2025 KY Farm Launch

By Kelley Yates

In September 2024, the University of Kentucky was awarded an USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Grant. Sub grants were given to the Kentucky Center for Ag Rural Development and the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office. The goal of the grant was to create a co-hort of beginning farmers who were interested in learning more about raising vegetables, fruits, cattle, poultry, and small ruminants. The program would be for nine months, meeting once a week to learn a variety of general business aspects to farming, as well as hands-on concentrated knowledge and skills for vegetable and livestock production. 

After receiving over 100 applications, the Project Planning Committee narrowed the field down to 29 participants, 17 livestock and 12 vegetable/fruit. Participants ranged from people looking for land to those who have been in business for less than five years, and they all lived from a wide range of locations from within the state. The program was based at the University of Kentucky Waveland Farm in Lexington, KY.

The first seven weeks of the program were geared around business plan development, marketing, management operations, cash flow/budgets, and Buyer-Driven Food Safety Considerations and Certifications with The Food Connection. Then, the participants were divided into the main curriculum area- livestock or veg/fruit production. The livestock track was a total of eighteen weeks divided between general livestock, small ruminants, cattle, and poultry. The general livestock classes included a Grazing School, Fencing School, nutrition, and processing. For small ruminants, participants had a combination of lectures and hands-on activities to cover:

• Industry Overview

• Lambing Clinic

• Shearing School

• Fencing and facilities

• Market Diversification with a marketing panel and trip to the Bluegrass Richmond Stockyards

• Herd Dog demonstration

• Parasite management

• Nutrition

• Wool production and processing

• Health

• Foot care

• Record Keeping

• Reproduction

• Genetics and mating systems

Participants gained skills in:

• KY/NC SRQA Certification

• Famacha Certification

• Fecal flotations

• Hoof trimming

• Proper handling

Participants were given a lambing/kidding kit and hoof trimmers for completing the small ruminant portion of the track.

According to end of program evaluations, livestock participants reported:

• 100% increased in knowledge of animal production

• 80% felt more prepared to operate a financially viable farm business

• Majority created a farm business plan to use in management and grant applications

Applications for the 2026 KY Farm Launch Program are now available at https://bfrdp.mgcafe.uky.edu/ . Program is free to all participants. Be sure to register soon as finalists will be chosen in Jan/Feb of 2026 with program starting the first Monday in March!