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Food is Agriculture · Talking FACS

• 0:01
  Welcome to Talking Facts.
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  What you need to know about family food finance and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized award winning podcast is hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals,
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  families and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Hello and welcome to Talking Facts.
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  What you need to know about family food finance and fitness.
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  I am your host,
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  Mindy mcculley Extension Specialist for instructional support at the University of Kentucky.
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  My guest today is Sharon Spencer,
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  Director of Direct Farm Marketing Division with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
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  Welcome,
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  Sharon.
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  Thank you,
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  Mindy.
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  How are you?
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  I am great and I'm so excited that we're gonna talk about food as agriculture because this is National Agriculture Week.
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  So I'm so glad that you're here to talk with me about food.
• 1:04
  Well,
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  I'm so excited that you invited me and we get to talk about one of my favorite subjects.
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  Actually,
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  two of my favorite subjects,
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  Kentucky Farmers markets and then also played it up,
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  Kentucky Pro love both of those programs.
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  Yeah,
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  I agree.
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  Farmers markets are probably one of my favorite places to go.
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  Not only in the summer,
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  but we have a farmers market that those year round in my community.
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  And so I love to go to the farmers' market.
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  And then I do also love the plated up Kentucky proud initiative that has helped to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables that they find at their farmers' markets.
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  But tell me,
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  what do you think is special about Kentucky's farmers' markets?
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  Oh my gosh.
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  How much time do you have?
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  Um You know,
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  I love our Kentucky farmers markets.
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  I,
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  I always say I've got the best job in the world.
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  Love what I do because I get to work with our Kentucky farmers.
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  I'm a farm girl myself.
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  So I'm very blessed that I get to work with so many of our farmers across the state.
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  But our farmers markets have been a,
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  a resource for folks to come out to and get fresh locally grown products.
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  They get to talk to the farmers that actually grew the products.
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  Um One thing that we always like for everybody to know the things that the farmers are selling there at the farmers' markets.
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  That's the same food that they put on their tables at night to their families.
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  And so it's always a big thing to get to go out and just see kind of what new and creative things that they have come up with.
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  It's been a great resource outlet and everything for farmers just getting started and wanting to try something new,
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  they get to go out to the farmers' market and give folks a taste and offer a,
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  a sample of their product and just to kind of get them a little bit of exposed and then also to build a customer base.
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  So that way if they don't want to do a farmer's market later on,
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  they can always take it back to their farms and sell it directly for their farms.
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  Always new things.
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  We've,
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  we've noticed though,
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  we found out that during COVID,
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  our farmers markets were essential when the stores were running out of food at the grocery store,
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  folks learned,
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  hey,
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  you know,
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  there's a farmer behind that food in the grocery store.
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  We all knew that,
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  but it just took some,
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  you know,
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  just to kind of encourage a little bit.
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  So they knew.
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  So during that time,
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  a lot of folks figured out that our farmers,
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  our farmers markets were essential.
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  And so they started shopping at the markets more and they found out that they loved it.
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  The items that they got to,
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  to purchase was not setting on a truck.
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  Most of your products.
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  When you go to a grocery store or some place to purchase,
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  they are setting on a truck,
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  they travel 1500 miles to get from the farm to your table.
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  Not at our farmers' markets.
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  Normally those products are picked fresh either that afternoon right before the market or first thing in the morning.
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  A lot of our,
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  uh,
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  farmers markets and a lot of our vendors,
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  our farmers,
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  they get up early to do some picking and get to the farmers' market.
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  So they're bringing you fresh local products and you're supporting local,
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  you're supporting them,
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  you're supporting your local economy,
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  keeping that money and everything in your community.
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  So that's been a big difference.
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  So,
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  I'm telling you,
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  Mindy,
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  I get excited when I'm talking farmers markets.
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  So food at the farmers market might not travel 15 miles to get to our plates.
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  Right.
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  Correct.
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  Correct.
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  You've got a lot of these farmers are your next door neighbors and we've got other farmers that comes in from other counties that sells at local farmers markets.
