FreshRx for MOMs has expanded eligibility and become FreshRx for Families!
Change is a normal process. Some change is good and some change is great!! As our community needs change, CFA is pivoting. Community Farm Alliance FreshRx for Mom’s is now FreshRx for Families!! It’s the same great program of providing fresh locally sourced produce; however we have expanded to serve families that receive WIC!! We are excited for this move to be able to serve more families within Kentucky. Locations FreshRx for Families are currently or soon to be operating are listed below. Thank you to our partners and farmers for helping us to make this program available to families. Contact Sandra Ballew Barnes (sandra@cfaky.org) for inquiries or how to connect with one of the sites below.
It’s almost time for National Farmers Market Week! Farmers Market Week is one of our favorite weeks of the year because it helps us set aside a whole week to recognize the importance of farmers markets to our local food system and our communities! National Farmers Market Week is the first full week in August, so mark your calendars for August 2-8 and plan to celebrate by sharing photos on social media and tagging #cfaky and #nationalfarmersmarketweek!
Celebrating NFMW has become more popular over the last decade, but it was founded in 1999 by the USDA! This week creates space for communities to connect with their local market via volunteering or engaging on social media and allows relationships to be built with local leaders, sponsors or funders. We know it can be a lot to plan a celebration on top of market execution, but have no fear- our friends at the Farmers Market Coalition have created a tool-kit to help! The tool-kit includes a timeline for tasks, graphic templates, proclamation templates, and more! You can find the tool-kit here.
So, what are you waiting for? Drop us an email (brena@cfaky.org) or tag us in your celebration promotion posts to let us know how you’ll celebrate and we’ll plan to see y’all at our local markets as well! We can’t wait!
On July 24, in partnership with the KY Hort Council, CFA hosted a Field Day at Happy Hens Homestead in Booneville, KY, Farmers Andee and Lyndsey, also known as “The Hens” showed us what it’s like to prioritize multiple projects, diversify outlets (and pivot when those outlets don’t work), plan for a long growing season, and try to beat the heat!
The day began with incredible black berry goat cheese and rosemary crackers made by none other than Farmer Andee herself, primarily from ingredients raised on their farm. (Thank you for feeding us, Andee!) As we toured The Hen’s farm we were greeted by their guardian dog, Gerry, who keeps The Hen’s goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, and ducks safe from predators. We made it inside the high tunnels before it got too hot, where Andee shared that she avoids the tunnels between 10am-4pm, sometimes harvesting by headlamp. But, hey, ya gotta do what works!
Doing what works was the theme of the day as The Hens shared their wealth of knowledge around planting plans and small details of their tunnel designs. For example, their tunnels are on a small slope, which helps with water drainage and soil salinity but also creates a dryer and wetter side in their tunnels. The Hens plant more water intensive crops, such as cucumbers, at the end of their tunnel where the most water ends up. In addition to The Hens sharing their tips and tricks with us, resource providers Kayla Preston (Grow Appalachia), Kenya Abraham (Organic Association of KY), Dr. Krista Jacobson (University of KY),and Dr. Qinglu Ying (University of KY) shared their knowledge and resources around soil salinity, green house designs, cover cropping in high tunnels, tomato production and more.
Developing and nurturing a community has also been integral to The Hens farming operations. Whether it’s a neighbor lending the use of their tractor, Andee pitching in to help another farm harvest, or even crowdsourcing ideas from fellow farmers to work through inevitable problems that arise on a farm, the give and take of such support not only helps with the nuts and bolts of farming, but also the mental and emotional load. A tangible result of the community The Hens have built is The Nest Box, a local market and cafe opening later this year in one of downtown Booneville’s historic buildings. Working in partnership with the City of Booneville, they are renovating the structure to offer farm to table meals through the cafe. The local market inside The Nest Box will feature fresh produce and proteins from local farms, such as Old Homeplace Farm as well as their own, and crafts from local artisans such as Coal Country Candles.
Has your local school participated in a farm to school challenge or offered taste tests of local food or started a school garden?
Have you received funding from the Mattie Mack Farmer Fund, the Central Appalachian Family Farm Fund, or the Business Builder Subaward program through the Appalachian Regional Food Business Center?
Have you participated in the Eastern Kentucky Farmer Conference, the Kentucky Black Farmer Conference, or the Kentucky Farm to School Summit?
Have you learned about the Farm Bill through a webinar or community meeting or shared your views on the Farm Bill with your senators and representative via a CFA post card?
Did you travel to ACENet in Athens, OH to check out their food hub or participate in the needs assessment for a food hub in Berea?
Have you attended CFA’s annual meeting or a member meet-up or received a card thanking you for your membership contribution (or reminding you it’s time to make another one)?
These are just a few of the many ways in which Laurie White has touched the lives of Kentucky farmers and eaters throughout her nearly eight-year tenure at CFA. Among staff members, she is known for her generosity of time and spirit, her willingness to be a thought partner, and her ability to understand and keep us focused on the interconnectedness of programmatic work, policy, and our membership. Do you have a story of how Laurie’s work has impacted you? If so, drop us a line at info@cfaky.org
This month, we bid a fond farewell to Laurie and wish her the best. As she and her family settle into their new home in West Virginia, she will be continuing her work in agriculture through West Virginia University Cooperative Extension.
Rain and all, we had a wonderful turnout at our recent field day at Old Home Place Farm, and it was exactly the kind of day that reminds us why on-farm learning is some of our favorite work.
Joining Maggie were experts from several of our partner organizations, each bringing their own area of depth to the day. Kayla Preston from Grow Appalachia walked attendees through high tunnel construction, maintenance, and water collection and distribution strategies. Dakota Moore from Kentucky Horticulture Council led a tour of Maggie’s packing shed with a focus on best practices for safe post-harvest handling. And Sarah Geurkink from the Organic Association of Kentucky shared guidance on early pest detection and building good soil health. It was a rich day of learning, and we are grateful to each of them for making the trip.
CFA member and farmer Maggie Bowling opened up her farm and her knowledge to a full crowd, sharing the niche tips and tricks she has built over more than ten years of high tunnel production. Maggie manages a 75-member CSA and has navigated two major flooding events along the way. Maggie has the kind of hard-won, real-world experience you simply cannot get from a handbook. We are so grateful to her for hosting and for sharing so generously with everyone who came out.
Field days like this one are what CFA membership looks and feels like in practice: farmers, partners, and community members learning together, on the land, from people who are doing the work. If you are not yet a CFA member and want to be part of gatherings like this one, we would love to have you. Membership is how you stay connected to the network, the knowledge, and the people moving Kentucky’s food and farm community forward.
More field days are coming this summer, so stay tuned for dates and locations. In the meantime, follow CFA and Kentucky Horticulture Council to keep up with events, resources, and what is growing across the state.
