[music] >> They tend to be very selfless individuals.

And so I think that is another barrier that we have to keep talking about.

>> A look at a program helping farmers take care of their mental health.

[MUSIC] >> So many agricultural enterprises are not profitable.

And that's who we rely on to feed us.

>> For those asking, where's the beef?

The answer may be closer than you think.

And it's helping some farmers turn more profits.

[MUSIC] >> You're hedging your bets that you're you know, the Roy Mead cut cut short been is still going to be in Appalachia.

[MUSIC] >> And how an Eastern Kentucky seed swap is giving old fashioned foods new life.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

>> Good evening.

Thank you so much for joining us.

I'm Renee Shaw, and welcome to a special edition of Kentucky edition.

Tonight, we're spotlighting agriculture and farming in Kentucky, which we regularly do on Kentucky Edition in a segment we call rooted.

It's a somber statistic.

According to the National Rural Health Association, farmers are three and a half times more likely to die by suicide than the general population.

But a program through the University of Kentucky is looking to change that statistic.

The Building Bridges to Farmer Mental Health Project is working to address the mental health struggles of Kentucky's farmers and break down the barriers to treatment.

[MUSIC] >> We call our initiative the Building Bridges to Farmer Mental Health Project, and it's really all about supporting the well-being of farmers and farm families here in Kentucky.

And we try to do that in a couple of different ways.

When you look at the statistics, the suicide rate in the US has risen over 30% in the past 20 years, which is certainly alarming across the board.

But we also know that agricultural workers and farmers are disproportionately affected.

And among one of the groups with the highest suicide rates.

And here in Kentucky and in a lot of rural communities, those rates are even higher.

So farmers tend to deal with a mix of stressors that most people don't face.

They have to be thinking about their farm and their business and their family on a daily basis.

And so they're facing things like unpredictable weather, which we have certainly seen our fair share of here in Kentucky over the last few years.

You know, changes in markets and policies.

And that's all on top of working long hours, the financial strain of running a farm, regardless of your size.

And so, you know, I think those are some of the key risk factors when you're thinking of the farm business.

But the other thing is farming can be isolating.

There's still a stigma, you know, just still feeling like especially in rural areas that you don't talk about mental health, you know, you kind of power through it and you need to figure out what you need to do to get to the next day.

As we really got into this project, we quickly learned that every farmer and farm family has slightly different stressors, slightly different needs, and we wanted to make sure that we were being responsive to that in our communication and our messaging.

We've been really inclusive of reaching out to farmers, ranchers, agriculture workers across Kentucky, big farms, small farms, family farms, urban farms.

Because I think impetus for change is an engaging community network so that we're all working together.

We have a couple of things that we use for our strategies.

We are training what we call mental health advocates, really trying to focus on rural communities here in Kentucky, but we are also open to others participating because we know that the the farm sector cuts across many of these different regions, and we try to support them in suicide prevention, training, communication, training, and just general connection to available resources to support mental health and well-being.

The other thing that is has really been unearthed with some of our conversations with farmers is the, the time and money pressure, so that you're not really thinking about putting your own health first.

You're putting everything else first, including the health of your farm, including the health of your family, the health of your, the others in your community.

You know, they tend to be very selfless individuals.

And so I think that is another barrier that we have to keep talking about.

>> The project has around a dozen trained community health advocates throughout the state, a majority of whom have a farming background during the pandemic, if a beef farmer needed a cow processed, they were put on a six month waiting list.

In response, more meat processing plants have cropped up all across Kentucky.

There are now more than 120 of them.

Our Laura Rogers has more from Taylor County.

>> Doctor Randy Smoot grew up on a family farm in Bourbon County.

>> One of the benefits of being the dentist.

You can set your own schedule.

>> The Campbellsville dentist would later pursue a side hustle, an Angus cattle farming.

>> And I'm getting ready to feed my cows and do my morning chores one Saturday, and I'm thinking we have to become more profitable.

