They were introduced to KSU's food processing trailer, the KSU Thorobred Kitchen trailer which includes a teaching kitchen, and KSU's mobile processing unit for fish, shrimp, pastured poultry, and rabbits, and other portable units.  Participants also had the opportunity to taste farmer and KSU's farm grown products.

Results:  Many participants indicated that they increased their knowledge base, learned about new farming and agriculture opportunities, and expanded their knowledge of the products that they currently produce or will  potentially produce. 

Success Story:  A beginning small farm family from Franklin County, KY came to the 20^th Anniversary Field Day.  They were not familiar with Kentucky State University, the Cooperative Extension System, or USDA or State programs, so the spouses divided the classes and demonstrations between themselves so they could learn more.  Were they impressed with what they saw and could potentially do with their new farm!  Later, they attended KSU's 2017 Small, Limited-Resource, Minority Farmer’s Conference.  This introduced them to many USDA agencies, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy (GOAP) services.  They began coming to the "Third Thursday"  monthly workshops.

They seized the opportunities that were presented to them.  They went to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) local office and asked the District  Conservationist to come and assess their farm.  In May of 2018, they completed a NRCS-EQIP project to reduce erosion and design waterways to protect the creek that runs through their farm from pollution and soil sedimentation.  They implemented methods to stabilize the soils that lay near the creek and in highly erodible areas, added feeding and horseback riding areas, and developed/implemented waterways near the creek and in highly erodible areas.  They went to the USDA Farm Service Agency and began the process of applying for a farm ownership loan in May of 2018.  They learned about pastured poultry and goats during “Third Thursdays”.  They now have a small heritage breed pastured poultry egg laying operation where they sell eggs locally.  They began raising goats. They have a small horse training business and are working with Kentucky Proud and the Scott County Chamber of Commerce on horseback activities and tourism.  

In their words, “… We simply did not know that these opportunities existed.  We are turning our farm around… What we have learned, and gained in knowledge, and the farm improvements we have made in less than a year is amazing!… We learned it all from KSU...“