University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics

🎉 Congratulations to Trinity Foster! 🎉
We are proud to celebrate our MS student, Trinity Foster, on the successful defense of her thesis titled “The Impacts of a Kentucky Nutrition Education Program Social Marketing Campaign on Resident Health.”
A special thank you to her thesis committee for their guidance and support:
Dr. Thomas Keene (Chair), Dr. Omolola Adedokun, Dr. Alison Davis
Please join us in congratulating Trinity on this outstanding achievement and wishing her continued success in her future endeavors! 🌟👏

Center for Crop Diversification team is looolong for a full-time Extension Associate focused on specialty crop marketing support.

This role supports specialty crop producers through workshops, webinars, training, technical assistance, outreach materials, and data-driven resources. It contributes to the Center’s programs focused on direct-to-consumer and intermediary sales channels, price reporting, enterprise budgets, data management, impact tracking, and project coordination. The position also supports Market Ready programming and CSA innovation projects in collaboration with university, farm, Extension, wellness, and national partners.

Full details and apply here:
https://ukjobs.uky.edu/postings/632267

The final three days in England kept the students very busy. They visited an oyster business, organic farms, farm store, the US Embassy, Kew Gardens and the London Tower. We are grateful for the financial support from the Brannon fund to support student and faculty participation. The program concluded with a final dinner in London.

Day 11 in England from Vito Spadafino:
“Today we had the opportunity to visit King Edward Mine, a living museum run almost entirely by passionate volunteers dedicated to preserving Cornwall’s mining heritage. We learned how tin and copper mining shaped the region for thousands of years, dating back to the Bronze Age, and explored the technology that powered the industry, including the 1906 boiler house that supplied steam to the mine’s engines.
One of the highlights was seeing historic machinery in action and learning how miners and ore were raised and lowered through the mine. We also discussed the environmental impacts of mining, the difficult conditions faced by workers, including children as young as 8–12 years old and the innovations of Richard Trevithick, whose work with high-pressure steam engines helped revolutionize mining.
The visit gave us a look at the people, technology, and communities that built Cornwall’s mining legacy, while showing how volunteers continue to preserve and share this important history today.”

Day 10 in England from Amanda Mayo:
“What an exciting day! On our Agricultural Economics Study Abroad trip today, we visited the Strawberry Fields Farm Shop. When we arrived, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast from their farm shop. Many people in our group commented on how delicious the bread was, which is no surprise because the menu revealed that their bread is baked fresh in-store seven days a week!
After breakfast, we explored the store, which had many different sections. We were able to watch the butcher preparing fresh cuts of meat, the baker weighing ingredients and making fresh bread, and the jam maker producing jam.
The Strawberry Fields Farm Shop has the honor of holding the award for Best UK Large Farm Shop 2026!
My favorite part was seeing the Highland cows, including a calf, as well as the goats on the farm.
Later in the day, we visited the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, which was very interesting. I enjoyed learning about England’s rich maritime history. The most interesting part of the museum for me was the D-Day exhibit, as well as the Sea Hive project they created to help protect marine species.
Overall, it was a wonderful day filled with great food, fascinating learning experiences, and memorable encounters with farm animals.”

Day 8 in England from Gio Gill:

“Today we had the opportunity to visit Halstow Farm, where Gray’s Devon Cider is made. They are a family-owned farm that has been producing traditional cider since 1660. Now in its 13th generation, the Gray family manages a mixed farm with sheep, cattle, and 22 acres of cider orchards, including trees dating back to the late 18th century. One of the most interesting things we learned was that some apple varieties found on the farm exist nowhere else in the world.

During the tour, we learned about both the history and production of Devon cider. The farm continues traditions such as wassailing, a centuries old orchard ceremony meant to encourage a healthy harvest. They can also produce around 23,000 liters of cider each year. Despite the challenges of farming on steep hillsides, the family has adapted by diversifying its operation and preserving a unique piece of Devon’s agricultural heritage.”

Day 7 in England from Lauren Lowenbach and Jenna Diaz:
“Today we visited the Greendale Farm Shop in Exeter, a fifth-generation, family-owned business that has grown over the past 12 years from a small egg stand into a large farm shop, restaurant, butcher shop, and bakery. What makes it unique is they own 28 fishing boats that bring in fresh seafood and all the power for the shop comes from cow manure. During the tour, their core value of “if the supplier succeeds, we succeed” was seen several times. It was inspiring to see their focus and dedication on happy relationships, and not just business transactions.”
“Darts Farm was established in 1971. What began as a small roadside farm stand has grown into a destination for farm-to-table dining, community events, and locally sourced groceries. As one of Britain’s first pick-your-own farms, they take pride in their roots while continuing to diversify their operation through cider production, farm-to-table restaurants, retail partnerships, and on-farm attractions.

Their commitment to quality and innovation has earned national recognition, including being named the Best Farm Shop in the UK in 2025. This visit was truly inspiring and demonstrated the value of family-owned businesses and their ability to adapt, grow, and remain connected to their local communities.”

Congratulations to our students on the 2026 UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Dean’s list!

Day 6 in England from Jordan McMahon:
“Today we had the chance to visit Riverford Organics, an absolutely stunning 100% employee owned operation that brings together local growers and suppliers of certified organic goods with a focus of sustainability, reusability, and recyclability in their operations. We had the opportunity to tour their packing and distribution hub in Devon to learn about how they built the operation and tackle challenges and decision making with an employee-owned customer focused business structure One thing that stood out to me about their operation is their in house administrative offices with teams focused on solutions most businesses outsource to third parties. Then we all gathered with farmers at the South Devon Food Hub for lunch provided by local organic growers and producers all cooperating in the same space with goals to grow and diversify their products within the area.”

Weston Wolf, Kelsey Nokes, Macey Thompson, Clay Turner, and Dr. Steve Isaacs attended the Southeast Ag Lenders School at Clemson University. Scott Mickey, Clemson University and SEALS director, is also featured in the photo.
Our students were great, fully engaged, and were active participants in this professional development opportunity. The trip was made possible by the Seale Student Opportunity Fund.