Learn about opportunities and challenges for the Kentucky dairy industry in this guest blog post from our friends at the Center for Crop Diversification!
As we enter the new year, many people will begin to look back at their records from 2024 to analyze their financial position and begin to prepare for the upcoming tax season. If you have an effective and efficient recordkeeping system, this process can be smooth and straightforward. Check out these tips to improve your recordkeeping system in 2025!
Businesses registered with the Secretary of State (such as LLCs or corporations) are now required to report Beneficial Ownership Information. As of December 26, 2024, the deadline for BOI filing has been suspended until further notice. However, the report is expected to be required in the future. We recommend voluntarily completing the report to avoid having to monitor future deadline updates.
Farming is a risky business with significant costs, and one of the most expensive mistakes is failing to plan or oversimplifying the transition of the farm. At its core, successful transition planning boils down to clear, honest communication and planning ahead. When communicating across generations, consider addressing key issues early to build mutual understanding and ensure a smoother transition.
A well-hosted class or workshop can be one of the more profitable (and fun!) ways to engage visitors on your farm and offer agritourism opportunities. However, they can be quite labor-intensive and require lots of planning and thoughtfulness. Check out these tips to get you started!
July is Kentucky Grown Cut Flower Month, so we’re celebrating with a spotlight on Eden Roots Flower Farm! Eden Roots Flower Farm is a small cut flower farm owned by Sarah Torgerson in Simpsonville, Kentucky that offers homegrown cut flowers for retail and wholesale, as well as arrangements for small events.
With apple picking and pumpkin patch seasons right around the corner, many seasonal Kentucky agritourism operations are gearing up for their busy seasons. At KCARD, we’ve been seeing a wide variety of agriculture operations adding elements of tourism and education to their farms, including u-pick berry farms, farm stays, hands-on workshops, Airbnbs, and more. In this post, we discuss five things to consider before adding agritourism to your farming operation.
Jericho Farmhouse is an ice cream shop and farm market in Henry County, KY owned by the Coombs Family. The Coombs family operated a dairy farm for generations until 2018 and now, Jericho Farmhouse offers ice cream, beef, a place for local farmers to sell their products, and plenty of fun farm experiences.
Owning a business can be tough and paying employees can be confusing. Some businesses will prefer a local bookkeeper they can meet with face-to-face, but as more services move online, businesses are becoming more comfortable with online professional service providers for assistance with payroll and taxes. Before choosing an online payroll provider, it’s important to consider your business’s needs to see which option is right for you.
This month, we spoke with Juan Alejo about his internship with Fox Creek Cattle Company through the Boots to Agriculture Internship. KCARD assists with this internship as part of the Kentucky AgVets Program, which helps veterans and transitioning service members who are interested in agriculture access resources, internships, and educational opportunities.
In order to diversify and increase profits, many farms are adding value-added products to their lists of offerings. For produce farmers, “value-added” refers to processing their fruits and vegetables into another product of higher value, such as jam, salsa, or pre-cut/ready-to-cook vegetables. While this can help bring extra revenue to the farm, it’s important to consider the extra time and money that will go into launching a new value-added product. If you’re thinking about introducing value-added products, start by considering these questions.
Your online presence is a key part of your marketing plan. You can use your social media pages to build your brand awareness, develop relationships with customers, and even to make sales. Though each social media network is different and has a specific algorithm, here are three tips to maximize your social media presence across your platforms.
Nestled in between the small towns of Tompkinsville and Gamaliel in southcentral Kentucky, Patterson’s Butcher Shop is a recently opened custom processing business and meat retail store owned by Jorden Patterson Emmert. They offer custom slaughter and a wide variety of retail cuts, including beef, pork, lamb, goat, and ready to cook meals.
Many KCARD clients sell their products at their local farmers markets, so we've compiled some tips to help you have the best possible experience when visiting the farmers market. Remember that when you shop at your local farmers market, you are paying for a fresher, tastier product that benefits your local economy by keeping every food dollar local.
In May 2020, KCARD launched the Kentucky Local Food System Expansion Initiative through support from an USDA Local Food Promotion Program grant. The goal of the Initiative is to increase local food sales for Kentucky producers by developing sales connections with buyers such as retail stores, institutions, restaurants, schools, and distributors. At 24 months into the Initiative, we wanted to provide a quick glimpse at producers who have been assisted thus far.
The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development is a non-profit organization established to facilitate agricultural and rural businesses in Kentucky. We are supported primarily through grants provided by the USDA Rural Cooperative Development Program and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. Additional support is provided through our work with partners around the state and through fees charged for select client services.
