A concern in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic was that there might be instability in our national food system. This created a surge of interest to purchase local foods. In response to this, the Woodford County Horticulture Agent worked with Master Gardeners and a group of community volunteers to create a website featuring foods produced in Woodford County called the Woodford FoodNet. The goal of the website is to connect local farmers and processors to the local community and beyond. 

The site features contact information on more than 50 Woodford County farmers listed under their areas of production: meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, baked goods, cut flowers, and specialty products like honey, jams, and sauces. It also includes listings for farmers markets, garden supplies, restaurants and wineries, breweries and distilleries producing or using local food.  

In addition to the website, a facebook page was created to highlight farmers to help further connect producers and consumers by putting a face to the name of the farms as well as provide additional information on what the farmers have to offer. The facebook page posts has reached over 2500 people in the local community and has close to 400 followers. Local farmers have communicated to the extension agent that they received many inquiries and sales as a result of the website and facebook page.  

The Woodford FoodNet site helps keep local money circulating within Woodford County, which in turn can help strengthen our local food system. The goal for the next phase of the website and facebook page is to create short videos highlighting the farms and providing more awareness to consumers as to what these local farms look like and what they have to offer.