Describe the Issue or Situation.

The Amish community are major producers of horticulture, tobacco and crops in Bath County.  Over the years, the extension office has steadily increased its visibility and educational efforts with this group in the county.  It takes some time to develop a trust with this group and once this trust is established, it must be maintained.  This group has a major economic impact on the community and as their numbers continue to increase, that impact also increases.

Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable).

The agent has been successful on providing trainings for members of the Amish community as it relates to crop and vegetable production.  Pesticide certification, WIC, SrFMNP, Good agricultural practices trainings are all well received by the Amish community.  Part of meeting the needs of this group of farmers is being accessible.  Because these farmers have limited access to technology, it is important that we can take calls from them as they need help and that may be evenings and weekends.  Because of our efforts, calls and farm visit requests continue to go up each year.  

Provide the Number and Description(s) of Participants/Target Audience.

This past growing season, the agent made 22 farm visits to Amish growers.  Visits included tobacco greenhouses accounting for more than 250 acres of dark and burley tobacco.  Some visits were management related and some were diagnostic in nature.  A large part of the farm visits related to vegetable production to growers producing for on farm sales and for produce auctions in Bath and Lincoln Counties.  The farm visits constituted over 200 acres of cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloup and strawberries.  The agent was able to provide a diagnosis of the issue and a management plan to deal with the issue.  In most cases, the agent was able to provide UK literature that discussed the issue at hand so that the farmer had a reference to use in the future.

Provide a Statement of Outcomes or Program Impact. Please note that the outcomes statement must use evaluation data to describe the change(s) that occurred in individuals, groups, families, businesses, or in the community because of the program/outreach.

Because the agent and the office continues to address the needs of this difficult to reach audience, calls from this group continue to increase.  The agent works to provide the diagnostic information and educational material necessary to address their needs.  This work affects more than 300 acres of crop production and over one-half million dollars of on farm income.  These dollars have more than $2 million in economic impact in this community.