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November 5, 2009

By GINA KINSLOW The Glasgow Daily Times Thu Nov 05, 2009, 01:20 PM CST

Natalie Allison was among a group of 20 people who toured southcentral Kentucky farms Wednesday as part of the 10th annual Kentucky Women in Agriculture Conference.

The tour allows people like Allison, who operates an agritourism business, Amazing Acres, in Christian County, to witness what others are doing in agritourism.

“I like going to the other farms to see what they do. You can take something from them and apply it to your farm,” she said.

Allison is also a wildlife rehabilitator, caring for raccoons, bobcats, skunks and deer on her farm.

The tour group visited Ken and Beverly Mattingly’s farm in the Austin community of Barren County to learn how Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese is made, before stopping for lunch at Barren River Lake State Resort Park.

At the state park the group listened to Chef Michael Wells talk about how Kentucky Proud products are used in preparing food for the Driftwood Restaurant.

“In the culinary world we are going back to a self-sustaining society. We are keeping it within in our own geography. We are using more fresh produce from local farmers,” Wells said. “Everything from tomatoes, lettuces, green peppers, just the whole gambit.”

In addition to local produce, Wells buys meats from Kentucky bison and buffalo producers, as well as cheese from the Mattinglys, coffee from Bluegrass Coffee, country ham and pastries.

“It’s better quality. It’s fresher,” he said. “It’s a growing trend among chefs. I’ve talked to chefs in Louisville and Bowling Green and they are all heading in this direction.”

The number of Kentucky Proud products Wells uses in the state park’s kitchen is somewhat limited.

“One of the issues with chefs right now is that Kentucky Proud products are a little more expensive than what is available on a larger market. So, to make a profit we are struggling a little bit with that,” he said. “I have to find the right application to use the product.”

He used Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese as an example to the cost difference between a Kentucky Proud product versus one purchased on a larger market.

“Kenny’s Cheese for instance. I can take a slice of cheese and put it on a sandwich and it will cost me maybe 10 to 15 cents as opposed to maybe 7 cents with a different vendor,” he said. “I can justify that cost in the sandwich. If I were to use this cheese to make a cheese display for a wedding, they couldn’t afford it. Because it’s like $7 per pound versus $2 to $3 per pound.”

Wells also answered questions from the group, which ranged from the use of Kentucky beef to his opinion on the federal food safety bill.

The group also visited farms in Allen, Edmonson and Warren counties as part of the tour.

The conference features farm tours each year, and Sharon Bale, an Extension specialist with the University of Kentucky, said they try to visit different types of farms.

“We try to do something around the local area to expose people to different things,” she said. “You never know when you’re going to learn something, even if it’s not related to your particular business, what you’re going to learn that you can apply to your business.”

One year the tour group visited the Berea Artisan Center to see how Kentucky Proud items, such as pottery, are made. Another time they toured Three Toads Farms where the husband grew lilies and the wife made jams and jellies.

The conference continues today in Bowling Green at the Holiday Inn — University Plaza.

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