The Breckinridge County Farmers Market was a huge success.  Each time the market was open, the Facebook page was lit up with comments from vendors, comments from customers and even people in the community would comment if someone was looking for a locally grown product, they would refer them back to the Farmers Market.  

Finished out the Farmers Market season with the highest number of customers in years, produce still abundant.  The utilization of WIC vouchers was up by 19% by the end of the market. The Senior Vouchers remained steady at 93% utilization.  

A new set of growers as well, paved their path through to have a very successful year and created their own list of clients.  

It may have just been the pandemic year, but each week there were customers looking for produce to fill their dinner table or to fill their pantry shelves or freezers. 

The lines were long for for each vendor in the market every time it was open. Growers reported an increase in sales, so much that they could not keep up during some weeks.  It might have been the pandemic that sent customers searching for a clean, healthy and plentiful source of produce, but our growers showed up each week ready to serve their customers in a safe manner.  

The Chamber of Commerce, also did a survey on the needs for a local grocery, they listed the Breckinridge County Farmers Market as a site to comment on in the survey, many positive comments were posted about the market.  

We have been meeting with other small minority farmers in the county to invite them to sell in our market with their produce and possible home based processed products.  

Sweet Corn Test plot managed by the Detention Center Work Release program and the late Joey Ervine ended the season with 4500 ears of corn picked and processed through the kitchen at the detention center.  Again, workers and employees were amazed with the differences in varieties, especially with the time of harvest as the ears matured.  Sweet corn growers were also invited to pick out a few varieties that they like and they were amazed at the differences and they are looking into purchasing for their business next season.    

Produce from the raised beds at the Extension Office and the Detention Center were used in the kitchen at the Detention Center which yielded 200#’s of tomatoes, 159 #’s of cucumbers, and 22#’s of peppers.   

The beds are being cared for and will be harvested again in 2021, the inmates are excited to see and feel their hard work in the gardens every year.  To teach them where they food comes from is an amazing experience.  We plan on offering a Horticulture class as a way to provide an educational training that they will take with them as they leave the center.