Author: Joanna Coles
Planning Unit: Warren County CES
Major Program: Local Food Systems
Plan of Work: Local Food Systems
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
A 3rd season of the Kentucky Farms, Kentucky Flavor (KYF2) Project was funded by the USDA Specialty Crop Grant in partnership with SOKY Marketplace. The goal of the project is to increase the sale and consumption of specialty crops in South Central Kentucky. Promotional and educational videos were developed highlighting farmers, where to access crops and how to incorporate them into healthy meals. The videos were included in the following platforms.
Each farm highlighted received $2,500 worth of earned media from the promotion and 100% increased sales and awareness of their specialty crop. After a 3 month follow up survey, Do Dots, Sunny Point Gardens and Button Wharf Farms each saw an increase of traffic which led to a 10-15% increase in sales, new CSA members, and an increase in social media followers. One farm sold out of their crop from the farm gate which reduced their marketing cost, transportation cost and gave them more time to devote to the farm.
Specialty crop consumption also increased. After the videos were posted, we always had multiple requests for recipes and comments about how people had prepared the specialty crop. The KYF2 Grow, Cook, Eat class taught by the SNAP educators in Warren County were also beneficial in teaching limited resource families about the specialty crop, giving hands-on cooking demonstrations using the crop and teaching the importance of eating fruits and vegetables.
Kentucky is the largest cow and calf producing state east of the Mississippi River. Simpson, Allen, ... Read More
Social Media presents an incredible marketing opportunity for farmers. After several requests from c... Read More
The Buddy House enhances the quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome and their families b... Read More
~~The Barren River Area Safe Space, Inc. (BRASS) is a regional domestic violence 26-bed shelter and ... Read More