2019 is the second year of a three-year farm business development program for New Americans in Louisville, KY. The program is co-facilitated by the Jefferson Co. Horticulture Agent and Program Manager from Common Earth Gardens, a division of Catholic Charities with support from Navigate Enterprise Services (Louisville Org. that specializes in limited resource/New American business development) and Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD). Participants in the program had to apply to the program with 1 year of growing experience in Kentucky AND have three persons agree to be farm business partners. In January of 2019, two additional farm business teams were added to the 7 farm business that started the program in 2018. The 9 farm business teams in the 2019 class represent both the Somali-Bantu and Nepali refugee communities in Louisville.

During the winter, participants attend 6 bi-weekly classes on the topics of crop planning, markets, business planning and financial literacy. This winter farmers spent two class periods ( total of 4 instruction hours) on crop planning. During the first crop planning class, farmers utilized a specialized visual planting calendar and pictorial "earliest safe planting dates" worksheet prepared by the Hort. agent to learn when and why certain crops can be planted in Kentucky. One farmer told instructors, "we've been growing in Kentucky for years, but never knew there were plants that could grow when it was cold outside." The following week, all 9 farm business teams utilized the information learned in the crop planning class to begin planting their spring crops, a full two months earlier than 2018. During the second crop planning class, farmers learned how to calculate dates to maturity using their planting dates. The farmers were then able to use these dates to maturity to ensure that they have between 5-8 different items ready for each farmers market day they want to attend.  Three of the farmers utilized this knowledge and planted their first round of spring crops immediately after the first class. These three farm business teams began selling at local farmers markets the first weekend in May; a full two months earlier than in 2018. The other five farm business teams began their spring planting after the second crop planning class and will be starting their first markets on June 8; one month earlier than in 2018. With a new understanding of seasonal planting, all farmers will have produce ready for sale earlier than 2018. This additional two months of growing time will equate to between $300-$1000/month additional income per farm business team, depending on farmers market location and actually market start date.