Meet the New Staff

Heather Hyden (Left) and Alexa Arnold (Right) outside of the new CFA office in downtown Frankfort

 

Hello! I am Heather Hyden and am excited to be a new Organizer focused on linking the energies around Farm to Table and Food Security. I am originally from Memphis, TN and received my BA in Geography and Urban Planning from the University of Memphis. During that time, I spent a year abroad in England studying Economic Geography, Environmental Preservation and City and Rural Planning. I also worked in Memphis as an organizer developing faith-based partnerships for community development and youth empowerment as well as managing a community garden that sold to multiple markets in the city including restaurants.

I previously worked for the public health department in Nashville, TN as the School Garden Coordinator where I developed a coalition of community leaders and local organizations to coordinate and develop resources. With the help of the coalition, gardens were lifted as model programs for nutrition education, agriculture literacy, environmental stewardship and fresh food access and ultimately influenced Farm to School policy and city-wide Urban Agriculture policy.

My work in agriculture (even if it is urban) has even influenced my mother to go back to college. I’m proud she is studying Agriculture and Political Science at MTSU in Murfressboro, TN. My immediate family are all recovering urbanites, searching for our agrarian heritage….maybe I’ll find mine in Hyden, KY.

The best way to reach me is on my cell at 615-975-5459 and my email at heather@cfaky.

Hi, I’m Alexa Arnold, and I’m thrilled to be on board as one of CFA’s newest Organizers. My primary focus at CFA will be working with Eastern Kentucky communities on local food system development issues. My grandmother grew up in Morgan County, my grandfather in Lexington, and they eventually spent time in Cynthiana where they raised tobacco, soy and cattle. Over the past year, my grandparents decided to sell the family farm and the modern realities of farming in Kentucky hit close to home. I am excited to take this position as an opportunity to better understand my family’s history while working in communities so similar to their own.

Originally raised in northern Ohio, I spent time in Birmingham, AL during high school and eventually moved to Lexington to study Geography and Political Science at the University of Kentucky. While in school, I fell in love with studying the relationship between people and place and established passions for supporting local agricultural economies and local food systems. I pursued these passions while I worked as the Assistant Market Manager of the Lexington Farmers Market where I worked to improve direct market selling between farmers and consumers as well as on various local food and farming issues within the community, including farm to school initiatives, food security issues and community outreach.

I’m passionate about building and supporting alternative food and agricultural economies and am thrilled to have to opportunity to apply my experiences to further the goals of CFA. Contact me by phone at 205-516-6964 or by email at alexa@cfaky.org

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CFA New E-mail Addresses

As of Wednesday, May 9th, Community Farm Alliance will discontinue service with BellSouth. Therefore, we will no longer be able to receive e-mail messages through our BellSouth e-mail accounts after that date.

We will only be able to receive e-mail addresses through the following accounts:

Martin Richards: martin (at) cfaky.org

Wendi Badger: wendi (at) cfaky.org

And we have two new staff members who you will be hearing more about in the next week: Continue reading

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Auditor details a ‘toxic culture of entitlement’ while Richie Farmer was ag commissioner

(From the Lexington Herald Leader: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/30/2169892/auditor-details-spending-by-richie.html)

By Janet Patton — jpatton1@herald-leader.com

Posted: 9:26am on Apr 30, 2012; Modified: 10:02am on May 1, 2012

FRANKFORT — Former University of Kentucky basketball star Richie Farmer often used the state Department of Agriculture as a gravy train for his family and friends, according to a state audit released Monday.

A “toxic culture of entitlement” permeated the department under Farmer, who had state workers build a basketball court in his back yard while on state time, according to State Auditor Adam Edelen. Continue reading

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Kentucky General Assembly Wraps Up: Final Report from CFA

CFA members testify with Representative Reginald Meeks D-Louisville

As sessions of the Kentucky General Assembly go, the 2012 session was just as contentious as any other, perhaps more so than usual.

This session came right on the heels of a bitter and acrimonious 2011 Gubernatorial election that pitted the incumbent Steve Beshear against the man who has come to be his chief nemesis these past few years, Senate President David Williams R-Burkesville.  Governor Beshear won reelection handily, defeating Williams by a margin of over 20 percentage points.  Many presumed that outcome would provide the Governor with the necessary mandate to successfully pursue his agenda during the legislative session.  Indeed at one point during a particularly heated exchange in this year’s special session, Beshear reminded Williams of that fact.

That, however, was not to be the case. Continue reading

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Senate Committee Marks Up Farm Bill

After a one-day delay, the Senate Agriculture Committee wasted little time marking up its version of the 2012 farm bill last week.  The bill, christened the “Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act,” passed out of committee by a 16-5 vote Thursday, April 26th with objections coming primarily from southern Senators.  It now heads to the full Senate for debate.

