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Are you looking to advance your knowledge of fruit and vegetable production?  Interested in receiving pesticide CEUs?  Maybe just need something to do this upcoming January?  Whether you are just getting started with your homestead farm or are an experienced grower, the 2021 Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Virtual Conference is for you!

Over 40 speakers will present virtually over the four Tuesdays in January 2021.  Webinars will take place from 9am-3pm each Tuesday over Zoom with a one-hour lunch break.  Session topics will include protected agriculture production technologies, organic production, vegetable production (beginner and advanced), fruit production (beginner and advanced), and business management.  Other conference events will include a virtual wine and cider tasting and a Farmers Market Short Course organized by KDA.

The full conference program, information about pesticide CEUs, and registration instructions are available here.  Pre-registration is available online through Eventbrite or by mailing in the meeting registration form by Friday, December 18, 2020.  After this date, you may continue to register online through the final session on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.  The conference registration fee is $25 and includes a year’s membership in the KVGA, KSHS, or OAK and full access to the recorded content for a year.

Registered participants will be emailed an invitation that contains a link to be used to join the conference from the location of their choice via Zoom.  Those wishing to participate who do not have computer access may attend at one of the in-person viewing sessions at local county Extension offices. A current listing of participating county extension offices is available here (scroll down to page 6).  You must contact your local Extension office to let them know you plan to attend.

While the format will be different in 2021, our organizations, our planning committee, and the meeting sponsors are working together to bring Kentucky specialty crop growers an excellent educational program. For registration questions call: 859-490-0889 or email: info@kyhortcouncil.org.

The KY Fruit and Vegetable Conference is presented by Kentucky State Horticultural Society (KSHS), Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association (KVGA), Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK), Kentucky Wineries Association (KWA) and Kentucky Horticulture Council (KHC) in cooperation with University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (UK), Kentucky State University College of Agriculture, Communities and the Environment (KSU), and Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA).

As part of their recent Farm to School grant received and funded by the USDA, KHC is partnering with FoodChain of Lexington to develop and distribute a shelf-stable, all KY-grown, healthy snack food for Kentucky students.  The snack food will consist of dried apples and blueberries, along with popcorn, and will be binded with honey. 

This week, KHC staff members Cindy Finneseth, Bethany Prekopa, and McKenzie Fox headed to the UK Research and Education Center at Princeton to pick approximately 6,000+ lbs. of fuji apples for use in the snack food.  FoodChain will be processing and packaging approximately 10,000 units of the snack food, but first will do taste tests and trials to determine the best recipe to meet school nutrition requirements and be tasty for kids!  KHC will be completing an economic analysis, as part of the USDA grant, to determine the feasibility of getting the snack food into Kentucky schools.  We are very excited at the prospect of this alternative sales route for our local KY farmers and the possibility of getting a KY proud and healthy snack food into the schools for our youth to enjoy! 

We want to thank the UK Research and Education Center at Princeton for their donation of the apples and for helping us pick them!  We also want to thank Clem’s Refrigerated Foods (Lexington) for allowing us to store the apples there before being processed by FoodChain.  Look out for updates on the snack food in the near future! 

For more information, contact KHC at info@kyhortcouncil.org or (859) 490-0889. 

The Kentucky Horticulture Council (KHC) has announced two new staff members – McKenzie Fox and Bethany Prekopa – who will be managing programs that support specialty crop growers and green industry businesses in Kentucky.

“On behalf of the Kentucky Horticulture Council and its member organizations, we welcome Bethany and McKenzie, who will be working directly with Kentucky’s horticulture industry,” said Cindy Finneseth, Executive Director of KHC. “Each has a strong set of skills and experience to provide horticulture growers and agribusinesses in Kentucky the support to continue to produce and deliver high quality products and services.”

Fox is focusing on farm to school and value chain projects. She is a local food enthusiast with extensive experience in developing educational programs. This Spring, she was instrumental in launching the online ordering system for the
Franklin County Farmers Market. Fox is a graduate of Alma College and has worked for the US Forest Service and the Antrim Conservation District in Bellaire, Michigan.

“I am very excited at the opportunity to work for KHC, especially because my work combines two of my passions – local food and education!” said McKenzie. “I look forward to working with growers, food service directors, teachers, and
students to bring more local foods into our schools.”

Prekopa is supporting growers selling products directly to customers. She comes to KHC from the University of Kentucky’s Food Connection where she prepared delicious seasonal menus using locally grown produce. She is a farmers market advocate, having interned at the Lexington Farmers Market promoting and assisting vendors with online store creation and setting up mobile payments. Prekopa is a Kentucky native and a graduate of UK.
“I am so proud to be working for and representing Kentucky Horticulture Council,” said Bethany. “Even in the few weeks I’ve been here, I’ve been able to work on projects that I am deeply passionate about. I hope you see this passion come through in my work to elevate our farmers markets, agritourism, and horticulture businesses!”

According to Jeremy Hinton of Hinton’s Orchard and Farm Market and president of KHC, “These new positions at KHC will amplify our support to Kentucky’s multi-billion dollar horticulture industry. We are excited about the new programs we are able to offer Kentucky producers.”

The Kentucky Horticulture Council (KHC) is a 501(c)-5 non-profit organization established to support specialty crop grower groups in Kentucky. KHC is supported through grants and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF). To learn more, contact KHC at 859-490-0889 or info@kyhortcouncil.org.