Tag: Small Farms

Events

Growing Berries in the Bluegrass: Join Us for a Field Day at Four Gardens Farm

CFA Admin

Have you ever thought about growing berries? If you’ve been wondering which varieties thrive here in Kentucky, this field day is for you.

Community Farm Alliance is teaming up with our partners for Berries in the Bluegrass Field Day, hosted on the beautiful Four Gardens Farm in Clark County, home to Monet Proctor of Grow With Mo.

Essential Details

  • Date: Monday, September 21, 2026
  • Check-in & registration: 8:30 a.m. (light breakfast provided)
  • Field Day: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  • Location: Four Gardens Farm, Clark County, KY

Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/ZFO0tarbVE64JmpNdmMWMg2

What to Expect

This field day will walk you through what it takes to get started ( or get better!) at growing berries in Kentucky, including:

  • How to choose the best site for production
  • Plant inspection
  • How to plant
  • Post-plant care — and more

Whether you’re just starting to think about berries or already have plants in the ground, you’ll leave with practical, hands-on guidance you can put to use on your own farm.

A Collaborative Effort

This field day is made possible through a partnership between Community Farm Alliance, the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s Department of Horticulture (Cindy Finneseth), Dakota Moore, and the Kentucky Horticulture Council and organized by CFA’s Sandra Ballew-Barnes.

Meet Your Host

Monet Proctor of Grow With Mo, Four Gardens Farm

Monet Proctor grows on Four Gardens Farm in Clark County under the name Grow With Mo — and she’s opening up her farm for the morning so we can all learn together.

Join Us

Bring your questions, bring a notebook, and come ready to learn what it takes to grow berries in the Bluegrass.

Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/ZFO0tarbVE64JmpNdmMWMg2

Questions? Contact Sandra Ballew-Barnes at Sandra@cfaky.org or 615-461-5809 (Google Voice Number).

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What’s Happening with the Farm Bill and What It Means for Kentucky

CFA Admin

June 23, 2026

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As we discussed last time, the House has passed their version of the Farm Bill (CFA’s May 1 Article). Today, the Senate moved that process forward, releasing a draft that sets up a committee vote this summer. For CFA members, farmers market operators, food access partners, and anyone who cares about where Kentucky’s food comes from, this legislation has direct implications. Here is a look at the timeline and what is at stake for the programs closest to our farmers and communities. If you want a primer on what the Farm Bill is and how it works, we have a Farm Bill Basics video that covers the basics. This update picks up from there.

Local Food and Farm to Community Programs

One of the more significant developments in the House Farm Bill is the creation of a new program called Local Farmers Feeding Our Communities. The program would direct USDA to partner with state agencies and tribal governments to fund the purchase and distribution of locally grown food to schools, food banks, and other community organizations. It is designed as a permanent, ongoing program with up to $200 million in annual funding.

This matters for Kentucky because it would create a stable, long term funding stream for connecting small and mid size farms to institutional buyers. In recent years, programs that served this function were ended before farmers who had planned around them could fully adjust. A permanent replacement, if it makes it through the Senate and into the final bill, would give farms and state agencies a more reliable foundation to build on.

The House bill also maintains the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), which funds grants supporting farmers markets, food hubs, and value added agriculture. CFA and many of our partner organizations have used LAMP funding, and its continuation is important for food systems work across the state.

Food as Medicine and Produce Prescriptions

The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, known as GusNIP, is the federal program that makes produce prescriptions and farmers market SNAP match programs possible. It funds competitive grants for projects that help people who receive SNAP have access to more fruits and vegetables and also provides produce prescriptions for people that have a diet related disease access fruits and vegetables.  This is often through partnerships with healthcare providers, farmers markets, and community organizations. Programs like CFA’s Kentucky Double Dollars and Fresh Rx for MOMs are built on this foundation.

GusNIP is reauthorized in the House Farm Bill with several updates that matter for Kentucky. The bill would reduce or eliminate the federal matching fund requirement for grantees in counties with persistently high poverty, which affects many counties in Eastern and Western Kentucky where match is often the hardest barrier to meet. The bill also expands produce prescription programs to include all forms of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, not just fresh produce, which can make a real difference for rural areas with limited fresh food access year round.

GusNIP has bipartisan support, and advocates in both chambers have pushed for increased funding. The House bill reauthorizes the program but does not increase its overall funding level, which is a point of continued advocacy as the Senate moves forward.

