Area farmers receive valuable info, resources at Small Farms Conference event in W’burg

Farming means a lot more than just raising crops or tending to livestock. It is a business, and just like with any business, there are several variables to consider. There is the financial aspect, being properly insured, and proper equipment maintenance, just to name a few.

Luckily for farmers in Whitley County, Kentucky State University is committed to providing support in every area of need through its local cooperative extension office. That was on full display last Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, at the 2023 Small Farms Conference: Eastern Kentucky Style.

The two-day event, held at the Whitley County Cooperative Extension Office in Goldbug, was organized by Small Farm Area Extension Agent Laura Rogers and Sustainability Ag and Nutrition Education Program Assistant Andrea Munoz. Rogers and Munoz teamed up to host a presentation on “Cooking with Honey and Open Beehive Demonstrations” on Saturday afternoon. The presentation was among the most popular of the entire conference.

Other sessions offered during Friday and Saturday’s conference included Stacy White with the University of Kentucky speaking on predator management, Shelton Ansley with the Kentucky Highlands Innovation Center speaking on farmers building a digital presence, and Cindy Rice with KSU speaking on working with the USDA, as well as many, many others.

Dr. Allison Young, Extension Associate Professor with KSU, said, “The main goals of the conference are several. One of the most important things is to expose the people in this area to the opportunities in agriculture, and to get them educated on the different aspects of ag that they could go into, specifically on a smaller scale.”

Young mentioned beekeeping and growing fruits and vegetables as two specific areas where attendees could pick up some valuable knowledge. In fact, it was these two areas that drew Whitley County’s own Michelle Barton to attend the conference.

“We have some animals where we live, and we do some gardening,” Barton explained. “I am also interested in beekeeping. That is what we came here to get more information on.”

“There has been a lot of information on farming in general, as well as the people to contact to get even more information,” Barton said when asked about the overall benefits of the small farms conference to local farmers. “There has just been a good variety of things here that have been interesting, and informative for our community.”

Lisa Jones, a 4-H Youth Development Agent through the Whitley County Extension Office, also assisted with hosting the conference last week, being tasked with cooking meals for hungry visitors making their way to Goldbug.

“It has definitely exceeded expectations,” Jones said of the response to the conference. “We have had a great time, and we appreciate everyone who has come out. This is a really important event for the community, and we are hoping that it’ll be even bigger and better next year.”

Dr. Young said that the small farms conference in Whitley County has a good chance of turning into a yearly event, considering the higher-than-expected turnout that the extension office saw last week.

“It is very important to have these opportunities,” Young said. “In the United States, we have to feed Americans and also help to feed the rest of the world. It is important for us to build a sense of community as we do that, and for us at KSU to let our stakeholders know that we are here, we care, and we support them in all of their agricultural endeavors.”

To learn more, go online to www.whitley.ca.uky.edu.