Kentucky farmers produce a wide range of specialty crops, such as vegetables and fruit. In 2017, cash receipts for fruit and vegetable production totaled $41.6 million (National Agriculture Statistics Service and Economic Research Commission). Direct sales make up a more than 50% of produce sales in the state (National Agriculture Statistics Service and Economic Research Commission), which allows for improved access to local foods. In addition, many home gardeners also grow their own fruit and vegetables for personal consumption. Both commercial and backyard growers can face many challenges that may limit produce yield and/or quality. County Extension Agents provide educational programs and resources, as well as serve as consultants to assist commercial and backyard growers with production problems. Thus, for agents to better assist stakeholders, it is necessary to train agents on a wide range of crop production topics. 

The 2025 IPM for Specialty Crops Lunch and Learn Webinar Series was developed as a train-the-trainer program to educate agents on the basic concepts of disease and pest management for improved plant health. The goal of this series was to improve agent confidence in assisting stakeholders with plant problems by providing a holistic training program. Ten, one-hour sessions were presented virtually every two weeks from January through May. Topics included basics of disease, insect, and weed identification, horticultural concepts, and pesticide selection and safety. Each session was recorded, and videos were made available to all agents registered. Throughout the series, a total of 82 different agents registered for sessions with a cumulative total of 333. To date videos have been viewed a combined total of 48 times.

A post survey indicated that the program represented agents with less than 1 year experience (20%), 1-3 years experience (20%), 4-6 years experience (40%), and 10+ years experience (20%).. The survey found that after the trainings, confidence for each topic varied. High/increased confidence was noted for the topics of tools and supplies for diagnosing plant problems (90%), site visits/how-to diagnose plant problems (100%), diagnosing plant diseases (80%), and maintaining plant health for reduced pest risks (80%). Moderate confidence was noted for the topics of diagnosis of insect issues (40%), identification of weedy species (40%), soil tests and fertilizer recommendations (40%), and pesticide labels and safety (40%). The lowest confidence was reported for the topics of using spray guides to make recommendations for disease and insect management (20%) and pesticide calculations (20%). Agents indicated that they felt more comfortable talking to stakeholders about issues after the training. The post survey indicated that agents would like to have additional video resources. Future trainings are being planned to target areas where agent confidence is lowest.