Farm to School

Schools are explicitly named as eligible recipients under the new Local Farmers Feeding Our Communities program described above, which makes this a significant potential win for farm to school efforts. State agencies could use program funding to connect local and regional farms directly to school cafeterias, building the kind of relationships between farmers and institutions that CFA and our partners have been working to support.

Farm Safety Net Programs

Federal safety net programs for farmers, including commodity price supports and crop insurance, are among the longest standing parts of the Farm Bill. Both the House and Senate proposals aim to update these programs significantly. The 2018 Farm Bill used commodity price reference points based on data from 2012, and input costs, land values, and market conditions have changed dramatically since then. Updating those reference prices is a priority for farm organizations across the political spectrum and is expected to be included in whatever final bill Congress passes.

For small and diversified farms, the safety net discussion also connects to conservation programs. Both the House and Senate versions propose shifts in how conservation funding is structured, with funding implications for like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) that many Kentucky farmers use to invest in high tunnels, cover crops, and other practices.

The Federal Budget Process: A Separate but Parallel Track

The Farm Bill and the federal appropriations process are two separate things, and both are moving at the same time. The Farm Bill sets the policies and program structures. The annual appropriations process sets the actual funding levels. Both matter, and right now both are in motion.

The House passed its FY2027 Agriculture and FDA appropriations bill (H.R. 8646) on June 3 by a narrow 213 to 210 vote. At $26 billion in total discretionary spending, it is $380 million below the FY2026 level. The Senate has not yet acted. Markups that were scheduled for June 25 were postponed, in part because Kentucky’s Sen. McConnell’s presence is needed for Republicans to move bills out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. That means the Senate version is still being shaped, and it is the version that matters most for what ultimately gets funded.

For programs that CFA members and partners work with directly, here is what the House appropriations bill proposes and what is still at stake in the Senate.

WIC: Nutrition Support for Women, Infants, and Children

WIC provides targeted nutrition support to pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five, and is a direct point of connection between local farms and low income families. The House FY2027 bill cuts WIC by $200 million below the FY2026 level of $8.2 billion, and reduces the cash value benefit that families use to purchase fruits and vegetables by 10 percent. That cash value benefit is the piece most directly linked to farmers market and produce prescription programs. Advocates warn that cuts at this level could result in states having to turn away eligible families for the first time in decades. Kentucky WIC serves over 100,000 participants annually, many of them in rural communities where WIC is the primary nutrition support available.

A related issue is virtual WIC certification. Phone and video appointment options, which allow rural participants to enroll without traveling long distances to a clinic, are currently set to expire September 30, 2026. Bipartisan legislation to make these options permanent has support in both chambers but was not included in the House appropriations bill. This authority could also be addressed in the Farm Bill nutrition title.

GusNIP: Produce Prescriptions and Farmers Market Incentives

GusNIP is funded through both mandatory Farm Bill dollars and annual appropriations, and demand from states has consistently outpaced available funding. There is currently a $32 million gap between what the program is funded at and what states are requesting. Programs like CFA’s Kentucky Double Dollars depend on competitive GusNIP grants (and state level funding) to operate. The House Farm Bill reauthorizes the program with some positive updates for high poverty counties, but does not increase the overall funding level. Senate appropriators will have an opportunity to address that gap in the FY2027 bill.

Conservation, Rural Development, and Research

The House bill also cuts conservation funding for farmers by nearly 8 percent, reduces Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) funding by 17 percent, cuts the Farm Service Agency budget that provides loans and support to farmers in financial hardship, and reduces rural broadband investment by 20 percent. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which supplies food banks, is also cut from FY2026 levels. These are programs that Kentucky communities rely on, and the Senate appropriations process is where they can be protected or restored.

The Sticking Point: Food Assistance Cost Sharing

The biggest unresolved issue in Farm Bill negotiations is a provision passed in 2025 that will gradually require some states to cover a portion of their food assistance program costs. States with higher payment error rates will bear a larger share of those costs. Democrats in the Senate have said they will not support a Farm Bill that does not delay or revise this provision. Republicans, including Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Boozman, have indicated there are limits to what they can agree to given budget constraints, and the Senate draft released today does not include the delay Democrats are seeking.

