Kentucky Local Food System
An Inventory: 2023
Introduction
Some folks say a picture is worth a thousand words. While the following pictures (maps) are certainly not perfect, we hope they will convey some of the importance, progress, and gaps of the local food system in Kentucky at this time. We intend for them to help us ask better questions and identify opportunities for growth. Please reach out to the Kentucky Center for Agriculture & Rural Development (KCARD) with any questions. Data for the maps was gathered from the USDA Census of Agriculture, various federal, state-wide, and local databases, as well as from partners and KCARD's own records (please see references section for more information).
Kentucky Farm Operations & Producers
The maps below show Kentucky farm operations and producers as a whole from 2007 to 2017, including local food farms and producers. We include these maps to establish a baseline understanding of the change in farm operations and producers by county. We present these two maps, not to discourage viewers about the general decline of Kentucky farm operations, but to provoke thought about the forces behind these changes and the opportunities for improvement.
The map below shows the percentage change in farm operations by county from 2007 to 2017. Farm operation is defined by the USDA Census of Agriculture as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year. Overall, Kentucky saw an 11% decline in the number of farm operations. Most counties saw a decrease of 1-25%; however, there are pockets in Kentucky where farm operations increased, specifically in eastern, central, and northern Kentucky.
Interact with the map! Click on a county to see individual county information. Click on the arrows in the top-right white box to expand the map.
Percent Change in Farm Operations by County from 2007 to 2017
The number of producers in Kentucky also saw changes over the same period. However, at the county level, we see less sharp declines and, in some regions, particularly in eastern Kentucky, the number of producers increased. This is likely due in part to changes in the definition of a producer in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The parameters of who is included as a producer were expanded, so that more partners and spouses (who are generally female), other family members, and certain workers were for the first time included in this definition. Overall, Kentucky saw a 1% increase in the number of producers due to this expanded definition, from 123,971 producers to 125,155 producers.
Percent Change in Farm Operators, 2007 to 2017
Why examine Kentucky local food farms?
In 2017, less than 6% of Kentucky’s farms sold food locally (within 400 miles or within state the product is grown/produced), with the percentage varying by county (USDA, 2017). Nationally, the percentage of farms selling food locally was 8%. Although the number of Kentucky farms with direct sales of food is a small number, it is a growing number. Indeed, there seems to be opportunity for room to grow. Research shows that farmers with direct sales of food are more likely than all U.S. farmers to identify farming as their primary occupation, be age 34 or younger, and female. This profile of a local food farmer diverges from that of the overall aging (and mostly male) farming population in America.
The USDA Census of Agriculture provides limited data on local food farms, but another USDA survey, the Local Food Marketing Practices (LFMP) Survey is a helpful measure at the state level. From 2015 to 2020, there was a 27% increase in the number of Kentucky farms marketing local food, increasing from 3,227 to 4,110. Kentucky’s growth is steeper than the national average of just 3% in the same time period.
KCARD's own data shows that in the same period between 2015 and 2020, interest in KCARD's business development services more than doubled. In that five year span, KCARD went from assisting 204 Kentucky farms and agribusinesses to 472, a growth of 131%. Explore the maps below to see how KCARD expanded its reach between 2015 and 2020.
The data from the LFMP surveys and KCARD provide evidence that despite overall historic declines in the number of farms and farmers, Kentuckians, in recent years, are seeing opportunities in their communities to not only start farms but seek help and services to sustain their businesses.
In 2015, KCARD provided business development services to farms and agribusinesses in 67 out of 120 counties. The most assistance occurred in Madison County, with 12 clients assisted that year.
Click on the circle (bottom left) to access the legend.
In 2020, KCARD provided business development assistance to farms and agribusinesses in 109 out of 120 Kentucky counties. Fayette County received the most assistance, with 20 clients being served that year.
Sustaining a Local Food Economy: What does Farm Business Stage have to do with it?
Seeing a Farm into Maturity
Not only does the overall number of local food farms matter, but "farm business stage” is relevant to measure the sustainability of farms in the local food system. We can see growth and decline by farm business age. The number of local food farm businessess 11-20 years old doubled from 2015 to 2020! This is significant because it represents growth of farms making it out of the start-up and early growth years.
The number of farms less than 6 years old also saw substantial growth, representing much interest in producing and marketing local food.
Farm operations between 6-10 years old and over 21 years old both decreased. The decrease in the 6-10 years category may be explained by some percentage of these farms “graduating” into the next category. However, perhaps there is a deeper trend yet to be investigated in these "make it or break it" years.
KCARD data shows that about two-thirds of farm operations assisted in value-chain coordination are 0-10 years old, showing that at this stage of business, assistance is desired and often critical to connect farmers with resources and buyers.
The Big Picture
Total Local Food Sales
The following maps show the latest available statistics on local food sales in Kentucky county by county.
The USDA Census of Agriculture started recording the number of local food operations and the dollar value of direct-to-consumer sales in 2007. Collection of data on other direct farm sales, such as sales to institutions, wholesale distributors, and retail markets, did not begin until 2012.