And the way I thought would work would be for us to start selling our own product.

>> The wheels started turning in 2017.

It would take about five years and a pandemic for that idea to come to fruition, the latter proving how essential farmers are to the local food supply.

>> As we all remember, grocery shelves were empty with supply chain issues.

Now we have the ability and the capacity to keep the shelves full.

With local product.

>> Randy Smoot and Tim Jeffries opened green River meats between Greensburg and Campbellsville, a 1200 zero square foot meat processing facility and retail store.

>> Most of the year's livestock producers do not make money, and the reason is, is because they have limited marketing ability.

So by us engaging in the processing business, we've been able to increase our markets, whether it's through our retail stores, whether it's through our wholesale outlets, whether it's through some of the institutions that we provide meat for.

>> The Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund has invested in 92 facilities like this one over the past 25 years, 60 of them since 2020.

Incentivizing local processors with low interest financing and grants to build new facilities or increase capacity at existing ones.

>> Because they realize the need for local beef that can help supplement the local farms.

>> In response to industry growth, the Kentucky Association of Meat Processors formed in 2022, they said in a statement.

Local processors give farmers options, consumers transparency and communities stability, and that's something worth protecting.

That means stronger rural economies and more resilient food supply chains.

>> We have a better infrastructure now in place within the state to supply the customers with their needs.

Us local butcher shops can fill that need.

>> A USDA inspector is on site daily to monitor safety procedures and protocols, which Jeffries describes as a well-documented process.

>> With us being a USDA processing facility, humane handling is a huge deal for USDA, so all of our all of our employees are trained on the proper way to unload animals, to push them through the system, to get them across the scales, in their pens.

Every pen has water in it.

If they're here overnight, every animal gets fed.

>> He says.

They use a machine designed by animal scientist Temple Grandin to harvest the animal.

>> So we try to make it as easy and stress free as we can for the animal as they go through the process.

>> And easier for farmers to get their product from the pasture to the pallet.

>> That looks good there.

Laura Rogers After a flash flood in 2010, a group in Pike County took action to protect and celebrate a precious resource in eastern Kentucky.

Heirloom seeds The Appalachian Heirloom Seed Swap is a yearly tradition in Pikeville that attracts gardeners and farmers from across the country, according to organizers of the swap.

It's not just a celebration of seeds, but Appalachia itself.

>> The impetus to begin the Appalachian seed swap in Pikeville was the Harless Creek flood, which was probably 15 or 20 years ago.

We were really upset because here in Pike County, there is a white cushaw called the farmer Brown Cushaw, the chief grower of that Cushaw lost all of the seed during the Harless Creek flood.

We decided, well, we can't have.

We can't lose the farmer Brown Cushaw and we can't lose what is ours here in Pike County and in eastern Kentucky.

And so we got with the extension service, and they were supportive.

And we were going to do a seed swap.

The first year we had maybe six vendors, and we were hoping for 20 people to show up, and there was probably between 50 and 75.

And the next year it doubled.

We now have about 40 vendors typically and anywhere.

If the weather is good, people attend from 7 to 8 states.

They travel as far as from New York.

We have a couple that comes from New York, from Louisiana.

We've had them from Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, just all over.

>> For somebody coming to the seed swap for the first time, you don't have to bring anything to come.

It is a buy, sell, trade and learn event.

So you can come and you can shop with our vendors, and we have classes and workshops that will help you to take home some seed saving knowledge and help you to in your own home garden.

And again, you're getting a piece of our Appalachian history and culture.

>> They are heirloom seeds, not hybrid seeds.

Here in Appalachia.

We're blessed that we have the mountains that kind of protect us from cross pollination.

So having these heirloom seeds, they don't get all the contaminants, if you will.

And so they stay in the hollers and they stay with stay with the people that have grown them for years and years.

And the seed swap made us realize that we didn't need to hold on to them within the families, that we needed to get them out.

