In fall 2020, COVID-19 still had many restrictions, but this did not stop the Buffalo Trace (Lewis, Mason, Fleming, Bracken and Robertson) agents from hosting the annual Farm School for Women program. The program was offered virtually through Zoom for four sessions and had 28 women signed up and participated. The 2020 coursed topic that were covered were based the sessions on 2019's survey.

The first session covered mum production; we decided to make the program a virtual field day. It included tours of Fannin’s Market, discussing the basics of starting mum production from marketing, site selection, mum systems, when to plant, media, insect control, fertilizing, watering, and general tips. Each participant was given a mum and hand lens before the series started.  Working with Dr. Nicole Gauthier UK Plant Pathology, participants were taught how to properly use a hand lens, and what to look for to see if plants were healthy when growing or purchasing plant.

The Second session covered land management, Dr. Steve Higgins of UK Biosystems and Engineering looked and learned strategies for improving livestock feeding and watering systems to promote healthier cattle and simpler, more efficient for the farmer. 60% of survey responses planned to make changes on my farm to improve my feeding systems after attending the Land Management session. 

The third session with Dr. Morgan Hays of UK Biosystems and Engineering.  covered rotational grazing systems that taught what it took to set-up their operation to get the most forages. Grazing sticks were also provided by Natural Resource Conservation Service, and clients learned how to use the tool to know when to rotate livestock to another pasture. One participant said, "I currently utilize rotational grazing; however, after attending the Grazing Systems session, I plan to make improvements."

 The Fourth and final session ladies talked with Dr. Michelle Arnold DMV about livestock health and focused mainly on types of vaccines that livestock producers should use and have on hand at their operation. The speaker covered when and why certain vaccines should be used. While there are countless vaccines available, the speaker also covered how to choose which vaccines would be a good selection. 80 % of survey responses said they planned to improve their livestock health after attending the Livestock Health session. 

Farm School for Women has been one of the most successful programs for Buffalo Trace horticulture & ag & natural resource agents. The program has been offered for years and is well attended every year, even during COVID-19. We continually see many participants join year after year as they are eager to learn new topics. 

After the session, the Lewis County Agent worked with Honey Do Farms to redesign their plans on adding infrastructure to their farm to become a more efficient operation before the broke ground on a new barn and handling facility.  Another participant said, "Farm school for women has been very enriching to me. I have kept better farm records, implemented rotational grazing, and gotten grants for material presented in the program. I have enjoyed seeing how others are doing by talking to the women. The trips to the farms and other businesses have been rewarding." We are excited to see what 2021 holds for Farm School for Women as we continue to provide outstanding programming for our clientele.  All 4 session were recorded and put on the Plant Professional YouTube page so the people can refer to the information as needed