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  But yeah,
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  it's the less travel,
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  but you're,
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  you're gonna get the freshest food that you can purchase.
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  So,
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  how many markets are there across the state?
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  Do we have them in every single county?
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  Gosh,
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  our numbers keep growing and growing.
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  We've got 100 and 20 counties here in Kentucky.
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  We've got 100 and 15 counties with a farmers' market.
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  We are up to 100 and 74 farmers markets.
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  So that number continues to grow and grow.
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  Um One of the challenge that Commissioner Quarl and I had was,
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  we decided we wanted a farmers market in all 120 counties.
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  We're getting close.
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  So,
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  you know,
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  only five counties left.
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  So I keep telling those five counties beware.
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  I'm gonna come after you.
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  But still,
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  it's,
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  we're really excited.
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  We've got a lot of markets and a lot of counties that have more than just one market just starting to get the word out and folks are getting really excited about it.
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  Well,
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  and I know that those counties with multiple markets means that there is an opportunity multiple days of the week to get fresh local produce.
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  And that is exciting.
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  It is,
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  we have farmers' markets that are open every single day of the week,
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  maybe not all county markets,
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  but we've got a lot.
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  I know we've got one there in Lexington that hits every single day of the week.
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  So it really kind of varies.
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  And so they can check out on our website at K Y proud dot com.
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  And we've got a listing of all of our farmers markets and it tells you when the markets open the days of the week and the times.
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  So they try to make it convenient for folks either going home.
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  They could have either morning markets.
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  They can have the big thing is those Saturday markets that is like social events,
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  that is like the place to be.
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  So,
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  so how have you seen farmers markets change in the last five years?
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  Just the,
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  just the growth.
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  Just to kind of give you an example.
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  We had probably about five years ago,
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  2018,
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  we had 100 and 66 farmers markets before that like back in 1993 I think we ended up with having about,
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  I wanna say 64 65 farmers markets is registered.
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  So you notice that growth from now to 100 and 74 markets and that number continues to grow.
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  We get a lot of interest folks wanting to bring downtown,
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  their cities,
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  their downtowns back to life.
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  They think a farmers' market is the place to be.
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  So they want to get that as a part of their community.
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  But just our farmers in general,
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  we're getting a lot of new farmers to Kentucky the last couple of years,
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  I've been to some conferences and,
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  and we've got a lot of folks moving here to Kentucky from out of state.
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  A lot of Colorado and California and a lot of different,
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  even Alaska,
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  we've had several farmers come in from there.
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  And the thing that I'm so excited about is several of them are young farmers,
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  which we need,
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  our older farmers are getting up in age,
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  but we need some young farmers.
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  We need some fresh ideas,
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  but they're coming to Kentucky and they want to farm and they want to sell their products at the farmers' markets.
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  That has been something that's been a real big excitement and everything for us.
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  But just some of the products that they have to offer,
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  they talk to their customers,
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  they find out what their customers want.
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  And so they change some of the things that they're doing.
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  And,
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  and so they're,
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  you know,
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  they're meeting that customer request,
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  but just they're stepping their game up.
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  We've been very blessed here in Kentucky.
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  We have not had any kind of food scares just because our producers,
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  they take pride in what they do.
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  Our farmers are very proud of what they do.
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  They're very safe in what they do.
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  So they keep in mind that the consumer again,
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  I always say whatever they are are growing,
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  that's what they're putting on their table.
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  So,
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  um it just continues to,
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  they just continue to get better and better.
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  I,
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  I think that's fabulous and of course,
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  you and I know that the plated up Kentucky Proud project was developed by the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and the Department of Food and Nutrition.
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  And of course,
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  the Department of Agriculture to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables across Kentucky.
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  And we have done that by making sure that there are recipes that use Kentucky fruits and vegetables in the hands of Kentuckians all across Kentucky.
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  And so how has this plated up Kentucky Proud project impacted farmers markets across Kentucky.
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  This has been a great partnership with you guys.
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  We have um really appreciated that and I actually got to see a few years ago.
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  I got to be on a taste testing team along with Miss Kentucky.
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  We had Miss Kentucky and then Barbara Bailey.
