News

Recap: Eastern Kentucky Buyer Tour

Earlier this month, Savannah Columbia and The Food Connection's Value Chain Coordinators (VCC) took three Kentucky producers on a Buyer Tour in Eastern Kentucky. For those who may be unfamiliar, a Buyer Tour is a tour of local food buyers in an area to initiate connections between those food buyers and local food producers. Buyer Tours allow growers and producers to get a behind-the-scenes look at what happens at marketplaces such as retail stores, locally sourced restaurants, school foodservice, and local food distributors.

Is a Small Ruminant Micro Dairy Right for Your Farm?

Interested in small ruminant production? Gabriel Cassone and Brett Wolff talk through some of the questions you might have when considering small ruminant production. This webinar, put together along with the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office, provides insight into Kentucky dairy regulations, example budgets for a 75-ewe flock and a 75-doe herd, and some simple questions to get producers thinking about the feasibility of this venture.

SBDIIC Team Studies Social Media Engagement

The SBDIIC team, led by Gabriel Cassone, Tim Woods, and Brett Wolff, is conducting research on how different types of social media promotion affect audience engagement. One set of posts features value-added dairy businesses and is being shared through the Kentucky Dairy Development and Kentucky Proud pages, while another set uses boosted posts published through the social media pages of Kentucky farm markets that sell local dairy products.

MarketReady Travels to West Virginia

Last week, Savannah Columbia and Dr. Timothy Woods traveled to Charleston, West Virginia, for a two-day program to train West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition technical assistance providers on the MarketReady Producer Training Program material and to facilitate a MarketReady Producer Training for value-added producers. 

Exploring Agritourism for Your Farm: On-Farm Insights Tour

On March 25, I had the opportunity to join the Center for Profitable Agriculture on the Exploring Agritourism for Your Farm: On-Farm Insights Tour alongside Dr. Timothy Woods. The day brought together producers and agricultural professionals to explore how farms are diversifying through agritourism, value-added products, and consumer experiences.

Recap: 2026 Retail Readiness Marketing Workshop

Join us for a Retail Readiness Marketing Workshop

Registration is open for our 2026 Retail Readiness Marketing Workshop, co-hosted with the KY Center for Ag & Rural Development and the

MarketReady Travels to Indiana

In December of 2024, Savannah Columbia and Dr. Timothy Woods traveled to Franklin and Danville, Indiana for a two-day program to train Purdue Extension technical assistance providers on the MarketReady Producer Training Program material and to facilitate a MarketReady Producer Training for growers and producers.