More and more individuals and families are choosing to venture into agriculture for self-sufficiency and/or income. Because many of these new farmers have little or no experience, they often reach out to Extension for assistance. To meet the needs of this population, ANR agents from ten counties hosted the Beginning and Small Farmer Conference. 

The Johnson County ANR agent opened the day with a presentation on the basics of getting started with a farm. These included mapping and measuring the farm, understanding soil types, identifying water sources, conducting soil testing, working with FSA, developing a Kentucky Ag Water Quality Plan, and conducting soil tests. There were 95 farmers in attendance, and evaluations indicated high rates of knowledge gained from the presentation that respondents stated would help them manage their farms and improve their interactions with other agencies.