Progress 04/15/21 to 04/14/25
Outputs
Target Audience:Socially disadvantaged, small and limited resource farmers growing fruit and vegetables conventionally or organically who are looking for information on COVID-19, GAPs, and FSMA policies and the impact on commercial processing and available facilities for producing new value-added products. Changes/Problems:A significant change in the project was the replacement of the originally proposed tilt skilletwith a blast chillerA written request was submitted to justify the change due to the rising costsof the skillet and its limited usefulnessfor participating farmers. Stakeholder feedback indicated stronger interest in and better compatibility with a blast chiller, which offered more practical, immediate benefits. The blast chiller has allowed for faster cooling and preservation of fresh products--such as 75 pounds of pawpaw, 400 pounds of peppers,and 100pounds of elderberries--resulting in reduced waste and improved product quality. It also supported expanded processing capabilities through freeze-drying, including applications shared in our collaboration with CANE, where preservation and food access were key goals. Aside from this equipment adjustment, no major problems were encountered. The project remained flexible, adding new trainings, student projects, and outreach events to meet evolving needs and strengthen community impact. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided extensive opportunities for training and professional development for producers, students, and community partners. Over 300 producers and food entrepreneurs participated in targeted food safety and value-added product development trainings, including GAP, FSMA, PSA Grower Training (120 producers), HACCP (10 producers), Better Process Control School (10 producers), and Preventive Controls for Human Foods training (10 producers). Additionally, workshops and demonstrations were offered on produce handling, packaging, safe processing, and compliance with marketing regulations. Specialized workshops covered diverse value-added products such as kombucha, hot sauces, pickled vegetables, soap, lotion, tallow, and bakery goods, including hands-on training at 525 Kitchen using commercial equipment like mixers and temperature monitoring tools. Classes also included topics like healthy granola and wraps, chia pudding, pawpaw vinaigrette (in collaboration with FoodChain), and pawpaw gochujang taught by a Korean master. Sorghum pressing demonstrations and nutritional education were also provided as professional learning experiences. Students benefited from rich undergraduate research opportunities, working on product development and consumer testing for items like kombucha, hot sauce, sourdough, kimchi, and sauerkraut with international flavor profiles. These experiences enhanced their critical thinking, leadership, and technical skills. Finally, the partnership with CANE in Letcher County expanded professional development at the community level by supporting freeze-dried product development, emergency preparedness food solutions, and a diabetic meal program, all while strengthening local agricultural markets and increasing processing capacity through training on new equipment. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project's results and resources have been actively disseminated through a variety of accessible and community-focused formats to ensure broad impact across Kentucky's agricultural and food systems communities. Key dissemination methods included in-person workshops, regional and statewide conferences, digital resources, and printed educational materials. Training outcomes and product development work were shared through commercial processing workshops held at KSU, as well as presentations and demonstrations at several major outreach events, including the Eastern Kentucky Farmer Conference, Whitley County Workshop Series, OAK Conference, KSU Pawpaw Field Days, the Third Thursday Sustainable Agriculture Workshop Series, Black Farmer's Conference, and the KSU Small and Minority Farmers Conference. These events provided critical spaces to engage producers, food entrepreneurs, students, and partners in applied learning and shared results from the project's recipe development, safety trainings, and equipment demonstrations. To extend the reach beyond in-person events, the team developed value-added, canning, and homesteading educational videos, which were uploaded to the KSU YouTube channel and shared through the university's website and partner networks. These videos serve as ongoing, on-demand training tools for producers unable to attend in person. In collaboration with statewide partners, a flow-chart style informational flyer was developed to clarify processing rules in Kentucky, guiding producers on the appropriate regulatory steps depending on their product type. This has been a widely requested tool, especially among new and small-scale producers navigating value-added food production. Together, these efforts ensured that the knowledge, tools, and innovations from the project reached a wide range of communities, enhancing professional development, business readiness, and food system resilience across the state. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Under Objective 1, the project delivered a comprehensive range of in-person and online trainings focused on produce safety, packaging, and compliance with GAPs, FSMA, and COVID-related protocols. Highlights included training 20 participants from the Urban Agriculture group in proper washing and packing techniques, hosting a Third Thursday workshop with 150 attendees on food safety and marketing regulations which can be viewed online, and organizing a field day in Louisville in collaboration with NRCS. Additionally, the grant funded participation for 120 producers in PSA Grower Training along with one Lead trainer training, and supported 10 farmers each in attending the Better Process Control School, Preventive Controls for Human Foods Workshop, and HACCP training. These efforts strengthened food safety knowledge and regulatory compliance among producers and enhanced overall preparedness for value-added production. Under Objective 2, the project focused on assisting producers with recipe development, label approval, and safe product sampling within post-COVID limitations. KSU supported the creation and refinement of a wide variety of recipes including hot pepper honey, honey seed bars, seed crackers, elderberry syrup kits candied pecans with local honey, butternut squash smoothie pops, beet soup, beet hummus, and natural food dyes made from freeze-dried beets and peas. The team provided hands-on assistance to producers at 525 Kitchen in preparing products for sale, supporting label approval for three tenants, and helping them become Kentucky Proud certified. Hot sauce taste testing with 30 students offered direct consumer feedback, while additional trials included strawberry hot sauces, pawpaw vinaigrette, and pawpaw gochujang. Sorghum processing demonstrations led by two farmers using KSU's equipment also showcased opportunities for value-added heritage products. Additionally, through a strategic collaboration with CANE in Letcher County, the freeze dryer was used to transform surplus fruits and vegetables from 30-35 local farmers into nutritious, shelf-stable products for seniors and diabetic clients. This initiative also supported new recipe development, including a freeze-dried spice line, while reducing food waste, supporting local agriculture, and enhancing community food access. These efforts helped producers move toward market-ready products while navigating regulatory and public health considerations.These efforts helped producers move toward market-ready products while navigating regulatory and public health considerations. Under Objective 3, the project provided hands-on workshops and training sessions focused on a wide range of emerging value-added products, including kombucha, hot sauces, pickled items, tallow, confections, and bakery goods. Trainings included two pepper processing workshops, kombucha brewing sessions, and demonstrations on hot sauce bottling, distilled oils, pickling, soap and lotion making, and tallow compliance. A dedicated class with 30 students focused on healthy food preparation, including healthy granola, nut-free granola, veggie and nut butter wraps, and chia seed pudding, introducing foundational concepts in nutrition and value-added product development. Additional specialized sessions included a pawpaw vinaigrette class in collaboration with FoodChain and a class led by a Korean gochujang master focused on developing and preparing pawpaw gochujang, blending cultural culinary techniques with regional fruit innovation, blending cultural culinary techniques with regional fruit innovation. Participants also received instruction on commercial kitchen equipment such as mixers and temperature monitoring tools. The 525 Kitchen hosted value-added product workshops for small food entrepreneurs, including 11 current participants.In collaboration with students, experimental products were developed and tested, including 6 kombucha variations, 24 hot sauces using bell and habanero peppers, a sourdough recipe with pawpaw, and 2 strawberry hot sauces. These student-led projects included consumer surveys comparing their creations to KSU's experimental hot sauce. Additionally, the partnership with CANE in Letcher County significantly expanded value-added processing capacity through the strategic use of a new freeze dryer. CANE developed freeze-dried snacks and spice blends using local surplus produce, reduced food waste, and supported over 30 local farmers while launching new product lines and strengthening the local food system. These combined efforts empowered both students and producers to innovate, test, and scale up new food products with market potential. Under Objective 4, the project enhanced the KSU Fruit and Vegetable Mobile Processing Unit by providing key equipment upgrades to improve processing capacity and product quality. New additions included a bottle filler for hot sauce, tallow, honey, and kombucha products, as well as a dehydrator, blast chiller, and freeze dryer. We also added a steam-jacketed kettle to help with producing a variety of jam including pawpaw fruit jam. These upgrades enabled processing of diverse products such as 75 pounds of pawpaw, 400 pounds of a variety of peppers,100pounds of elderberries, and freeze-dried elderberries, beets, and peas. Additionally, small kitchen equipment such as cold storage, blenders, robocoupes, dehydrators, were purchased to support recipe and product development.Training and demonstrations on the use and maintenance of the new equipment were conducted to ensure effective utilization. These enhancements significantly expanded the KSU's ability to support producers in value-added product development and processing both on-site and in the community. Under Objective 5, the project created meaningful undergraduate research and practicum opportunities focused on value-added product development. Students engaged in hands-on research projects including the development of six kombucha variations using different bases and additives, 24 hot sauces featuring various combinations of bell peppers and habaneros, two strawberry hot sauces, and a pawpaw sourdough bread. They also collaborated on a consumer feedback study comparing a student-developed hot sauce to KSU's experimental version using taste surveys. In addition, students explored fermentation science through two kimchi projects using ingredients indigenous to the United States and a sauerkraut project involving 10 students who experimented with different spice levels inspired by international flavor profiles. These experiences strengthened students' skills in critical thinking, leadership, product formulation, and data collection. A grant proposal is also underway in collaboration with the University of Kentucky's RICH Heart Program and KSU's Collaboration with CANE kitchen, which, if funded, will offer further practicum opportunities for 1-2 students to assist with participant recruitment, data collection, and collaboration with nursing students on physical health assessments. These efforts support academic growth while connecting students to real-world applications in food systems, health, and agriculture. Under these goals we30 farmers attended workshops, 120 producers attended trainings, 161 participants in workshops, 20 food handlers trainings, labels approved for 3 producers, recipe development with 30-35 local farmers, 4 processing demonstrations, taste testing for 30 students, 45 student research projects. Purchase of new processing equipment allowed for 575 pounds of value added products
