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Wisps of fog were rising from the rolling hills of Whitley County as nearly 40 farmers, university staff, and technical assistance providers gathered for a late summer field day at GoodThymes Organic Farm, the home of CFA members Cortney Moses and Paul Dengel.

Paul Dengel and Cortney Moses welcomed the group to their farm with a tour of their seed starting area as they shared their journey to farming– from growing up on farm, to owning their first farm, to finding their home at their current farm and Cortney leaving her day job to work full-time on their farm. Along their way, they connected with the resources they needed to grow their farm business, improve their production skills, and find markets which are successful for them.

Healthy soil is at the root of a successful crop. Paul and Cortney demonstrated several of their soil health strategies for the group. Chief among these strategies is cover cropping. Using a mix of grasses and legumes, they use cover crops to add organic matter into the soil. One of their two high tunnels had a mature cover crop so, much to everyone’s delight, Paul demonstrated their flail mower as an efficient way to chop up the cover crop as part of the termination process. From his experience, he noted that it is important to understand when each plant in the cover crop mix will go to seed so that each plant can reach maturity without the plants around it reseeding and potentially creating future weed pressure. The discussion on cover crops was a highlight for many attendees with one person sharing with us later that they went straight “home and added a few cover crops in bare areas.  Inspired!”

Below: cover crop with the flail mower in action

Among the many notable aspects of GoodThymes Organic Farm, is the acreage they have planted in pollinator species. Through NRCS’s conservation programs, they created two plots, each bordering their production area, filled with pollinator species. These plots attract the pollinators they need for their crops, improve the health of the soil in which they are planted, and thanks to NRCS, still generate revenue.

As the sun neared its midday peak, the group gathered at Paul and Cortney’s wash and pack area. Thanks to funding from sources such as the County Agricultural Investment Program (CAIP), they have created this space — and will soon be upgrading it — to safely handle their produce from harvest to market.

We are grateful to Paul and Cortney and the Kentucky Horticulture Council with whom we co-hosted this field day as well as the many technical assistance providers who attended and shared information on the programs they have available for small-scale producers, including Grow Appalachia, NRCS, Kentucky State University, UK Department of Horticulture, and Mountain Association.

If you want to learn more about programs and resources from GoodThymes farm, reach out to us at info@cfaky.org today!

There’s a special kind of excitement that comes with a CSA share. Are tomatoes in season yet? Will there be more of that delicious kale I got last week? What new recipes can I cook up?

This past summer’s Northfork Farm Shares contained not only a variety of produce, but also a loaf of sourdough bread. Most shares were purchased by community members, including Hazard employees of Appalachian Regional Healthcare through their company wellness program. However, for many families in the region, the cost of farm fresh food as well as the transportation to get that food poses a barrier. To reach more of these families, Northfork Local Food and CFA developed a unique farm share program serving low-income families in Perry and Knott Counties.

Key to the success of this farm share program was strong relationships with community partners who are also interested in addressing both nutrition security and supporting the local farm economy. With funding from Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Hazard and cool storage and packing space provided by Hazard Community & Technical College, the Northfork Farm Shares expanded to reach families through Emmalena Elementary School in Knott County and the Early Steps Program in the Perry County School District. Early Steps staff and the Emmalena Family Resource & Youth Service Center (FRYSC) identified families who could use farm shares and then ensured delivery of the farm shares to those families. 

Over the course of this past summer, 44 families, including 85 adults and 106 children, experienced that CSA sort of excitement as noted by one mother who said her “Children were excited to see what vegetables they received each time! They did not always know the names of some of the vegetables, so they were able to learn something new!” Each farm share contained a packet of information on storage and preparation tips for the items in the share as well as recipe ideas. This created a learning opportunity for many of the parents as they tried new ways of preparing familiar foods as well as experimenting with preparing unfamiliar foods.

In addition to teaching children where their food comes from, involving families in cooking new dishes, and inspiring future gardens, the Northfork Farm Shares also met the original goals of improving nutrition security and the local farm economy. The on-farm impact of this program was nearly $6,000 while families receiving the farm shares reported that the food both helped to make ends meet while improving the overall healthiness of their diet. As a grandmother raising her grandson put it, “I can’t always afford vegetables and fruits and when I can you’re never sure if they are really healthy. I look forward to these every other week and I build my meals around them. Thank you for the farm shares.”

Kendra Dixon with the Perry County Early Steps program sees that most families they serve “truly want to eat healthier and just don’t have the resources to do so.”

Help us support local farmers by feeding families. Become a member or donate today!

“Very often these babies visit the farmers market as their first ever official ‘outing.’ Together we smile and cry with joy, because a very genuine, trusting connection between farmer and consumer has been developed over the weeks and weeks of pregnancy and postpartum.”

High Five Farm is a small, diversified vegetable farm now in its seventh year. It sells year round at farmers markets, community foodshare distributions, restaurants and grocery stores. In 2025, the farm made $5,402 in FreshRx for Families sales at the Franklin County Farmers Market, its main market. Chelsea says the program has made a big difference in the farm’s overall market revenue. It also helps them serve neighbors with limited resources while building a stronger local economy.

The relationships last, too. Chelsea watches mothers fall in love with local produce, and they keep coming back to the market, often with the whole family. CFA is proud to support these connections through FreshRx for Families sites across Kentucky, creating income for farmers and feeding local families healthy food.

“This is the kind of programming that creates and sustains genuine community care,” she wrote.

Community Farm Alliance is honored to partner with High Five Farm. Thank you, Chelsea and Alex, for your dedication to FreshRx for Families and to the families you feed.

To support CFA and FreshRx for Families, become a member and donate today!

On a beautiful summer day this August 27, dozens of farmers, students and researchers gathered at the farm of William Boulden Jr. and his family in Mason County. They all came with to see how biochar can be integrated into Kentucky farming.

Lastly, Dr. Maheteme Gebremedhin of Kentucky State University led the group out to the research plot. There they saw the practices up close and talked through the why and the how: the benefits, the risks, and how different regenerative approaches compare.

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On August 8th, the final Saturday of National Farmers Market Week, Tiffany Ratliff stood behind the check in table at Pikeville Farmers Market with a binder of sign up sheets and a line of shoppers ready to try something new.

Tiffany has been a local food advocate for years. Community Farm Alliance worked with her this season to bring Kentucky Double Dollars (KDD) to Pikeville, and closing out National Farmers Market Week with the launch felt like the right way to mark the moment. The program is built on a simple idea: when fresh, local food is easier to afford, farmers sell more and families eat better.

“The KY Double Dollars program is great,” Tiffany said. “By connecting our local farmers to the community, we build a trusting relationship and provide access to nutritional foods.”

Here is how it works. Shoppers using SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Senior Vouchers, or WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) can double their benefits at the market, up to $20 a day to spend on fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and eggs. For a family stretching a grocery budget, that is real money that goes further. For the farmers at the market, it is more customers walking away with a full bag instead of a smaller one.

Pikeville Farmers Market runs Tuesdays from 4:30 to 7:00 PM and Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM through mid to late October. If you are in Pikeville, stop by, say hello to Tiffany, and see what Kentucky Double Dollars can do for your next trip to the market. Find this market and others across Kentucky at cfaky.org/kdd.