Cultivate Kentucky Partnership Expansion

The Cultivate Kentucky Partnership is a multi-agency collaborative consisting of University, government, Non-Governmental Organization, and producer stakeholders. We collaborate through an integrated network of multi-platform technical assistance and value-chain coordination with the goal of simultaneously increasing adoption of on-farm food safety practices, and developing the specialty crop sector in Kentucky. Our primary objective is to ensure Kentucky specialty crop producers are prepared to navigate FSMA regulations and third party (GAP) food safety audits where appropriate, and successfully implement food safety plans and practices in their farm enterprise. Second, we seek to develop a comprehensive program of education and outreach for water quality testing, interpretation, and mitigation. Our final objective is to develop and deliver culturally appropriate FSMA and general on-farm food safety outreach, educational materials, trainings, and programing for Plain community growers. The proposed project will expand on our current work by supporting the development of in-person and on-demand trainings as well as multi- media educational materials that address food safety resource and knowledge gaps for Kentucky specialty crop producers. Our programmatic approach combines classroom, on-demand, multi- media, and written educational materials with individual technical assistance and education. We and protocols that foreground farmer-driven solutions and account for scale, production, and crop type specific considerations.