Author: Noel Novelo
Planning Unit: KSU Administration
Major Program: Aquaculture
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
One of the main purposes of Extension is to provide useful information for facilitating beneficial opportunities and improved farming practices, production and aid to Extension stakeholders. This success story shows how simple communication and information delivery can change a farmer’s operations, motivation, and successful farm endeavors. I provided information on the KSU Small Scale Farm Grant to Mr. David Lazar, a local fish farmer and owner of ‘Flying Fish Lakes’ located in Carroll County, Kentucky. Information on this can be found at the following link at KSU’s website: https://www.kysu.edu/academics/college-acs/school-of-ace/co-op/small-scale-farm-grant-program.php. After Mr. Lazar’s initial questions I directed him to Joni Nelson, Manager of the Center for Sustainability of Farms and Families/ Extension Associate, and he applied for the grant. As a result, Mr. Lazar was awarded $5,000 in January 2021. He used this to buy portable equipment (diesel fuel air compressor and generator) to aid in harvesting of fish, to provide alternative oxygen for emergencies when routine oxygen delivery systems failed, and to use as an emergency aerator for severe winter conditions. Without this financial aid which comprised the majority of expenditure to support the safety of his farm production, Mr. Lazar would not have been able to purchase this equipment. Now, he has obtained a portable, back-up life-support system that will protect his fish farm investments and produce. Mr. Lazar is one of the contacts I communicate and work with consistently, and he is a participant in the Extension-based grant we were awarded on March 30, 2021 by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) on ‘Expanding Aquaculture and Healthy Food Choices to Reduce Economic and Health Disparities Affecting Minority and Limited-Resource Stakeholders.’
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