BEREA, Ky. – The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board at its monthly board meeting approved $2,363,839 for agricultural diversification and rural development projects across the Commonwealth.

Under state- and county-funded projects, Berea College’s Grow Appalachia was approved for $260,575 over two years to expand the Eastern Kentucky Direct Integrated Grower Support program in eastern Kentucky.

Grow Appalachia, a community garden-based food security program, headquartered at Berea College in Berea, Ky., is currently in its seventh year of operation, working with 31 partner sites in six central Appalachian states for 2016.

To date, approximately 2,384,167 pounds of organically grown fruits and vegetables have been harvested by 4,375 participating families, said Mark Walden, Grow Appalachia associate director.

“Grow Appalachia, a strategic initiative of Berea College, was established to address food insecurity in Appalachia,” he said. “Grow Appalachia was founded in 2009 through a serendipitous call and generous funding from John Paul Dejoria, co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Tequila.

“The generous funding opportunity arrived at Berea College in Berea, Ky., and was passed along to the desk of David Cooke, a W. Va., native and life-long gardener,” he added. “David developed the program around the concept that if you provide folks with the tools, resources, and knowledge required and then get out of the way, folks can be successful at producing food for their families.”

He said Berea College was willing to take on this project in honor of its 8th Great Commitment to serve Appalachia, which is “to engage Appalachian communities, families, and students in partnership for mutual learning, growth, and service.”

He added, “Grow Appalachia will also use the funds to increase the capacity of new and established farms in eastern Kentucky by delivering intensive technical support, allowing farms to adopt efficient production practices that will lead to growth in the agriculture sector, and more profitable farms in the region.”

He said the project will include the following direct support to farmers:

• On-farm technical support and consulting

• Production planning assistance

• Farmer education, training, and networking

• Connections to helpful organizations and agencies

• Installation assistance and resource support for the adoption of new efficient production practices

• Development of high tunnel production systems and crop budgets adapted to the region

He added the funds will further enhance Grow Appalachia’s “robust technical support system in its Farmer Development Team,” which delivers educational opportunities and on-farm support for farmers in Central Appalachia.

“The funds allocated by the Kentucky Office of Agriculture Policy through the Kentucky Agriculture Development Fund will expand educational series, both in-person and digital components, to expand the knowledge of efficient adaptable practices for regional producers,” he said.

In addition, he said the funds will be available to install demonstration systems on farms in the region, with a commitment by “the ‘demo’ farm to allow other producers to come out and see the system in operation.”

“There will be a focus on high tunnel specific technical assistance, including the development of production systems and crop budgets that are dialed in to the unique markets and production consideration for producers in eastern Kentucky,” he said.

He said the funds will be utilized to “increase efficiencies, expand production capacity, and provide an avenue for peer-to-peer learning opportunities to farmers in the region. (It) helps Grow Appalachia achieve its mission of creating healthy, resilient, and economically viable food systems.”

Creation Gardens

Creation Gardens, Inc., was approved for $373,259 in state funds, as a forgivable loan, for renovating and repurposing a facility in Bardstown, Ky., for e-commerce of their products.

In 2018, the company transitioned from Creation Gardens to What Chefs Want.

“We are a 100-percent family (woman-owned) company whose mission is to deliver What Chefs Want,” said John Thomas, What Chefs Want vice president, butchery. “We are a unique food service company that has replaced the expense of a traditional sales force with several highly-valued services that sell themselves.”

He said the funds will be used to retrofit the company’s current Bardstown facility.

“The facility is centrally located in the state, allowing us a geographic advantage when sourcing local produce,” he said. “We will aggregate produce in Bardstown and move through our Louisville distribution center, which supplies all of our distribution centers.”

In addition to increased temperature-controlled storage (i.e., refrigerated, frozen, and dry), he said the company will offer e-commerce fulfillment to local and regional producers.

“The pandemic saw a large increase in the volume of food-related e-commerce demand,” he said. “Experts estimate the pandemic moved food-related e-commerce ahead three years.

“Although the potential is great, it is an expensive and challenging growth avenue we feel we can open, and allow access to smaller producers,” he added. “We also have an area of the building set aside for further produce processing if there is an opportunity to do value-added local produce items.”