>> The commercial seeds are grown for production, they're grown for shipping, and they're grown for appearance.

Well, most heirlooms were saved mostly because of taste.

>> It is really rooted in community.

We are a very resilient and self-reliant people.

We help our neighbors.

The seed swap brings people from different backgrounds together farmers, gardeners, even historians.

And when you come to the seed swap, you get that sense of community and also a piece of Appalachian history.

>> Diversifying ourselves and other areas together.

But, you know, it's a chance for us to share and for them to share their experiences and things.

And I think in and help just got to help build culture.

We, I think we need a more culture in this in this whole country, but preserving these seeds, though, in preserving taste, slow food, slow food, taste and all that.

>> They grow out our stuff and, and it gets around that way.

And so there's not just one spot.

You're, you're hedging your bets that you're, you know, the Roy Mead cut cut short bean is still going to be in Appalachia or, or the c row.

Blackburn tomato is still going to be right here for generations to come.

>> In Bowling Green, a group is growing healthy food for their neighbors, but other lessons are taking root.

It comes with a meaningful reminder about growing potential and community by making these gardeners the cream of the crop.

>> There you go.

That's a nice one, Jenna.

>> I like picking carrots and I like picking spinach and kale.

>> Gardening is among the many interests Jenna Greer's parents encouraged her to explore upon high school graduation.

>> While everybody else is headed off to college.

Or they're going to tech school, they're getting married.

They're having kids.

>> Bill Greer.

For those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, didn't have many of those same milestones.

>> Nice work.

We want to create an opportunity, an opportunity for Jenna to continue to learn and grow, but not just her.

Lots of other really cool people that have incredible potential.

>> They grow that potential here at Top Crops, a year round garden and greenhouse at the Western Kentucky University Farm.

>> A lot of these folks have been part of the garden since day one.

>> That includes John Michael Huffman.

>> I like to pick everything like broccoli, carrots and all that stuff.

>> And cabbage.

>> I love the community.

>> I think we're going to pull up all the broccoli, truly.

>> I mean, these are some of the truest, kindest people I've ever met.

>> Hayley McBride is a WKU Honors College student who interns at Top Crops.

>> I love that we really try to make sure everybody has a role.

We're able to pull different types of people in and make sure that everybody's contributing and being able to learn the essential life skills, and I love being a part of that.

>> Other volunteers also help the operation run smoothly, like Julie Denton Price and Gra.

>> It didn't take us long to realize the really learning and growing are the people who are privileged to work with the gardeners.

>> About ten gardeners make up their core group, with another 10 to 15 from other groups and organizations like The Hive.

>> Each year we have kind of a rotation of crops that we go through.

So we plant, we all work together, digging the holes for them, planting inside and in our high tunnel.

>> Could you hold on to this for a second?

>> Then eventually it's time to harvest with a thorough washing, packaging, and trip to the market.

To sell.

>> We go to the farmers market every Saturday morning.

>> I'm proud of their work because they produce something that's beneficial to the health of the community.

They're growing fresh vegetables, fresh herbs.

They're growing flowers that bring a smile to people's face on a Saturday morning when they sell them at the farmer's market.

>> Being a vendor at the farmers market brings its own set of lessons.

>> They're learning how to sell.

They're learning how to make change.

>> They're also making change in how others view those with special needs.

Interacting and building relationships with the community.

>> They get a chance to see what these young people are capable of, what anybody is capable of, if we're given a chance.

>> Thank you, Laura, for that story and for this story that has benefits that are twofold.

A community has nearby access to local, nutritious foods, and farmers get their products from field to table, mere miles from where it's raised and harvested.

Our Laura Rodgers is back and explains.

>> Hailing from a fifth generation family dairy in Warren County, you might say Elizabeth Lunsford comes from cattle farm royalty.

>> I got to witness them growing that business from the ground up and really taking a leap.

And I think that's something that's always been kind of in me from the very beginning.