The Senate farm bill, already being hailed by some as an historic reform of farm support programs, comes amid pressure to reduce overall federal spending.  Agriculture subsidies are receiving increased scrutiny due to record high commodity prices in recent years.  Net farm income reached $98.1 billion in 2011 – the highest total ever – and is expected to reach $91.7 billion in 2012, the second highest. Continue reading

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KY ag and food job openings! Get ‘em while they last!

Photo courtesy of Joe Proctor, CFA Member

Rural Support Partners (RSP)

From RSP: Our fellowship program is an intensive, year-long initiative with the possibility of extending into a second year. Rural Fellows take on significant responsibilities, including co-management of regional networks of rural development practitioners and funders, co-facilitation of organizational development projects, and co-management of participatory research and evaluation efforts. Fellows are also expected to take a leadership role within the RSP team. This is a paid position.  More information


Food Literacy Project: AmeriCorps VISTA Resource Development Director

From FLP: The AmeriCorps VISTA Resource Development Coordinator will strengthen the Food Literacy Project’s capacity to serve low-income youth Continue reading

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Kentucky May Primaries Right Around the Corner

Don’t forget to register to vote by April 23rd!

On Tuesday, May 22nd, Kentuckians will go to the polls to vote in the 2012 Primaries.  In order to be eligible to vote, you must have registered with your County Clerk by Monday, April 23rd.  Visit this link for more information about signing up.

This round of primaries is mainly noted for one thing: the presidential election.  While the Republican candidates and Democratic incumbent have been getting all the attention in the news, we shouldn’t lose sight of the very important local elections taking place across the Commonwealth.

All 100 Kentucky State House Representative district seats are up for election, though some seats are not being challenged this year.  Half of Kentucky’s 38 Senate seats are up for election.

While CFA is a 501 c(3) and we cannot endorse any candidate, we do want to encourage you – our members and supporters – to get out and vote for the candidates of your choice.

Being an agricultural organization, we did want to take the opportunity to highlight some of the races involving members of both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. Continue reading

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The 2012 Session of the KY General Assembly is Almost Over – How Did Things Go for Farmers and Foodies?

SB 47 is a priority issue for CFA - we have endorsed the bill

Up until late last Thursday evening, it appeared as though the 2012 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly would end on time for once.

Wrong.

On the last day of the regular session, the Senate – led by President David Williams R-Burkesville – and Governor Steve Beshear failed to come to an agreement on the road plan budget bill.  Both sides blame one another for the last minute meltdown that has caused the Governor to call for a special session beginning Monday, April 16th to address the impasse.

While the legislators may still be meeting, the session is over for ag and foods issues.

As for how the 2012 session went for Community Farm Alliance, it could be said that this one was more notable for what didn’t happen rather than for what did.

SB 47 – a bill that would have allowed for the “shared ownership of livestock,” one result of which would have made it possible for individuals to access raw milk Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture Budget, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky General Assembly | 1 Comment

CFA Op-ed: Support HBs 167 & 187 | Adam Barr

Adam Barr (Photo courtesy of Joe Proctor, CFA Member)

As a seventh generation family farmer in Meade County, energy has increasingly become an important and costly factor in our operation. We use energy everyday on the farm.  Energy is the fuel for our tractors and trucks.  It is the electricity that runs our irrigators and refrigerators and it lights our barns and homes.  And especially these days, the cost of using energy adds up quickly.

Things are beginning to change.  Increasingly, farmers like me see the opportunity to turn energy into an on-farm asset instead of being an off-farm liability.  For instance, on my farm we have used Kentucky Ag Development Fund grant money to power our irrigation pumps with solar energy.

Kentucky could do so much more to help farmers and rural communities offset energy costs.  We could even turn energy into another farm product.   Continue reading

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2012 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly, an update

(A barn on Ivor's farm; Photo courtesy of Joe Proctor, CFA Member)

Friday, March 9th, marked the 44th day of the 60 day 2012 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Another day, another dollar as the old saying goes.  188 of them to be exact – dollars that is – which is how much the average Kentucky lawmaker earns per day during the regular session, not counting expenses which can add another $135 per day for each member.

Senate President David Williams defended himself and state lawmakers this week saying that the general public “does not understand the hours lawmakers put into their jobs” and how he and presumably other legislators “often work on legislative issues late at night and on weekends.”

This defense came after questions about Senator Williams’ decision to skip town Friday and fly south to New Orleans to watch the Wildcats play in the SEC tournament.

Indeed, many, if not all legislators do work hard during session spending countless hours listening to the concerns and ideas Continue reading

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