Percent Change in Direct-to-Consumer Sales from 2007 to 2017
Click on legend button (bottom left) to expand legend or use the search bar to search for a county (upper left) .
Direct-to-consumer sales refer to sales made by a farmer to the purchaser who will consume the product, which includes sales at on-farm stores, roadside stands, u-pick operations, farmers markets, CSAs, and online sales from a farm's website.
Overall, Kentucky saw an increase in direct-to-consumer sales between 2007 and 2017. It must be noted that sales of value-added products (meats, cheeses, jams, jellies, etc.) were not included in 2007 data. This may help explain the dramatic increase in sales in some counties.
Direct-to-Consumer Sales in 2017
The latest set of USDA data on direct-to-consumer sales in Kentucky indicates that parts of central and southwestern Kentucky are areas of local food activity. Counties containing or closer to metro areas have higher direct-to-consumer sales. Proximity to highly-populated areas provides for a larger customer base. Conversely, challenges that rural areas face include smaller customer bases, higher costs, and longer times for transporting product.
Value of Food Sold Through Other Direct Farm Sales in 2017
Unlike direct-to-consumer sales, which occur as a direct transaction between the producer and the customer who will consume the product, "other direct farm sales" refers to sales of local food that are intermediated by a third party. This includes retail markets, wholesalers, distributors, and institutions such as schools and hospitals.
The Census of Agriculture began collecting data on local food operations selling through other direct channels beginning in 2017.
Sales amount data was not made available for 46 counties out of a total 120 counties. This occurs when data sets are small, and releasing that data could reveal the revenue of individual farms.
A Closer Look
Stepping Stone Farm in Bourbon Co. has worked with KCARD to market their fruits and berries to schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and wholesale buyers. | Photo Credit: Ally Barnett
Kentucky's Local Food Industries
At farmer's markets, and increasingly at one's grocery store, local restaurant, or school, one is presented with a wide array of local food products to choose from: corn, tomatoes, strawberries, honey, beef, sausages, jams, and jellies.
Kentucky local agriculture includes many different products whether in a fresh form, like a tomato, or in processed form, like canned stewed tomatoes.
Adding value to products is a key factor in local food marketing. “Adding value” can be done numerous ways, whether it’s livestock to finished meat, fluid milk to cheese, or adding value simply by marketing as “local” or USDA Organic. LFMP Survey data shows the number of farm operations marketing value-added foods saw a 67% increase (1,926 to 3,215) from 2015 to 2020.
A few of these local food industries, both fresh and value-added, are mapped below.
Where is the Local Meat?
The local food system goes beyond produce in Kentucky! Rich in pasture, the state has many livestock operations finishing animals to sell meat locally.
Using several available databases, KCARD has compiled a list of over 120 farms in Kentucky selling meat locally. We acknowledge that this is an undercount of the farms in Kentucky currently selling meat locally. For counties where we could not confirm a farm selling local meat, we have identified those counties as "undetermined."
Local meat producers and custom USDA-certified meat processors are located throughout Kentucky. There are currently 26 meat processors in Kentucky that are either USDA-certified or in the process of becoming USDA-certified.
Through the Kentucky Agriculture Development Board Meat Processing Investment Program and CARES Act investment between 2020-2022, total monthly processing capacity in Kentucky increased by 222%, equivalent to 4,529 additional head of beef per month. We expect the impact of this investment to not yet be fully realized.
(Sources: KY Beef Council, KY Proud, Woodford Foodnet, KCARD, 2022)
Value-Added Dairy Farms
As of September 2022, there are 375 dairies in Kentucky. Of these, there are 13 value-added dairy operations that use their own milk. Products include milk, ice cream, cheese, and butter.
Local dairy products are made as far south as Todd County on the Kentucky-Tennessee border to as far north as Kenton County, near the Cincinnati metro area.
(Sources: Kentucky Dairy Development Council, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, KCARD)
2017 Produce Sales Versus Number of Vegetable Operations Per County
Except for a couple counties in western Kentucky, county-level concentrations of produce farms exist for most regions of Kentucky.
Although not all produce grown in Kentucky is sold locally, three of the counties with the highest produce sales and number of produce farms- Allen, Todd, and Christian counties- also lead in direct farm sales (refer to maps Value of Food Sold Directly to Consumers in 2017 and Value of Food Sold through other Direct Channels in 2017).
Allen County led all of Kentucky with $4,151,000 in produce sales spread among 100 produce farms.
(Source: NASS USDA Census of Agriculture, Kentucky, 2017)
2017 Fruits, Tree Nuts, and Berries Sales Versus Number of Operations per County
Like the preceding produce map, not all fruit, tree nut, and berry farms in Kentucky sell locally, but many do. Fruits, tree nuts, and berries make up a smaller industry than produce.
Warren County reported the most sales in 2017, with $631,000 in sales spread across 31 farms. However, Shelby County reported the most fruit, tree nut, and berry operations, with 38 farms, but was only the 5th highest grossing county.
