Eastern Kentucky has the highest food insecurity in the United States. In Elliott County 1,610 individuals (21.0%) of the county population are not sure where their next meal will come from. There is a steady increase in interest from clientele wanting to know how they can become more self-sufficient by growing their own food. Furthermore, Elliott County is a rural county that has at least a 30 minute drive to a city with a large supermarket. With that being said there are 363 farms in Elliott County raising a commodity according to the 2017 Agriculture Statistics and according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture there is 54,996 acres of farm land in Elliott County involved in some type of agriculture practice. Therefore, the County Extension Council, Ag Council, Farmer Market, Kentucky Farm Bureau and Soil Conservation Board’s felt that educational programming was needed to educate youth and clientele in the area of growing their own food. 

The Elliott County Cooperative Extension agent for ANR (Keith Center) partnered with the Elliott County High School Vocational Agriculture teacher (Brad Brammel) and 60 students enrolled in the Elliott County High School Commercial Horticulture and General Agriculture courses to offer a fruit trees grafting workshop to citizens in Elliott County. On February 17, 2020 with permission granted from the Elliott County High School Principal, FFA Advisor and parents/guardians ANR agent Keith Center checked FFA members Garrett Barker and Billy Tyler Branham out of school to assist in pruning trees and collecting different varieties of apple and pear scion wood from local farmers in Elliott County. The producers in the county that offered apple and pear scion wood for the Grafting Workshops and agreed to allow FFA members on their farms included: Dallas Fannin, Alex Ford, Barb Smith, Lorianne and Donnie Rose and Dean Barker. On March 2^nd, 2020 ANR agent Keith Center went to the Robertson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability (RCARS) in Jackson, KY to pick up apple and pear Rootstock orders.

On March 2^nd and 3^rd, 2020, 60 students and eight producers participated in classroom learning sessions led by ANR agent Keith Center at the  Elliott County Extension Office and Elliott County High School. Students and producers learned about proper management and care for scion wood, proper management and care of rootstock, and different varieties of apple and pear rootstock. Concluding the classroom discussions every student and producer received the opportunity to graft their own apple tree. The students grafted apple trees will be used to reestablish an apple orchard this spring behind the Elliott County High School greenhouse. 

Concluding the workshops producers and students were asked to complete a rootstock/grafting workshop follow up survey. 95 percent of participants indicated they had a better understanding of proper rootstock and scion wood management practices, 100 percent felt they had a better understanding of the benefits of grafting, 95 percent felt more confident in collecting scion wood, 90 percent felt more confident in grafting and managing rootstock, 100 percent plan to develop an orchard or extend their fruit tree operation and 100 percent indicated having a better understanding of how to properly care for their fruit trees as a result of the program. In late March the Elliott County High School Commercial Horticulture course students will plant their grafted apple rootstock and begin the process of reestablishing an apple orchard where programs will be conducted for not only students but for the citizens of Elliott County!