Due to an increased interest in home and consumer horticulture from their listeners, WUKY (91.3 FM), the University of Kentucky’s public radio station, approached the Agriculture Communications Department in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment about creating a gardening program for their station. Jeff Franklin, Agriculture Communications Specialist, contacted the horticulture agents in central Kentucky to see if they would be willing to record sessions to be aired on the station.

Jeff worked with the Madison County Horticulture Agent on organizing the group. The radio program ran from April until October. A different Horticulture Agent covered each month. Agents chose what topics to discuss. At each session with Jeff, the Agent recorded four separate shows. Each show was aired weekly. “From the Ground Up” lasts five minutes.

According to WUKY, the average size of the listening audience at 8:30 on a Sunday morning, when the program is broadcast, is about 3,000 listeners.  

The radio station is pleased with the response from the show and plans on working with the Agents in the future.

In addition to the radio broadcast, the Agent’s recordings are also posted on the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment social media page and college news page.

This program is not only an educational opportunity for the community but is excellent exposure for the College of Agriculture and the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service by reaching areas of the community we may not have been engaging before.

The topics the Madison County Horticulture Agent covered were:

• Soil compaction
• Understanding gardening catalogs
• Plant nutrition
• Moss control