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  That was off from what W K Y T she came in and did some taste testing with us.
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  And so these recipes go through,
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  you know,
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  a series of trainings and tastings and to make for sure that it's something that folks are gonna use.
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  But these have been such a great resource for our producers to use at the farmers' markets when they grow something that's a little bit different.
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  Or they have maybe such a large quantity.
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  It was a good year and they have such a large quantity of products that they need to get rid of.
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  They always have a recipe and one of the plated up recipes is great to use because it's got the nutritional facts on it.
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  But let me tell you,
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  not only at farmers markets when I go and I set a booth up anywhere state fair is absolutely incredible.
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  I have ladies that look for me and look for the plated up recipe cards.
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  I put them out every year at the state fair over to the farm to fair cooking stage and they absolutely love the recipes.
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  I get them to tell me what their favorites are and they can tell me without even looking at the cards.
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  So I know they're using them,
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  but just to have those on site and to talk to folks,
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  we are so removed from learning about agriculture,
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  so many generations removed from the farm.
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  So we're trying to get those folks back to that and learn how you cook fresh,
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  how you cook seasonal.
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  And these recipe cards have been a great resource for that.
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  So,
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  folks absolutely love them.
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  Well.
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  And our um,
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  data tells us that in the past four or five years,
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  about 100 and two people have indicated that they are more likely to buy fruits and vegetables at the farmers' market after doing a taste testing with the plated up recipe cards.
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  So that's exciting that,
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  that,
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  you know,
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  they're gonna buy locally.
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  And of course,
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  our vendors tell us that they see $233,000 increase in sales when plated up recipes are offered at the farmers' market.
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  So,
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  wow,
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  that's amazing.
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  So,
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  what is your favorite plated up Kentucky Proud recipe?
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  Oh,
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  gosh,
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  what is my favorite?
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  I tell you one that I would have never thought glaze cantaloupe bread.
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  I,
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  I would have never thought that I love cantaloupe and I would have never thought that I would have liked that,
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  but I went to one of the farmers markets.
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  Webster County Farmers Market.
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  Vicky Shadrick is a good friend of mine and,
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  and she made me try it and I absolutely loved it.
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  But probably one of my all time favorites is the cucumber corn bean salsa.
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  I really do like that.
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  We even had that at state fair.
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  But we also have though at state fair on the cooking stage,
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  we have a lot of ladies come up from the extension staff,
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  they come up and they do trainings and they do a lot of the plated up recipes and show exactly how easy it is to do.
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  But,
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  yeah,
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  that cucumber corn bean salsa.
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  And,
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  you know,
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  I was trying to think of all of the recipes and I would say probably our Commissioner Coral's favorite recipe is anything with Brussels sprouts in it.
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  I don't know why.
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  He's,
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  he loves Brussels sprouts,
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  so,
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  I don't know why,
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  but he likes to cook them.
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  That bacon and Brussels sprouts bake is one that he might like.
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  He,
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  he actually made that on stage.
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  So he's even looking at the plate recipes too.
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  Well,
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  that's good.
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  And it's funny that you mentioned that cucumber corn and,
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  and bean salsa because my husband asked for that the other day.
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  I was like,
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  it's not in season,
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  honey.
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  We are gonna have to wait for the tomatoes to come in before.
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  That's really,
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  really good.
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  Sharon.
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  Thank you so much for joining me.
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  This has been a great conversation and I know that we are going to inspire people to go out and find something tasty to eat at their farmers' market.
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  We have plenty like I said,
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  we are still in our farmers' market registration period right now.
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  I still think we're gonna have 100 and 74 but I've talked to a couple of people wanting to start new,
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  new markets.
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  So just be looking for your local farmers' market shop local.
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  If you can't make it to a farmers market.
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  Go to your on farm markets.
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  We also have certified farm markets and restaurant.
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  Kentucky Farm Bureau that's available and they all have such fresh products and everything to purchase from.
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  And of course,
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  we will provide the Kentucky proud dot com link in the show notes so that if you don't know where your market is located,
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  you can go find one if you are just tuning in.
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