Value-Added Agriculture

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May is almost here, which means backyard gardening, trips to agritourism venues, and farmers’ markets are about to be in full swing! The local, fresh fruits and vegetables we have been waiting for all winter are finally readily available to us. But have you ever wondered where to find it? 

In an area of the state known more for its storied coal industry than agriculture, a group of former coal miners have taken a reclaimed surface mine and turned it into the largest apple orchard in Kentucky.

“A lot of new people are exploring local seasonal eating for the first time, but there’s a learning curve when you get that weekly basket of fresh food. It can be daunting. We want to support people, so they feel comfortable and confident when working with local seasonal produce,” Brislen said.

Taylor and Zac Jones brought in their first harvest with just 278 tomato plants. Their grandfather had given them a couple rows in his garden and the pair had been experimenting with the idea of starting their own farm.

Around the third week in November, several Kentucky farm families open their gates, barns, and fields to folks who appreciate the experience of cutting a fresh, homegrown Christmas tree. A tree grown and nurtured in Kentucky soil, with Kentucky hands.

Seedless watermelons were invented over 50 years ago, and they have few or no seeds. When we say seeds, we are talking about mature seeds, the black ones. Oftentimes, the white seed coats where a seed did not mature are assumed to be seeds.

On the foundation of an old gestation barn, boxwood thrives. On the former nursery site, a new propagation greenhouse stands, its tables made from grates recovered from the farrowing house. The former finishing barn is now used for storage.

On a late fall day, volunteers laid the framework for what will be a bustling place full of fruits, veggies and children come next summer.

The Metcalfe County community garden is an outreach of the county’s office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and its farmers market. It is a direct result of the growth of the market and the expansion of extension efforts on local gardening for children.

Fall is the time of year in which many festival-type events are held, mostly in honor of food. The Browning Orchard Festival is no different but along with it being a celebration of the foods that are grown there, it is also a classroom for the agriculture programs at Morehead State University (MSU.)

Faced with a pathogen, important signaling chemicals within plant cells travel different routes to inform the plant to turn on its defense mechanisms, according to a recent University of Kentucky study.

Long considered a symbol of longevity in Asian culture, the shitake is a gourmet mushroom.

Soil scientists in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment are getting promising results from several treatments that appear to be breaking down the fragipan, a cement-like layer common in many soils in Western and Central Kentucky.

In what can be seen as a twist on tradition of sorts, the Kentucky Horticulture Council (KHC) would like to see farming become more citified.

There are thousands of uses for industrial hemp, everything from automotive parts to pharmaceuticals.