This means the Farm Bill will need 60 votes to pass the Senate, which requires some bipartisan support. Whether that support materializes before the September 30 deadline, or whether Congress opts for another short term extension, remains the central open question.

What Comes Next

The next few months are as active as federal agriculture policy gets. The Senate committee is expected to vote on its Farm Bill draft in late July or early August. If and when it passes, the House and Senate will need to go to conference to negotiate a final version. At the same time, the Senate appropriations process for FY2027 is still ahead. These two tracks are moving together, and both will shape what is funded and what is not for the next several years.

CFA will continue tracking the legislation most relevant to our members and partners. The section below outlines specific actions you can take right now to make your voice heard.

How to Take Action

The Senate appropriations process is the best near term opportunity to protect the programs described above. Kentucky’s senators sit on committees that directly shape these decisions, and constituent contact from farmers, market operators, and food access organizations carries real weight. Here are the most pressing asks:

  • Fully fund WIC at or above the FY2026 level of $8.2 billion, and protect the fruit and vegetable cash value benefit. The House bill cuts WIC by $200 million and reduces the produce benefit by 10 percent. Kentucky WIC serves over 100,000 participants annually, many of them in rural communities where WIC is the primary nutrition support available. Urge your senators to restore full funding in the Senate appropriations bill.
  • Make virtual WIC certification permanent, or extend the current authority past its September 30, 2026 expiration. Phone and video certification options are the difference between enrollment and dropout for many rural Kentucky participants who face long drives to reach a WIC clinic. Bipartisan legislation to make these options permanent could be included in the Senate appropriations bill or the Farm Bill nutrition title. 
  • Protect and increase funding for GusNIP. Demand already exceeds available funding by $32 million. GusNIP is the federal foundation for produce prescription programs and farmers market incentives across Kentucky, and it keeps dollars with local farmers while improving health outcomes for low income Kentuckians. Senators can address the funding gap in the appropriations bill.
  • Support a delay in the implementation of new state food assistance cost sharing requirements. The 2025 provision shifting some food assistance costs to states is moving forward faster than many states can absorb. A delay would give Kentucky and other states time to adjust without disrupting services to families already enrolled.

To reach Kentucky’s congressional delegation, visit senate.gov and house.gov to find contact information. Calls and letters from farmers, farmers market operators, and community organizations are among the most effective forms of constituent outreach. If you have a story about how any of these programs affect your farm or community, sharing it directly with your senators’ offices is one of the most valuable things you can do right now. If you want help with how to reach out and share your story, or would like us to assist with sharing your story to the most appropriate legislator, please contact info@cfaky.org.

Sources: Torrey Advisory Group federal policy update (June 23, 2026); Brownfield Ag News; Politico/E&E News; National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Farm Bill analysis; Congressional Research Service comparison of H.R. 7567; Agri-Pulse; National Association of Counties.

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Farm Bill Moves Forward, Budget Signals Cuts: What It Means for Kentucky Agriculture

CFA Admin

The U.S. House has passed its version of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, marking an important step in a process that has already extended well beyond its original timeline. Attention now shifts to the Senate, where Agriculture Committee leadership, including John Boozman, has indicated that draft legislative text will be released in the coming weeks, though that timeline runs up against a scheduled recess beginning May 22. This creates a narrow and somewhat uncertain window for Senate action, and raises the possibility that negotiations could extend further into the year.

At the same time, the president’s proposed budget introduces a competing set of priorities, including the elimination of several programs that local and regional food systems rely on. Taken together, these developments illustrate both forward movement and continued instability in federal policy affecting Kentucky farmers.  CFA is just about halfway done reading the legislation, but this is a glance at where we are right now.

What the House Farm Bill Does

The House-passed bill largely maintains the existing framework for local and regional food systems, while making targeted adjustments that could have meaningful implications depending on how they are ultimately implemented.