Publications
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Progress 04/15/23 to 04/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Socially disadvantaged, small and limited resource farmers growing fruit and vegetables conventionally or organically whoare looking for information on COVID-19, GAPs, FSMA and value-added policies and the impact on commercial processing and availablefacilities for producing new value-added products. Changes/Problems: Problems this past year included: 1. Difficulty purchasing equipment due to purchasing protocols and rarity of the specialty equipment required. Change in equipment needs and difficulty installing purchased equipment. 2. Hiring students interested in value-added processing that could help implement protocols for products and stakeholder Surveys 3. Ensuring the fruit and vegetable mobile processing unit remains compliant with current health codes through regular maintenance What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PI and Extension associate attended the Preventative Controls for Human Foods training to gain knowledge on the new FSMA mandated rules. Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) grower training attended by 2 extension associates Food manager training sessions were conducted for the Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PIs, and several extension personnel whose job responsibilities relate to the capacity-building grant. This training was essential to ensure compliance with Kentucky's food safety and product safety regulations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Commercial processing workshops at KSU, OAK conference, Whitley Co workshop series, and seminars at the Eastern Kentucky Farmer Conference, KSU Field Days, Third Thursday Sustainable Workshop series, and the KSU Small and Minority Farmers Conference; 2) Development of value-added, canning, and homesteading products, YouTube videos for the KSU website 3) Collaborative flow-chart informational flyer on processing rules in Kentucky- Product dependent What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Host Better Processing Control School Collaborate with KDA to co-host the PSA grower training Develop flow charts for the Three types of processing in KY ( Commercial, Home-based and Home-based-micro processing) Host Canning/Value-added product development classes throughout the State with collaborators. Conduct tasting surveys of value-added products Create 3 Value-added recipe cards for use by stakeholders Obtain needed equipment for value-added product development
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1; Six workshops offered onhandling of produce and packaging, as well as value- added product development. ProduceSafety Grower trainings for 13 farmers from urban farms in Kentucky. Preventative Controls for Human Foods training attended by producers seeking to comply with new FSMA mandated rules.Two presentations to students regarding the processing rules and regulations applicable in Kentucky.Forty Students and producers participating in the collaborative project attended trainings and obtained certificates in food handling and food management. One workshop focusing on safety protocols and regulations for processing fermented foods, held in collaboration with CANE kitchen (more planned in 2024). Goal 2; Collaborated with Three farmers to develop HACCP plans for product development and label reviews by FDA and the State Health department. Four surveys devised to facilitate taste testing of novel recipes for various products. New product development of frittata bites and veggie pinwheels offered at local farmers market events. Paw Paw jam variety and new soft-serve ice cream developed in partnership with the Letcher co farmers market and CANE kitchen. Goal 3; Demonstrations on freeze-dried and blast-chilled fruits and vegetables, various granolas, cheese, hot sauces, kombucha, kimchi, vinegars and sauerkraut held during this reporting period. A showcase and talk about the development of products and ensuring food safety when storing canned and homemade processed foods. Goal 4:A steam Jacket Kettle was ordered and received for this project. Installation has stalled due to electrician availability. The initially requested tilt skillet has been discontinued, prompting a change in equipment needs.A blast chiller appears to be more essential for small, limited-resource, and minority farmers in Kentucky. Upon approval for this change in equipment, we will collaborate with CANE kitchen to provide trainings and support for product development.Additionally, some small value-added processing equipment was purchased to help support recipe and product development such as blenders, freezers, robot coupe, dehydrators and bottling equipment. Goal 5; Eleven students participated in food safety trainings. Each student developed a research question and devised methods to assess their findings. These included; investigating the impact of different salt concentrations on fermentation, experimenting with sweetening products at various stages of development to influence flavor, exploring the use of different sweeteners and assessing resulting flavor profiles. Also, testing the fermentation of different fruits with peppers to produce distinctive hot sauces, using various teas in kombucha production to evaluate flavor profiles, blending peppers with different heat levels to achieve a balanced spiciness in sauces, crafting flavored hydromels to assess market potential, and creating kimchis using ingredients indigenous to the United States.
