Kentucky Horticulture Council

Keeping our Balance: Diversified Farming with Steep Hills and Off-Farm Jobs
2023-07-06 09:00 - 12:00 UTC
Join OAK for a field day!
Starting a farm business can seem like an uphill climb when balancing time between family, off-farm jobs, and the many hats that farmers wear to get product to customers. When the farm also includes high steep hillsides, shallow topsoil, and rocky terrain, the climb becomes a challenge! Focusing on their local community, driven by strong values, and working hard with the limited time and resources they do have allows Holly and James to keep their farm business growing and thriving after nearly a decade on Hallow Springs Farm. Building their soil, infrastructure, customer base, and skills along the way, these Rockcastle County co-farmers steward a diversified farm that currently includes:
* Half-acre of vegetable and herb production
* A 30’ x 96’ high tunnel (first season!)
* A consistent, healthy crop of Nugget and Chinook hops
* DIY greenhouse made from repurposed materials
* Herd of 20 Angus and Hereford cattle in rotational pastures
* Herd of mixed milk and meat goats bred for resistance to parasites and size for marketing
* Value-added production of goat’s milk soap, breads, jams and jellies
Using organic practices, natural mulches, and cover crops, they continue to rebuild the shallow soils depleted from years of tobacco farming and logging. Integrating pasture rotations through six sections of their 90 acres of grazing lands, they’re restoring the fertility and vitality to their hillsides.
Join the conversation with Holly and James to see and hear how they’re bringing their family farm back to life! They will also share their success in bringing a permanent farmers market structure to Rockcastle County and Holly’s experiences working as an Organic Inspector.
This Field Day is open to any interested farmer, aspiring farmer or agriculture professional. Registration is required.

Restoring the Family Farm with Organic Production
2023-07-25 09:00 - 12:00 UTC
Join OAK for a field day!
Jim Coleman was raised in Fayette County on his family’s farm, Coleman Crest, which was originally purchased by his great grandfather in 1888 after he and his family had tilled the farm under enslavement. Today, Jim is the 4th generation owner of Coleman Crest Farm. In 2020, Jim began the work of restoring Coleman Crest Farm with three primary functions: achieving certified organic crop production, serving as an incubator farm for aspiring farmers and welcoming visitors as an agritourism site.
This OAK Farmer Field Day will highlight:

Coleman Crest Farm’s 3 acres of certified organic production of vegetables and flowers;
Jim’s marketing strategies, serving independent grocers, restaurants, golf venues and catering firms in the Lexington market;
The Farm’s use of specialized equipment and tools to reduce operating costs and improve production yields, including a Kubota tractor, bed maker, Ferris Farm Polyplanter, deep soiler, plastic mulch and fabric row cover;
The all-natural water well and irrigation system;

The Farm’s focus on pollinator habitats (including Monarch waystations), groundwater protection and land stewardship:
The role and vision of local farms in community health and education;
Jim’s path as an African American farmer into certified organic production.

This Field Day is open to any interested farmer, aspiring farmer or agriculture professional. Registration is required.

Kentucky Florist's Association's 65th Annual Convention
2023-07-28 - 2023-07-30 | Capital Plaza Hotel, 405 Wilkinson Boulevard, Frankfort, KY, 40601, United States

Scaling Up While Lessening the Work: Farmer Collaborations and Efficiencies
2023-09-05 13:00 - 16:00 UTC
Join OAK for a field day!
After a dozen years growing Flourishing Herbs Farm into a diverse market farm business, Jackie and Larry Berry have settled into systems, tools, and crops that work well for their farming style and help them meet their customers’ needs at multiple farmers markets and a 30-member CSA. Using no-till biointensive growing practices and season extension, they grow nearly 100 different vegetable, herb, and flower crops year-round on their certified organic farm in Allen County. The Berrys have continually scaled up their markets and growing space by

Collaborating with other local farmers to expand their product offerings,
Implementing efficiencies into their operations as much as possible,
Hiring an experienced grower to accelerate their progress.

Join this OAK field day to visit the Flourishing Herbs’ high tunnels and caterpillar tunnel, open-field crops, drying shed, and greenhouse. We’ll also hear more about collaborative farmer relationships from the Berrys and from Maxwell Farrar and Davida Flowers of Majestic Greens Farm, who have partnered with the Berrys for 5 years via the Growing Together Farm Share.