  • Section 2302, State assistance for soil health, expands support and appropriates funding for soil health through state level programming, which has clear relevance for Kentucky given the interest our members have in soil health initiatives across the state. This provision creates additional opportunity to align federal conservation resources with locally driven priorities, though the extent of its impact will depend on final funding levels, state participation, and administrative design.
  • Section 4110, Animal protein an eligible incentive food, makes a notable change within nutrition incentive structures (which appears to affect GusNIP and Farmers Market Nutrition Program, at first glance) by expanding eligibility to include animal proteins. While this adjustment reflects an effort to broaden participation and consumer choice, it also raises important questions about how incentives will be structured in practice and whether support for locally produced fruits and vegetables will remain a central focus within these programs.
  • Section 4306, Local Farmers Feeding Our Communities, is a revamp of the Local Food Purchasing Program and Local Food for Schools Programs, which were very successful in KY. Based on quick calculations, this program may deliver between $2 and $3 million annually to Kentucky farmers, helping to stabilize markets and strengthen local procurement. At the same time, it also allocates funding to administer the program.  Its inclusion in the House bill represents a clear recognition of the role that local purchasing programs play in both farm viability and food access.
  • Section 5109, Heirs Property Resolution through Direct Public Interest Legal Services, addresses heirs property, an issue that continues to affect land access and retention for many producers. By providing funding for attorney and other fees to resolve heirs property issues, this legislation increases pathways for resolving heirs property challenges and has the potential to support long term farmland stability, particularly for multi generational operations.

In addition to these sections, amendments adopted during markup further signal an effort to improve access and usability of federal programs.

  • The Farmer to Farmer Education Act of 2025 provides funding for programs that specifically support peer learning, reinforcing the value of farmer led knowledge exchange. The link above goes to the Senate bill referenced in the amendment.
  • Amendment 45, (scroll down to amendment on this link) The Promoting Access to Local Agriculture, amendment focuses specifically on reducing administrative barriers by making it easier for farmers and farmers markets to register for and participate in federal nutrition incentive programs, a change that could meaningfully expand participation if implemented effectively. 
  • Amendment 54 (scroll down to amendment on this link) requires USDA to provide online enrollment options for disaster assistance programs, addressing a long standing barrier for many smaller operations.

While these policy changes are, on their face, promising, they represent only one stage in a much longer process. The House bill must still be reconciled with a Senate version, assuming the Senate advances its own bill, and ultimately any final provisions will need to be implemented in ways that are accessible, adequately funded, and responsive to on the ground realities.

The Budget Proposal: A Different Direction

In contrast to the House bill, the president’s proposed budget would eliminate funding for several programs that are central to local and regional food systems, particularly those that rely on discretionary funding rather than mandatory baseline support.

Among the programs proposed for elimination are the following:

  • GusNIP Produce Prescription Program, which connects healthcare and food access while creating reliable markets for farmers, including starting CFA’s FreshRx for MOMS, which has resulted in over $500,000 of fresh produce going to mothers on WIC or Medicaid; 
  • the Rural Cooperative Development Grant program, which supports organizations such as the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development in providing business development assistance, which builds the backbone to $39 million in economic impact on farms last year;
  • Dairy Business Innovation Centers, which help small and mid sized dairy producers diversify and remain competitive, including at least 2 in KY; 
  • the Acer Access and Development Program, which supports value added forest products, and has helped support KY’s efforts to harvest and market maple; 
  • and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, which provides nutrition education that often complements local food purchasing efforts through cooperative extension.

Individually, these programs may appear relatively small within the broader federal budget, but collectively they form a critical layer of infrastructure for local food systems. Their elimination would not only reduce direct support to farmers, but also weaken the networks and institutions that make regional markets function.

Where This Leaves Us

At this stage, federal policy is sending mixed signals. The House farm bill maintains and, in some cases, strengthens key local food programs, while the proposed budget suggests a significant pullback in funding for many of those same efforts.

This disconnect underscores a fundamental challenge for local food systems, which are often authorized through legislation but remain dependent on annual appropriations to function. For Kentucky farmers, the outcome will depend not just on what is included in the final farm bill, but on whether those programs are ultimately funded and implemented in a way that allows them to be used effectively.

With the Senate expected to release draft language soon, and appropriations decisions still ahead, the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether recent progress translates into sustained support or continued uncertainty.

This isn’t the last word on Farm Bill and Appropriations

These decisions are not final. Contact your Senators about how the farm bill and budget appropriations about those zeroed out programs if they have supported your farm or community.  Make clear that local food programs must be both protected and funded if they are going to work for farmers and communities.

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Keeping Farmland in the Family: CFA Spotlight on Casey Townsend III

CFA Admin

For Casey Townsend III, the work of strengthening Kentucky’s food system starts with land—how it’s used, how it’s sustained, and how it’s passed on.