(Source: NASS USDA Census of Agriculture, Kentucky, 2017)
GAP Audited Producers and Local Produce Aggregation
Another helpful measure of local food activity in Kentucky can be found in the number of GAP-audited producers.
GAP stands for Good Agricultural Practices, and it is a standard of food safety for produce farms looking to enter into sales channels beyond direct-to-consumer. Many wholesale distributors, institutions, grocers and restaurants require a produce farm to have GAP certification.
Local produce aggregation locations are also mapped. We define an aggregation site as a central location where products from different operations are gathered for later sale/resale. This consists of local distributors, food hub pick-up locations, packing facilities, and produce auctions. We acknowledge the number of sites identified in this map may be an undercount and does not fully capture aggregation efforts of Kentucky products occurring at a smaller scale in the state or occurring in neighboring states.
As of October 2022, there are 81 GAP certified operations in Kentucky and 12 produce aggregation sites.
Most GAP-certified operations, 50 out of 81, are located in the western portion of Allen County.
(Sources: Cultivate KY, KCARD)
Local Food Aggregation
Produce is not the only local food that is aggregated in Kentucky. Several wholesale distribution businesses in Kentucky are active in purchasing local products, including meats and diary. This activity is concentrated around Lexington, KY.
We acknowledge that this list does not include some smaller-scale aggregation efforts and there are, no doubt, efforts we are not aware of. Therefore, this map is likely an incomplete picture of local food aggregation in Kentucky, particularly in the western and eastern regions of the state.
Number of Organic Farms by County
As of 2022, there are 201 USDA organic certified farms in Kentucky. This includes crop, livestock and wild crop operations.
Measuring the amount of organic farms in a state can help indicate the amount of local food activity. Although not all local food farms are organic certified, nationally, almost half of organic certified operations in 2012 sold direct-to-consumer (Low, et al. 2015).
In the five year period between 2012 and 2017, the number of USDA National Organic Program Certified farms in Kentucky jumped from 70 to 163, an increase of 133% (NASS USDA Census of Agriculture, 2012 and 2017).
(Source: USDA AMS Organic Integrity Database, 2022)
Conclusion
The 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture will soon be available and will provide another set of valuable data, particularly in regard to local food sales and numbers, which has only been tracked for the last few surveys. Indeed, 2022’s survey will provide the chance to compare data sets from different years for “other direct sales” (retail markets, distributors, and institutions).
It is recognized that these maps and data sets are only snapshots of the ever-evolving landscape of Kentucky local food. They do not fully relate the struggles, successes and hard work of individual farmers to keep their land in production or the many trust-based relationships among producers, consumers, buyers, and technical assistance providers built up over years or even decades.
From left to right: Sarah Barney holding dried herbs grown on her farm in Estill Co.; Alan Clem of Clem's Refrigerated Foods, a family-owned distributor in Fayette Co. that works with farmers across Kentucky; Ally Barnett shows off apples ready to purchase at the farm's store.
These maps do show that Kentucky’s local food industry has room to grow in all sectors. For example, the infrastructure to support local food, from local USDA certified meat processors to local food aggregation points, show that these locations are centered mainly in central Kentucky. It is intended that these maps be used to analyze both the successes in our local food system and the gaps that still exist.
Credits and Contact Info
This work could not have been done without our grant partners at Community Farm Alliance, Feeding Kentucky, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Horticultural Society, and University of Kentucky. We thank them for their help providing ideas, data, and feedback in the preparation of these maps.
Thank you to Ally Barnett, Sarah Barney, and Steven Clem for permission to use their photos.
These maps were prepared by the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development. Questions? Please call (859) 550-3972 or email us at kcard@kcard.info.
KCARD's Local Food Expansion Initiative is funded by the USDA Local Food Promotion Program Grant.
References
Kentucky Beef Council (n.d.) "Local Beef Directory." Local Beef Directory (kybeef.com) . Accessed May 2022.
Kentucky Department of Agriculture (2021) "Dairy Processors in Kentucky." Map. 2021_map_of_ky_dairy_processors.pdf (kydairy.org) . Accessed September 2022.
Kentucky Proud (n.d.) "Product Locator." Find Products Made in Kentucky | Kentucky Proud . Accessed May 2022.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Services (n.d.) Organic Integrity Database. Organic Integrity Database (usda.gov) . Accessed June 2022.
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (2007) 2007 Census of Agriculture: Kentucky State and County Data. Volume 1, Geographic Area Series, Part 17. 2007 Census of Agriculture Kentucky 02/01/2009 (cornell.edu) . Accessed May 2022.
USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service (2017) 2017 Census of Agriculture: Kentucky State and County Data. Volume 1, Geographic Area Series, Part 17. Census 2017 Report (usda.gov) . Accessed May 2022.
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (2015) "2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey." USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service - Surveys - Local Food Marketing Practices . Accessed May 2022.
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (2020) "2020 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey." USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service - Surveys - Local Food Marketing Practices . Accessed May 2022
Woodford Foodnet (.n.d.) "Meat." Meats | WC Local Food Net (woodfordfoodnet.org) . Accessed May 2022.
