As of 2018, there are 75,100 farming operations in the state of Kentucky (USDA, 2018).  There is a large agriculture industry in Kentucky from production to processing. Though agriculture plays a large role in people’s everyday lives there is a disconnect between the producer and the consumer. Primary school aged students from urban areas have a little to no knowledge of agriculture source of common foods. Youth should become more well-informed about agriculture as it would make them understand the world around them and to appreciate the farmland and the hard work that goes into their food.

In the fall of 2020, the Virtual 4-H Cooking Club meetings were based around the theme “Cooking Through Kentucky.” In September, members were given a staple supplies box which contained pantry ingredients needed for the following three lessons. Some of these ingredients contained flour and corn meal from Hopkinsville Milling which the company donated to each member to have. Each lesson was based on a traditional Kentucky dish, but during the meeting 4-Hers learned about how this was form Kentucky’s agriculture products. October’s lesson taught youth to make baked chicken tenders and biscuits.  During this meeting the agriculture tie in was about the poultry industry in the state. Members learned that poultry was the number one commodity in Kentucky and facts about this industry. In October the dish cooked was Kentucky Hot Browns. Using Hopkinsville Milling’s all-purpose flour to make the roux, it was discussed how wheat is grown in the county, taken to our local mills, then processed to make the four and other goods they see at the grocery. In December members learned to make Hopping John and corn bread. 4-Hers observed that the cornmeal to make their side dish was made from corn that farmers grew locally. 

Learning about traditional meals in Kentucky was not the only lesson taught to these members, but how their food they eat every day is being grown around them in Christian County