Second Annual Small Farms Conference in Whitley Co. set for April 26-27

Laura Rogers with KY State Univ.

Last spring, the Whitley County Cooperative Extension office in Goldbug hosted the first-ever Eastern Kentucky Small Farms Conference. The event was a huge success, and organizers are hoping to see an even bigger turnout when the conference returns later this month.

“Coming into last year, you just didn’t know how many people would show up,” said Laura Rogers, a small farms agent with Kentucky State University, which partners with the University of Kentucky co-op in order to present the conference. “It just blew me away how many people came, though. We had 166 people on Friday, and 225 on Saturday. That was awesome.”

UK Extension Horticulture Agent Ben Prewitt gave his thoughts on the conference, saying, “One benefit is that this is a free opportunity. A lot of times when you go to these events there is a fee associated with it. With this, it’s just an opportunity for some very good information across a lot of different spectrums in agriculture. That’s what I like about the conference. It is accessible to anybody who wants to learn a little bit.”

The Second Annual Eastern Kentucky Smalls Farms Conference will take place at the Goldbug extension office on April 26-27, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. both days. Once again, Rogers says that there will be something for everyone who attends.

Among the programs and presentations scheduled to take place at this year’s conference include Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Stacy White discussing the impact of invasive insects on crops, Dr. Tom Seeley of Cornell University talking about the “5 wonders of honeybees,” and Terrell Medley with Community Trust Bank will be present to offer guidance on farm operation financing.

That is just the tip of the iceberg, though, as Rogers explained that she has scheduled some special guests from a lavender farm in Somerset to come and speak about their unique operation. She has also invited representatives from the USDA to talk about the steps to take to obtain grant funding, and she will be there herself to offer additional information on beekeeping.

“I am at least a fifth generation beekeeper, so I have a real passion for it,” Rogers said. “My dad always had bees, so we just kind of grew up with them.”

This year’s conference will also feature special door prizes, free meals served by the co-op office’s 4-H agents, and information on how to take advantage of free water and soil testing services. Also, for the first time, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a special agricultural photography contest.

“Laura has worked hard at getting a lot of different specialists to come together in one location,” said Prewitt. “Certainly, folks will be able to ask them a lot of questions, and I just think that this will be a unique opportunity that folks in southeast Kentucky don’t always get.”

“I wanted to do a conference where you could come in and learn all day, and it wouldn’t cost you anything,” Rogers said. “This doesn’t cost anyone anything to come out and learn how to plant, how to improve your farm, how to gain access to grant money, or how to get started in beekeeping.”

Pre-registration is underway for this rain-or-shine event, and can be done online at www.eventbrite.com. Once there, just search for “Small Farms Conference” in the appropriate area.

To learn even more about what is being offered at this year’s conference, visit the UK Cooperative Extension office online at whitley.ca.uky.edu, or follow along with the extension’s horticulture, 4-H and/or Community Arts departments on their respective Facebook pages.

Information can also be obtained by contacting the extension office directly by phone at (606) 549-1430.