Travis Fugate is a blind, disabled Veteran that runs a 31-acre farm in eastern Kentucky with the help of his family and the community around him. During the beginning of his farming career, Travis found it difficult to be successful with his current disability on a relatively unfamiliar piece of property. Through a little research, he found his local NRCS office and had an evaluation done on his property to see what areas could be improved upon.
With the help from NRCS and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Fugate developed a Conservation Plan, which helped him improve the productivity and sustainability of the farm. Natural Resources Conservation Service was able to design and implement 6 well-spaced rows within a high tunnel system for the Fugate farm. Each row inside the tunnel is 90 ft long and comes equipped with a watering system, fertigation system and ventilation for temperature control so Travis, his sister and the other helpers could focus on the produce. After a few years using the high tunnels, Travis started to become a local favorite for his variety of green beans and quality of his tomatoes.
Fugate has a passion for helping people and with that passion he has been able to source his locally grown food to multiple counties through the help of the farmer's market.
Also, during his trips to the farmer's market, he was surprised to see a need for locally sourced berries. Fugate applied again for the help of NRCS and was approved for another high tunnel to focus on getting locally grown berries to the public. The Fugate is producing berries this spring.
Categories: Kentucky, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables