Author: Paul Sizemore
Planning Unit: Owsley County CES
Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Plan of Work: Farm Profitablity
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
Eastern Kentucky has very few resources for locally grown fruit plants at a reasonable price. The Extension Agents of 22 counties and Wise County Virginia come together each year to do a bulk order of strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, asparagus and candy onion transplants. The combination of that many orders makes it possible for deep discounts to the customer.
For example if a customer only wants 50 strawberry plant and orders directly from the nursery the cost is $25, by ordering through our program the cost is $8. The 2021 orders totaled over 50,000 plants, with a savings of well over $22,000 to home gardeners. The plants were delivered to the Laurel County Extension Office where the extension agents of the participating counties all gloved and masked up to divide the plants up among counties due to the Covid 19 epidemic. Each county then sorted the plants and arranged for pick up in a safe manner.
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