CSA Production, Packing and Planning
2023-09-19 13:00 - 16:00 UTC
Join OAK for a field day!
Anna Raines and her family started Rains and Sun Hilltop Farm in Independence, KY, in 2013 – a 13-acre certified organic farm growing food for their community through two local farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. The Rains and Sun crew delivers weekly CSA shares to 100 local residents, so their crop planning starts with the commitment to providing those CSA customers with fresh-picked, seasonal vegetables.
Join this OAK Farmer Field Day to learn Anna’s strategies for satisfying customer needs while building farm systems of efficiency, profitability and environmental stewardship. We’ll visit Rains and Sun’s two acres of produce, tended by Anna and her 4-person (mostly part-time) team with minimal-till practices, broad crop diversity, intentional crop rotations and cover crop use, and an array of tunnels of covered production. Anna will also share her new packshed designed for efficient CSA packing and produce storage.
Any interested farmer or allied professional is encouraged this field day: registration is required.

Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) 13th Annual Conference
2024-01-25 08:00 - 2024-01-27 17:00 UTC | KSU Research Farm, 1525 Mills Ln, Frankfort, KY, 40601, United States
OAK’s 13th Annual Conference will return to the KSU Demonstration and Research Farm in Frankfort, KY, from January 25-27, 2024

Regenerative Flower Farming: From Microbes to Money: A Deep Dive Into Regenerative & Sustainable Flower Farming
2024-03-02 10:00 - 16:30 UTC | Harold R. Benson Research & Demonstration Farm at Kentucky State University, 1525 Mills Ln, Frankfort, KY, 40601, United States
The Kentucky Flower Market and the Kentucky Horticulture Council invite you tothe Harold R. Benson Research & Demonstration Farm at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, KY on Saturday, March 2nd, 2024 for , a full day of learning from Jennie Love of Love’n Fresh Flowers & The No-Till Flower Podcast!!! Register now!

The program is filled with presentations from Jennie on topics such as Natural Ways to Add More Life to Your Soil, Regenerative Approaches to Pest Management, & Best Practices for Wholesale Selling as well as time for Q&A with Jennie and networking with fellow flower farmers. And as an added bonus lunch will be provided!

Orchard Field Walk
2024-09-18 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Kentucky/Louisville) | University of Kentucky North Farm, 1925 Research Farm Rd., Lexington, KY, 40511, United States
Join UK Extension for an orchard walk at the new Modern Orchard Systems and Climate Resilience Research and Extension Orchard at the University of Kentucky’s North Farm in Lexington. The event will begin with an open house/self-guided tour starting at 4 p.m. (EDT), then a guided tour and group discussion starting at 5 p.m. Participants will learn about new training systems and production techniques in apples, pears, and peaches as well as special considerations for pest and disease control in young orchards from UK extension faculty in horticulture, plant pathology, and entomology. This event will be useful for new growers interested in starting orchards and for existing producers who want to learn the most up-to-date techniques. Spanish translation will be provided for both written and oral materials; please bring a cell phone with head phone/ear bud capabilities.
Registration is required and can be found here: https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0CHafwgWqeuZ5Ua

Appropriate Technologies Field Day
2026-08-25 08:00 - 16:00 (America/Kentucky/Louisville) | UK Horticulture Research Farm
The Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK), the University of Kentucky’s Center for Crop Diversification (UK CCD), and the Kentucky Horticulture Council (KHC) are hosting an Appropriate Technology Field Day at the UK Horticulture Farm in Lexington on August 25, 2026.
The day will feature educational sessions, field demonstrations, and a trade show that highlights transplant production systems in the greenhouse and walk-behind and tractor-mounted seeding and transplanting tools in the field. There will be ample opportunity to observe equipment up close and running, compare options, and try various tools. Lunch is included with your ticket and will feature local food from The Food Connection.
This hands-on event will feature live equipment demonstrations, educational sessions, and opportunities to connect with researchers, industry professionals, and fellow growers. Topics include greenhouse production, propagation, irrigation, transplanting, high tunnel technologies, labor-saving tools, and more.
To help make the event more accessible, the Kentucky Horticulture Council has funding available to reimburse registration fees, lodging, and travel expenses for eligible Kentucky farmers.
Event details and registration:
https://ccd.uky.edu/atfd
Travel reimbursement information:
https://tinyurl.com/fielddayreimburse
