Transition in Action: S...

September is about harvest. The last vestiges of summer planting are either being put up for winter, or picked for the plate at supper a few final times. Fall festivals also begin this month, teeming and busting at the seams with local delicacies being cooked to order, or sold in jars...
‘Central Appalachia is in mourning:’ New radio documentary details grief of losing coal in the region

‘Central Appalach...

“All over Appalachia, people are in different stages of mourning this thing that’s put dinner on the table and shaped culture for as long. Some are even starting to talk about transition – about Appalachia past coal.” So starts a piece from a new radio documentary...
Appalachian Agriculture is all about connections

Appalachian Agriculture...

“I am an Eastern Kentucky business owner. I am a baker of corn bread, an heirloom seed saver and a hillbilly farmer. I offer no apologies. I am Appalachia Proud.” So begins an op-ed from Pikeville, Ky., native Joyce Pinson (left) who writes a farm-to-table column for the...
New Appalachia Proud program could boost eastern Kentucky agriculture

New Appalachia Proud pr...

Eastern Kentucky’s local food and agriculture sector has struggled to match the progress seen by its neighbors in West Virginia, southeast Ohio and southwest Virginia. But yesterday, Kentucky’s agriculture secretary, James Comer, unveiled a new brand and program that could...
Harvesting Appalachia’s Future: Developing an Agriculture Sector

Harvesting Appalachia&#...

Todd Howard, Floyd County farmer and community leader, said it best at the Appalachia’s Bright Future conference in April: that the only thing Appalachians have done longer than mine coal, is farm. It is true that agriculture has a deep and rich history in the region, and we...

Sustainable Development...

There is a great op-ed in Saturday’s Charleston Gazette . The author writes that sustainable development has the potential to create an economy in Appalachia that will thrive in our lifetimes and for generations. Some of the opportunities he points out: -Sustainable forest...

We Cannot Wait

Foothills Eco-Agri-Tourism Corporation (FEAT) and the UK Cooperative Extension Service hosted a workshop for entrepreneurs interested in advancing their ideas at Morehead’s Regional Enterprise Center in West Liberty, KY earlier this week (see post for details). Entrepreneurs working in...

Kentucky’s Commun...

As featured in the latest issue of Solutions Journal: Kentucky's Community Farm Alliance: From Growing Tobacco to Building the Good L.I.F.E. By Dwight Billings, Jenrose Fitzgerald, Lisa Markowitz In 1998, tobacco was Kentucky's top cash crop. Kentucky was one of the three states...