In an effort to gain new interests in specialty crop production and to educate consumers on healthy preparation of various specialty crops at home, the Warren County Extension Office kicked off the 3^rd season of Kentucky Farms, Kentucky Flavor (KYF2). This program highlights a specialty crop producer through video and gives consumers a behind the scenes look at how the crop is cultivated from seed to harvest. In partnership with the SOKY Marketplace, the USDA Specialty Crop Grant granted the funding to carry out this project. 

Warren County Extension Agents for Agriculture and Horticulture teamed up to spotlight 3 producers during the first half of the KYF2 season. May’s farm spotlight was on Do Dot’s Strawberries with their plasticulture system of strawberries. June’s focus was on Sunny Point Gardens and their hydroponic lettuce varieties. July’s segment was Button’s Wharf Farm and their peppers. At the end of each farmer interview, agents featured a nutritious recipe for strawberry salsa, beef confetti taco salad, and jalapeno poppers using Plate it Up! Kentucky Proud and Kentucky Beef check-off. 

Each video segment aired on multiple marketing channels and on social media outlets in and around the Bowling Green, KY area. Some of these places included Ag Connections on WKCT Radio, Farm and Home Show on WBKO-13 Television, Mid-Day Live on WBKO-13 Television, Native ads on WBKO-13, and the Kentucky Farms Kentucky Flavor Facebook page and YouTube Channel. By marketing to all these platforms, farms received a total of $2,500 to promote themselves and their farm businesses.  

A follow-up evaluation through personal testimonies, surveys, and phone calls revealed positive results from the participating producers. Results varied from farmer to farmer. Here are some of those findings: 

• Do Dots Strawberries
  • Increased sales by $1,000.00
  • Attracted new customers to the strawberry patch, which also reduced trips to the farmers market since she made more on the farm sales 
  • Gained 100 new Facebook likes
• Sunny Point Gardens
  • Increased sales by 10% to 15%
  • Earned 1 new CSA customer
  • Gained 30 new Facebook likes
• Button’s Wharf Farm
  • Increased sales by 15% to 20%
  • Brought more customers to the Farmers Market
  • Gained 40 new Facebook likes

The Kentucky Farms, Kentucky Flavor project proves to be a valuable and innovative educational tool for commercial market growers. Numerous people commented to the agents that they purchased the specialty crop and prepared the recipes after seeing the videos. With these reported findings, Extension agents are confident that other successes will come from the second half of the KYF2 season.