Independence Day parade, Fort Thomas. Agritourism Kentucky Department onthly of Agriculture M James R. Comer, Commissioner Office of Marketing, Division of Agritourism Dr. Amelia Brown Wilson, Director Photo courtesy Mark Collier, FortThomasMatters.com, an online news source for Fort Thomas and the surrounding areas of northern Kentucky. (502) 782-4136 • [email protected] Follow publisher and editor Mark Collier on Facebook or Twitter, @FtThomasMatters or @MLorenCollier. July 2015 Wineries, farmers’ markets ... KCARD answers agritourism management questions By Jim Trammel - JT photo States Department of KCARD wants to help if your winery or farmers’ Agriculture, said Aleta market … Botts, KCARD executive • is ready to incorporate and you want to do so director. legally and correctly; It is equipped to • is ready to launch except that you lack stated provide any business goals, or you don’t have a written business plan; services a business needs, including making a • is growing and needs to accommodate the business plan, assessing rising challenges; and beginning marketing • is facing problems or dissent that call for Kati Miller efforts, setting up record- experienced expert mediation; keeping, or discussing the • is seeking available grant funding (even if you feasibility of a project or business idea. don’t know precisely what you’re seeking or Specifically in the agritourism area, KCARD what you may qualify for); or reported that during its April 2015 meeting it provided • is ready to expand and needs funds for business planning support to a winery, a value-added promotion. vegetable producer, and farmers’ markets seeking to incorporate. The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD) assists agricultural Incorporation is a frequent issue KCARD producers, agribusinesses, non-profit organizations, addresses with farmers’ markets, said Kati Miller, and local governments with business planning, market KCARD business planning associate. development, and technical assistance. Get them involved early KCARD is able to provide most of its services free of charge due to the financial support of the Kentucky Miller said the ideal moment to contact KCARD Agricultural Development Board and the United happens when a group of individuals first gets the idea to launch a farmers’ market. KCARD can help During May, KCARD staff furnished this assistance: with the sometimes-thorny issues of incorporation, • Business planning support to value-added dairy producers, a sorghum producer, and farmers’ markets seeking to incorporate; membership requirements, and market rules. • Record-keeping assistance to a commercial kitchen and a KCARD brings to the table much experience value-added vegetable producer; in assisting farmers’ markets, enough to realize that • Application development to the Local Food and Farmers’ Market Promotion Program for funding for several clients; and “Every farmers’ market is different – there is no • Presentation on the Value-Added Producer Grant at the cookie-cutter way to go about it,” Miller said. Even Kentucky State University VAPG Workshop. so, there are some standard hoops such as articles of -- KCARD e-newsletter (see KCARD, page 6) Agritourism Monthly • July 2015 • 1 Meet Agritourism summer intern Brooke Marquardt Brooke Marquardt of Lawrenceburg did not grow up in an agricultural environment, but lately her career interests have turned toward “how agriculture can impact our society,” said the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Division of Agritourism’s summer intern. A sophomore at the University of Kentucky, Brooke is earning a double major in Hospitality Management and Spanish Linguistics, with a minor in Latin American studies. Brooke and agriculture met because her first major (Human Nutrition) was in the College of Agriculture. She said she was surprised that though she “had never been on a farm or around anything related to agriculture,” she was actually in the College of Agriculture. After she changed from the nutrition major, she looked into other majors that related to her career interests reflecting that she now preferred the College of Agriculture. “I have always had a passion for serving people, and over the past few years I have spent Brooke on last summer’s internship in Honduras. multiple weeks and months in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, working with Sparrow Missions,” Brooke said. Last summer, she spent an internship in that Central American country. “Not only do I have a passion for serving people in other countries, but also I have a passion for serving the people in my home state and community,” she said. This interest has led Brooke to become a major in Hospitality Management and Tourism. Brooke graduated in 2014 from Anderson County High School as a member of Family Career and Community Leaders of America, the National Honor Society, and Beta Club, where she was community service leader. “I am more than excited to be working with KDA and the Division of Agritourism over the summer to be able to experience what I will be doing when I graduate college and how the farm tourism in Kentucky impacts small businesses and our economy,” Brooke said. Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer Brooke in blue. welcomes Brooke to the intern program. 2 • Agritourism Monthly • July 2015 Impressed Michigan writer treks the Bourbon Trail But, more importantly, you get some great history A bourbon tourist from Michigan advises of a unique bit of Americana — with stories of his favorites on the nine-stop Bourbon Kentucky’s first settlers in the 1700s making family Trail, his preferred host city, and how to businesses that started out in a back shed, the failed Prohibition Era, and the success of bourbon makers big cope with all those tastings. and small. By K. D. Norris Oh — and there are all those tastings. North central Kentucky is the My favorite stops, on a recent visit to the region, undisputed Bourbon Country were the Town Branch distillery in Lexington and USA. The state not only is the Bulleit in Louisville — both are small-batch, smaller- birthplace of bourbon, but it also scale operations with plenty of parking, friendly staff produces about 95 percent of the and generous sample pours. world’s supply. (“And the other five K. D. Norris Of course, some of the more rural distilleries percent is not very good,” sniffs Blogger, MLive.com should not be bypassed, if for nothing else than the Mike Mangeot, Kentucky tourism beautiful drive through horse country. The Woodford secretary.) Reserve location has the ambiance and amenities of a The Kentucky Distillers’ Association’s Kentucky great winery. Bourbon Trail tour gives visitors a first-hand look at But Jim Beam, however quality the bourbon, has the history and making of America’s liquor — not to a distillery that has a little of the feel of Disneyland, mention an opportunity to taste and compare well- including machine-automated tasting pours. known and lesser-known brands, in sampling rooms ranging from rustic historic buildings to modern And, for those experienced in wine tasting, there metal-and-glass beauties. are a few differences. As explained by one master of the pours, you can take a sip at room temperature and Get passport stamped “chew it” (swish it around your mouth); you can chill and water it down a little with ice; or “you can just John The tour is a nine-stop sojourn for those really into Wayne it.” bourbon, or maybe scavenger hunts, or simply road trips on scenic back roads. Bus tours also available Jim There are stops at big distilleries, such as One way to address the driving question is to stay Beam, Evan Williams Maker’s Mark, and and in Louisville or Lexington as your headquarters and there are stops at smaller, less famous names, such as sign up for available bus tours that allow for a day of Woodford Reserve, Town Branch and Bulleit. sampling before they “pour” you back into your hotel. There even is a Bourbon Trail passport to be Louisville’s North End Café, up Bardstown Road stamped, either an old-school paper one awaiting in the Highlands district, is a perfect place to get fueled rubber stamps from each distillery or a new-school up for a day of bourbon samples. Lexington also has its smartphone app in which the GPS locator provides the attractions, particularly the North Limestone Street stamp. (Believe me, it is much easier to take the app neighborhood. approach, just in case you don’t want to take a tour or tasting at every one of the distilleries.) One last bit of advice: Take a nutty or bready food snack along on the tasting tour. Distilleries only give By visiting all nine you little tastes of America’s liquor, but many stops distilleries, you get a offer tastings of multiple versions of aged and flavored T-shirt and an bourbons — and they all are 80 proof or more. optional photo of yourself in front of Photos and more: www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2015/04/post_35. a really big bottle html. Used by permission. Email the author: [email protected]. Shirt photo courtesy Kentucky Distillers’ Association & Kentucky of Evan Williams. Bourbon Trail. Agritourism Monthly • July 2015 • 3 Kentucky’s Bed & Breakfasts COUNTRY GIRL AT HEART FARM BED & BREAKFAST Munfordville By Jim Trammel In Hart County, where Amish buggies travel the road past her wraparound front porch, Darlene Ill has made a name for herself as the genial hostess and cook of Country Girl at Heart Farm Bed and Breakfast, up and running in Hart County for six years. The inn bears so much of Darlene’s personal stamp because Country Girl at Heart she personally selected the site, Farm Bed and Breakfast 6230 Priceville Road renovated a farm into a B&B (with Munfordville, KY 42765 (270) 531-5276 help from three adult daughters), bedandbreakfastkentucky.net At Heart Farm B&B website Photos courtesy Country Girl and does the cooking.