August 14, 2024

“KSU Small Farm Program Continue to Provides Technical Assistance for Minority Pasture Poultry Farmer in Madison County, Kentucky”

The Kentucky State University (KSU) Small Farm Program is an Extension program designed to help farm families with decision-making skills to solve farm and home problems. It includes educational programs that emphasize farm production, farm management, and marketing.  It also includes the use and understanding of local county programs and USDA agencies and their programs, plus providing technical assistance in completing applications for the program and the entire application process.  The KSU Small Farm Outreach Training and Technical Assistant Coordinator for Small Farms works with small, limited-resource, and minority farmers, most of whom have not used Extension prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  He targets minority farmers, farmers who are new to Extension, or farmers who think that Extension is not for them.  First he has to gain their confidence.  Then he has to show them that he can help them to meet some of their needs. 

This is his experience with one family that requested technical assistance in Madison County, Kentucky. 

When the KSU Small Farm Outreach Training and Technical Assistant Coordinator first begin to discuss extension research based information that would benefit their diversified agricultural operations which are cow calf operation, row crops, and plastic culture for vegetables and pasture poultry operation.  In the last couple of years on one particular note the KSU Small Farm Outreach Training and Technical Assistant Coordinator during farm visits with the farmers he would explain the Kentucky State University mobile chicken processing unit. At first they both were not convinced that the Kentucky State University mobile chicken processing unit was more beneficial and economical. The farmer for the past three year were utilizing other methods that were not recommended extension methods. In the beginning of year 2023 the farmers wanted to know the contact person at Kentucky State University for the mobile chicken processing unit.  I told them both that the contact person for the KSU mobile chicken processing unit his name is Mr. Steve Skelton.  Mr. Skelton stated there are many benefits for farmers using the MPU, Skelton explains. For one, he said he’s heard horror stories of farmers taking their product to a private processor and receiving someone else’s in return. Cost is a big benefit, too, he explained.

“Cost and pride in your product are the bottom line for using the MPU for processing,” Skelton said. “The farmers take pride in how they raise their products.”

In April 2023 both brother sign up to become certified to utilize KSU mobile chicken processing unit. In Year 2024 the brothers have utilized the KSU mobile chicken processing unit several time in year 2024 to process their pasture poultry chickens, they see the benefit of using the facility to process their chickens.   

Authors: Edwin W. Chavous, KSU Small Farm Outreach Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator, Kentucky State University.