Kentucky Locavore overview

Kentucky Locally Grown Product

There are plenty of seasonal Locavore opportunities to find exactly the fruit, vegetables, beef, lamb, poultry, wine or dairy products that you may be looking for. The 2007 USDA Farm Census reported that Kentucky had approximately 85,260 farms and the average number of acres per farm was 164. Of those farms, 2,123 showed that they raised vegetables for sale, there were 1,040 orchards, 169 organic farms and 544 CSAs in the state.

Synopsis of 2007 USDA Ag census for Kentucky

Classification
Number of farms within the State
Top five counties with the greatest number of farms in each type of classification
Farms with Vegetables harvested for sale
2,123
Allen Casey Madison Christian Greenup
Number of Orchards
1,040
Fayette Campbell Shelby Woodford Pendleton
Sweet Corn
1,065
Allen Greenup Christian Boone Shelby
Potatoes
531
Allen Clay Henry Owsley Shelby
Tomatoes
1,142
Allen Madison Boone Shelby Christian
Apples
623
Fayette Shelby Allen Owen Boone
Peaches
353
Shelby Boone Christian Fayette Owen
Cantaloupe
446
Allen Casey Christian Todd Monroe
Watermelon
554
Allen Casey Christian Hart Todd
Strawberries
295
Crittenden Shelby Todd Allen -
Blueberries
192
Shelby Allen Fayette Casey Green
Raspberries
98
Fayette Allen Carroll Scott Shelby
Blackberries and Dewberries
271
Nelson Madison Fayette Christian Carroll
Poultry and egg production
1,593
Graves McLean Ohio Hickman Grayson
Dairy cattle and milk production
1,641
Christian Barren Adair Hart Lincoln
Beef and Cattle ranches
33,966
Barren Pulaski Warren Madison Lincoln
Bison
37
Campbell Christian Breckinridge Hardin Livingston
Aquaculture or other animal production
9,351
Fayette Shelby Woodford Bourbon Scott
Farms that collect Honey
719
Allen Jackson Barren Whitley Henry
Farms that collect Maple Syrup
44
Allen Crittenden Washington Lewis Breckinridge

For more specific detail on what local fruits and vegetables are available (and when), please check out our Kentucky availability guide.

 
How to find Kentucky Growers and producers

To search our database for growers, producers and wineries near you, use one of these three methods:

1. Go to the Proximity search page. Enter the Zip code that you want to use as the basis for your search, enter the number of miles around the Zip code, click or unclick the business types you want to search for, then click the "Search' button. When the results appear, if you want more information about a specific business, you can click on the map marker and then the farm or business name within the information box.

If you would rather not enter a Zip code, you can enter a City and State name or a County and State name.

2. To see all of the Profiles within a specific State, go to the menu selection entitled "State Information" in the blue menu section at the top of the page. Scroll to your State name and as you move through the State names, you will see two menu choices appear to the right of your cursor. Click on the one that includes the words "Growers and Producers". When the list shows on your screen, you may sort by County name (click on the word "County"). If you are looking for a specific product such as Peaches or Beef or Honey, simply enter your search term in the appropriate box. For the Kentucky Grower list, click on this link: Kentucky Grower list .

3. Using the search box in the upper right hand corner of the screen, just enter the terms you wish to search for..there is no need to include a coma. As an example, if you want to find Peach growers in Kentucky, just type in the words Peaches Kentucky and click on the Search button.  There is no need to enter connecting words such as "and" or "in".

Additional Kentucky Locavore information

Every state has a Cooperative Extension System. Regional offices offer location specific advice on a broad array of topics (including gardening), and may be able to provide you with contact information for growers who are not yet registered on our site. Most have gardening hotlines and offer informational fact sheets, soil testing and pest identification for free or a nominal cost. Often the help is provided by Master Gardeners who are trained to assist the agriculture agents with home gardener's needs. To find contact information for your local County Extension Office – Kentucky County Extension Offices.

  • If you would like to ask questions of fellow Kentucky Locavores, discuss tips, share recipes, stories, pictures or any another great “Slow Food” discovery, please post it in our Kentucky forum by clicking here: Kentucky Locavore Forum
  • State sponsored “Locally Grown” program - Kentucky Proud
  • Kentucky County Fair Schedules – This link provides schedules for County Fairs within Kentucky as well as many other local festivals – Kentucky County Fairs