The Kentucky Farms, Kentucky Flavor (KYF2) Project is funded by the USDA Specialty Crop Grant in partnership with SOKY Marketplace in downtown Bowling Green, KY.  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 their crops, and how to incorporate them into healthy meals.

Each farm highlighted including Jackson’s Orchard, Van Buren’s Market, and Riverbend Family Farm received $4050 worth of earned media from the promotion that reached over 56,000 individuals.   A 6-month follow up survey revealed that one hundred percent saw an increase in sales of 10-15%. One hundred percent also noticed an increased awareness of their farm business and featured crop. All farms increased their social media following by 12%-258%, which led to an increase in customers and name recognition from the general public. One farmer attributed a big increase on their Facebook page to KYF2 and said he was appreciative of the project because “most farmers do not have the means or knowledge to promote their goods on this scale.”

Seventy percent of the consumer audience reached through cooking classes, educational series and SOKY marketplace customers reported to have gained knowledge on how to access or prepare a specialty crop. Another farmer stated that the project was helpful to his farm because “Anytime we can increase consumer knowledge of what grows and how it grows in their area is important for a healthy diet and to develop relationships between producers and consumers.”

KYF2 continues to be a successful project in increasing farm sales and awareness of specialty crops. During the 2019 KACAA State Meeting, Kentucky Farms, Kentucky Flavor (KYF2) project was awarded first place in the educational poster contest division. This poster will advance to the NACAA Meeting in 2020 where it will compete against other Cooperative Extension Services in the United States.