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Progress 04/15/22 to 04/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Socially disadvantaged, small and limited resource farmers growing fruit and vegetables conventionally or organically who are looking for information on COVID-19, GAPs, and FSMA policies and the impact on commercial processing and available facilities for producing new value-added products Changes/Problems:Problems this past year included: 1. Dificulty purchasing equipment due to purchasing protocols and rarity of the speciality equipment required as well as costs increases of equipment 2. Understanding Policy changes for Home-based, Home-based Micro based and commercial processing in KY. 3. Developing a commercial kitchen guideline document fordistribution. Currently due to legislation in KY this can change from county to county and city to city even though commercial kitchens are goverened by the FDA. 4.Hiring students intrested in value-added procassing that could help implement protocols for products and stakeholder surveys What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PI and extension associate in this grant are mentoring farmers and students interested in commercial processing of value-added products. Participation in the local food Summit increased knowledge for three individuals associated with this grant and several stakeholders (over 300 in attendance). The Better Processing Control school, Hazard Analysis Critcal control points training, Farmer's Market training Seminar, Fruit and Vegetable confernce, Eastern Ky Farmer Conference, and fermented food conferences were also professional development workshops attended. (Nelson, Behrends) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information about this project and trainings were distributed and presented on at the Third Thursday Sustainable Workshop series, the KSU Small and Minority Farmers Conference (Campus, East and West) , and at The Black Farmer Confernce; 2) Development of value-added YouTube videos for the KSU website; What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1.Obtain equipment outlined in the grant. 2. Host Human Controls training 3. Create at least 3 value-added products with recipes for use by stakeholders 4. Create undergraduate research and practicum opportunities on value-added products 5. Host Better-procesing control School, Third-party GAP audit and PSA trainings 6. Develop fact sheets on Value-added processing in KY 7. Conduct tasting of value-added products under COVID and Smaping regulations currently in place 8. Work with local officials and local food coordinators to help develop a plan that will help standardize rules and regulations across KY for value-added product development
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this reporting period we have been able to work individually with 17 stakeholders to develop a safe legal product to take to Farmers Markets and sell at other venues in the state. Wehave hosted several training with over 600 stakeholders on the rules and regulations behind value-added producst. We have discovered specific GAPs in the food chain and processing that need serious attention for some of our small limited resource producersto move forward through the product development phase. We have worked with 7 students to develop value-added and fermented products that could potentially hit the market in the coming months. We have hosted nutritional demonstrations on healthy and local foods all over the state. 1. Under this goal we haveHosted Better processing control school for 23 stakeholders at the Harold R Benson Research farm (April), Farmers market Third Thursday with 54 Stakeholders and covered rules and regulations as it pertains to samplng and selling value-added products in KY(April). Hosted a HACCP training for 27 stakeholders on KSU campus (May),Three workshops were offered on Value-added processing, Two Produce Safety Grower trainings explaining FSMA rules and regulations,A tract for Farmers markets rules and regulations was offered during the 2022 Small farmer, limited resource and minority conference held in person by KSU with over 200 in attendance. A commercial processing and food storage video was created for a women in Ag program and is hosted on You Tube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JpDBAF4ldo). Announcments to stakeholders about the Extension Approaches To Support Socially Disadvantaged Farmers And Producers In Gap And Fisma Challenges In the Covid Era Plans were made at 17 workshops and conferences across the state to help bring in stakeholders. (Nelson, Tope, CrabtreePomper) 2. After several meetings with one stakeholder, we were able to work with KDA to develop a HACCP plan, SSOP's and SOP's for a sauerkraut product. This process is ongoing as we help him negotiate the path through local rules and regulations of selling this product. 15 meetings in KSU's Sustainability litchen and fruit and vegetable processing units were held with individual stakeholders to discuss rules and regulations for specificproduct development, recipe approvals, and label requirments. These products include but are not limited to: Sauerkraut, Personal Hygeine products, cakes, frostings, cookies, granola, jams, jellies, hot sauce, pre-packaged meals, freeze dried products, and one simple syrup. (Nelson, Behrends (extension associate)) 3. During this reporting period 18 demonstrations were held on KSU's campus, at the Harold R Benson research farm andat various locations around the state with the help of the mobile unit. These included granola, hot sauces, beverages such as Kombucha and ciders, kimchi, sour dough, cheeses, and yogurt. We are working through the development phases for a smoothie recipe and a new hot sauce recipe. ( Nelso, Behrends, Pomper, Tope) 4.A steam Jacket Kettle was identified for this project and is on order and is in the instalation process. The tilt Skillet is still in process due to current costs rising, electrical requirments,and budget adjustments are needed to acquire the tilt skillet. 5. Student projects include fermented beverage, kimchi, Meade, hot sauce, and sauerkraut. These projects will be presented at the end of May.
Publications
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