KY Farm Launch Gets $750K USDA Grant for New Farmers

By Blake Jackson

The Food Connection and UK Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources, both part of the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, have received a $750,000 USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant to support KY Farm Launch, which is preparing for its second cohort of new farmers.

KY Farm Launch is a collaborative effort between UK, the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD), and the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office. The program provides hands-on training for beginning farmers defined by the USDA as individuals with fewer than 10 years of experience as a primary owner or operator and aims to address the decline in Kentucky’s farmer population.

“We had a great first year of the KY Farm Launch program and graduated 29 farmers representing 23 beginning farm operations from across Kentucky and southern Ohio,” said Krista Jacobsen, associate professor in the Department of Horticulture.

The nine-month program includes weekly workshops covering sustainable production of vegetables, small fruits, beef cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry. Courses also integrate business management and market planning to help participants run successful farm operations.

Unlike other Extension resources that are location-based, KY Farm Launch focuses on the individual. Participants receive one-on-one mentoring and join a cohort of fellow beginning farmers, providing peer support and guidance.

“We are so grateful for our amazing first group of farmers,” Jacobsen said. “They spent nine months with us learning about starting and sustaining a farm business, producing sustainable vegetables, fruits and livestock, and building a wonderful, supportive community. We are looking forward to building on the successes of the 2025 year to continue to grow and improve the program and can’t wait to meet our new 2026 KY Farm Launch cohort!”

For more information or to apply for the 2026 cohort, visit https://bfrdp.mgcafe.uky.edu/.

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