>> She's still part of the Dairy Barn family operation, bottling and selling her family's Jersey milk, but she and her husband, Chase, also have their own agricultural pursuits on their Allen County farm with 2020 Cattle company.

>> The cows we have here with us today are a Santa Cruz cross cattle.

Some of them are American Red cross, Hereford Cross.

So we have a blend of animals that we have kind of have have brought together over the years to be our our base for our mama herd, for our Wagyu cattle.

>> Wagyu beef originates from Japan, a breed that thrives in a calm environment with space to roam and specialized care.

>> They grow a lot slower.

But the end product marbling is is significant.

>> And while you can find their Wagyu beef as far away as heritage foods in Brooklyn, New York.

>> Very cool thing that a farm in Allen County, Kentucky, can be able to provide a product that makes it all the way to New York.

>> You can also find the Lunsford's Wagyu beef closer to home at Bowling Green restaurants like Hickory and Oak, as well as Delafield Co-op Market, a micro grocery in the west end of town.

>> We're bringing food to a food desert.

I like to say that the market is an oasis in a food desert.

Everybody can come here and have a drink.

>> Hotel Inc.

a nonprofit offering support and resources for numerous challenges, including homelessness, operates the market and the Delafield community where they're based.

>> One of the things that Hotel Inc heard from neighbors a number of years ago is they really missed having a local supermarket that was located right here, basically right across the street from this neighborhood.

And they really missed having that.

>> The co-op fills that void while also supporting local farmers and Kentucky proud producers as vendors.

Hand selected by Gregory Bird.

>> He saw our product, liked our product, and really felt that it would be a good fit for their market.

>> It means a lot to the community just to have access to whole nutritional foods, knowing that it's coming from local farmers.

That's been huge for the community.

>> And also provides a way to connect with their neighbors.

>> It is very much sort of what you used to see in neighborhoods across the United States decades and decades ago.

It's like your little corner store.

People know your name.

>> And they can get there with or without a car by walking a short distance, riding the city bus, or using the delivery service.

>> By incorporating this co-op market, we're able to provide fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables that are grown in season.

We're helping to encourage and maintain our local food system.

>> There's also the affordability factor.

The co-op accepts SNAP and Yvette and Kentucky double dollars.

>> So that program right there takes $20 and stretches it to 40.

>> No matter where you are, no matter what part of Kentucky, what income level you are, I think it's important to be able to have a product that is available to you, that is of quality, that is local, that they can enjoy with their families as well.

>> And sometimes those foods are new to the taste buds.

>> I can introduce some new foods to people.

I got a customer who never had a mango before.

Today we're getting samples of the melon and I've never had one, so that's really exciting.

Bringing new foods for people to try and exposing them to new, different types of options.

>> Different options with the same goal of a happy, healthy community.

>> It feels like a noble responsibility.

>> Good program indeed.

Now, thousands of middle and high school students are getting the opportunity to experience life on the farm and jobs in agriculture with AG Roundup, an annual event hosted by Kentucky State University in Frankfort.

A look now at the three day agricultural showcase.

>> So we want the students to know agriculture is all around them.

So this agricultural roundup really is about bringing the community together here on the Kentucky State University campus.

KSU is the second.

>> Land grant institution in the state.

So agriculture is a big part of what we do, and this is just a way for us to expose, to expose the young ones to what we do and what agriculture is all about.

>> Many of the students today, it's their first time at Kentucky State University.

Most have never been to a farm or been talked to about agriculture and the many opportunities.

We're not talking about simply being on the farm.

We're talking about the technology from the farm, at the farm, on the farm, we want to show those students they have a place today.

>> We have middle school and high schoolers here out talking to the different foundations.

We have Farm Credit, Farm Bureau, a bunch of different companies out here for the students to network and just talk to, and also for the K-State students to network and get internships as well.

And then we're also showing the younger kids what their what agriculture has to offer.

The broader aspect, whether that's lab work or agribusiness or aquaponics, urban agriculture so much.

>> I really liked all the students.

They were all super nice and like, we got to talk to them.

They were like, they made sure we like learned something and like gave extra details.

I thought it was all really fun though.

I really enjoyed this field trip.

>> We also are talking to students about how Stem is incorporated throughout agriculture.

It's a very, very technologically advanced activity in agriculture today.

We can actually trace where our food comes from.

I was reading something where you can take cell from a drop of milk, or even a cell from a piece of meat from a cow, and trace that back, depending on the tracing technology that's used, that's high science.

And we want our students to know they can be part of that science.

>> It really teaches me something like about agriculture that I didn't really know.

It's not advertised as much like degree wise as other degrees.

Like, like for instance, I'm exercise science and just really, you know, learning about something else while I'm in college is always great.

And it's just a great opportunity.

>> To experience a lot of experience as a band.

We experience all the different cultures, the different things we study here at Kentucky State University.

>> There's a lot of opportunities here out there with AG that people don't know.

Like you don't necessarily always have to work on a farm.

You can also work in an office in a lab.

So this is just opening up the door and, you know, broadening those children's perspective.

And also our K-State students.

>> We want to show students how great it is to be in agriculture.

Agriculture is education.

Agriculture is life.

>> Now we round out our special focus on farming and agriculture in Barren County.

Now, where Laura Rogers takes us to.

That's where a community wide effort is providing a hands on lesson in how our food gets from farm to table.

>> And more.

>> The real goal is trying to get kids to know and understand where their food comes from.

>> And what better way to do that than by hosting a hog roast.

>> We have always felt that our ag programs, especially in the school district, should reflect the community.

>> Barren County schools have the dedicated farm to school coordinator and Andy Joe Moore.

>> It's one of the coolest things when you can help students produce food and give them the opportunity to enjoy that meal amongst their friends, amongst their peers.

>> To do so, the school district connects with local farmers and sustainable Glasgow.

>> They were doing an.

>> Event and we were doing a hog roast and we said, hey, why don't we partner together and make this big?

>> And they did, selling 500 tickets and inviting the entire community.

>> Enjoy the meal.

>> We'll show them what you guys are doing, how amazing your students are.

We'll feed them with our food locally.

Everything comes right here from the area.

>> That is a connection to our local economy.

That's in connection to our local agriculturalists, our farmers.

>> There are a lot of farmers in Barren County.

The 2022 Census of Agriculture reflects more than 1600 farms across 230,500 acres, the most in the state of Kentucky.

>> When you live in an agricultural community, the support comes from every angle, and that's very encouraging.

>> The connection between the kids and the farmers, that's what we want to facilitate.

>> Sustainable Glasgow people from the farmer's market, people from the Agriculture Department and our food and nutrition services will begin meeting and having discussion in June July.

>> From pressing fresh apple cider to picking the flowers for table arrangements, every detail meticulously planned and executed.

>> The kids actually churn butter for this event from J.D.

Chaney milk.

>> That's used on the menu tonight with the cornbread.

>> Hannah Simmons says her students get excited to see what they're learning in class translate to this event.

>> We see so many changes within the agriculture industry, the way technology is changing agriculture, our food supply is dependent on this next generation of students.

>> And if last night is any indication, we're in good hands.

>> I hope your dinner plate looks as good as that one did.

Thank you.

Laura.

The dinner supported Sustainable Glasgow and the Kentucky double Dollars program, which helps people in need, get more money for their goods at the local farmer's market.

Well, that will do it for us tonight.

We hope that we'll see you right back here again tomorrow night at 630 eastern.

530 central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform, connect and inspire.

We hope that you'll keep in touch with us on all the social media channels that you see on your screen, Facebook, X, and Instagram.

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And of course, we're streaming some great content on demand online at KET dot ORG.

Hope you've had a great day to today and a great day tomorrow, and we will see you right back here again tomorrow night.

Take good care.

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