Author: Curtis Dame
Planning Unit: Hopkins County CES
Major Program: Farm Management
Plan of Work: Provide Resources and Training regarding Financial Literacy, Career Skills, and Business Management
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Skilled labor is a highly debated and sought after need for business development and expansion in Hopkins County, Kentucky. Cooperative programming efforts facilitated by the Madisonville-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation (MHEDC) and the Hopkins County Cooperative Extension Service have highlighted the needs for a skilled agricultural workforce with vocal support received from local large farming operations. With that said efforts have been extensively pursued with Madisonville Community College (MCC) to develop and hire faculty necessary to develop new agriculture programs with multiple career pathways for interested youth. Currently one faculty member has been hired and works in conjunction with local entrepreneurs to operate a new hydroponic greenhouse that was created with grant funding. Together with MHEDC and MCC, the Hopkins County Cooperative Extension Service has opened the doors to further development for this young program and also provided end-use sales opportunities for the public-private greenhouse enterprise through produce best practices trainings currently underway at the extension office. Once training is completed for students and the greenhouse team, sales opportunities will also be supported through access to vending space at the local farmers market facilities. Teamwork and collaboration has been pivotal to the success of the program. Key support from administrative officials at both educational institutions has allowed for the free exchange of technical information and, above all, creativity to solve a major local problem. Assessments of program enrollment, greenhouse productivity and economic impact will be provided at a later date.
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