Casey’s Role in the Food and Farm System

For Casey Townsend III, the work always comes back to one question: how do we help families hold onto the land they already have?

Casey serves as a Land Retention and Wealth Development Specialist at Kentucky State University, working directly with farmers, many of them stewards of generational property, to help them see the full value of what’s already theirs. Sometimes that means talking through the potential of an empty barn. Sometimes it’s exploring what livestock expansion could look like. “I try to help people find the highest and best use of what they already have,” Casey says.

Before he connected with Community Farm Alliance, Casey’s work centered on outreach and education. He encouraged people to grow their own food and see farming as something within reach, whether as a source of income or simply a way of life.

But some of the most important conversations he has are also the hardest to start. Land ownership, heirs’ property, long-term planning — these aren’t easy topics, and they take a level of trust that doesn’t build overnight. “I needed folks to come to the table,” Casey says, “but that’s not always easy when trust isn’t there.”

Through the relationships and credibility, Casey became someone families could turn to when they were ready to talk about the future of their land. “CFA helped position me as someone people can come to,” he says.

Today, that trust shows up in the work itself. “I’m putting boots on the ground — working with people who want to grow their own food and become more self-reliant,” Casey says. And underneath it all is the same driving purpose: making sure families get to keep what they’ve built. “I’m passionate about making sure people can pass on their assets to their family.”

His message to anyone facing those same questions is simple: “If you have questions — reach out. I just want people to be successful.”

Need help keeping farmland in the family?

If you’re thinking about land succession, heirs’ property, or how to pass your farm on to the next generation, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Casey is among a growing group of folks across the state who are helping keep farmland, well, farmland.

  • Reach out to Casey Townsend III through Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension — casey.townsend1@kysu.edu or 502-597-6417.
  • KCARD’s Kentucky AgriLegacy Solutions Program (KASP) helps Kentucky farm families work through succession planning conversations, at no cost — kcard.info/kentucky-agrilegacy-solutions-program or (859) 417-2592.
  • Or contact CFA directly — we’re happy to help point you in the right direction and meet you wherever you are.
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The Howards & CEA

CFA Admin

Crisp, farm fresh lettuce in the middle of winter? Revenue coming in as all the seed, plant starts, and other winter expenses start to pile up? Jeff & Sue Howard of Howard Farms in Breathitt County can answer “Yes!” to both questions thanks to their investment in controlled environment agriculture systems.

Nestled in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, Jeff and Sue Howard turned to agriculture a little over ten years ago to help pay the mortgage after Jeff was laid off from the mines. Moving from gardening for personal use to commercial growing on a small plot of land was a bit of a learning curve. The Howards started by reaching out to the Breathitt County Extension Office and then grew their network of technical assistance providers and resources to include the Kentucky Center for Agriculture & Rural Development (KCARD), Grow Appalachia, the Kentucky Horticulture Council, USDA-NRCS, Community Farm Alliance, and others. Through their perseverance and vision of how their farm could grow using the available resources, they combined open field production with controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems to make the most of their space.

Over the last decade, their farm has grown to include two high tunnels, two greenhouses, and a hydroponic lettuce system in addition to their open field growing spaces. Jeff credits their controlled environment agriculture systems with enabling them to expand from farmers markets into new market channels such as schools and community support agriculture (CSAs) which has provided them “a more constant and reliable source of income year-round.” Sue notes that “it [CEA] has turned our part-time/summer-time farming into year-round farming.”

Their hydroponic lettuce system, housed in one of the high tunnels, has supplied the Jackson Independent Schools with lettuce during the school year and their summer feeding program for the last four years. This farm-to-school program was recently highlighted on KET’s Kentucky Life with Part one featuring the farmers, including the Howards, who supply the school and part two featuring Jackson Independent.

Last December, the Howards got a call asking if they could supply a winter farm share that was being aggregated by Northfork Local Food to serve families in the Knott and Perry County school systems. Between their hydroponic lettuce production and high tunnel capacity, they agreed. Thanks to the Howards’ investment in controlled environment agriculture, 50 families in Knott and Perry Counties have enjoyed fresh lettuce along with chives, radishes, salad turnips, and other greens throughout this winter and early spring – and the Howards have enjoyed regular income.

Pictured: Jeff & Sue at the Perry County Farmers Market, one of the Northfork winter resilience farm shares & lettuce growing in their hydroponic system, one of the

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