Farmers

HUSTONVILLE - A Casey County farmer is offering a $1,500 reward in hope it will help him regain possession of two Honda all-terrain vehicles he believes were stolen early Monday. Between 4 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday, an unknown person cut the electric fence at Eugene Ellis' Maxey Valley Road property, said Casey Sheriff Jerry Coffman. Ellis, a farmer in the Hustonville part of Casey County, reported that two ATVs worth $9,000 combined were stolen. One of the missing vehicles is a 2003 red Honda Rubicon 500 model; the other missing ATV is a 2005 yellow Honda Rancher 400 model.

The Bluegrass Heritage Museum and the Winchester Farmers Market are joining forces to host a showcase of life in Clark County in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The exhibition and demonstrations of Kentucky's early life is entitled “Growing Kentucky, Agricultural Exhibitions & Conversations.” “We wanted to present agriculture to the people of this town to show what it was like when people first arrived here,” said Debbie Barnes, president of the Winchester Farmers Market.

The indoor Boyle County Farmers  Market will continue to operate until the outdoor market opens in the Spring. We are located in the Professional Building on Main Street in Danville (next to Hilliard and Lyons). Hours are: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Stop in for fresh vegetables, baked goods, jams, jellies, sorghum, honey, frozen meats and more. Beginning Saturday, fresh French boulet (round, crusty rolls) will be available from Briar Knob Farm each Saturday.

Most Danville and Lancaster area farmers fared better than expected in 2012 and should have a very profitable 2013, according to Kentucky Agricultural Commissioner James Comer. “In this region of Kentucky, they suffered a mild drought but It wasn't anything like in western Kentucky,” he said. “The Paducah, Murray and Mayfield area suffered a severe drought and when it started raining in central Kentucky it still wasn't raining in western Kentucky.” But, despite weather challenges, 2012 was probably the most profitable year in history for all Kentucky tobacco farmers.

I wrote this column well before the stroke of midnight that will usher in 2013. Like many, I've been asked several times what my New Year's resolution is going to be, and like many, I'm sure if I thought long and hard enough, I could come up with a list that would easily fill this opinion page. But I'm not going to do that, because about a month or two into 2013, odds are I would have forgotten what they were. Instead, I'm doing a retrospect of 2012. I've come up with a brief list of stories I enjoyed working on - this is a brief list; I spent all of five minutes looking through back issues.

Good news! The indoor Boyle County Farmers Market will continue to operate until the outdoor market opens in the spring. The indoor Boyle County Farmers Market will be set up  in the Professional Building on Main Street, next to Hilliard and Lyons. We are open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday through Dec. 29. Stop in for fresh vegetables, baked goods, jams, jellies, sorghum, honey, frozen meats and more. EBT and Debit services available. Many thanks to our community of friends and neighbors who support our market.

Jack Farmer, 81, of Crab Orchard, died Wednesday, Dec. 19, in Somerset.  Born May 6, 1931, in Stanford, Jack was a son of the late Junior and Mary Middleton Farmer. He was a farmer and a factory worker.   He was also preceded in death by brothers, Bobby Lawrence, J.C. and W.D. Farmer. Survivors include three nephews, James L. (Dayle), Mike and Bill (Lynn) Farmer; three nieces, Linda Sue Thomas, Tina (Dave) Warren and Melissa (Ottie) Carter; and 10 great nieces and nephews.  Funeral services were Dec. 22, at Spurlin Funeral Home with Rev. Harold McLaren officiating.

The Boyle County Farmers Market will hold its fourth annual Christmas sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the fairgrounds on the Danville bypass.   Come visit us at the brown metal building located just behind our usual market area. There will be lots of great gifts, gift baskets, fresh greenery and baked goods, just to name a few. See below for a listing of some of the great things you will find. Briar Knob Farm: sourdough sweet breads, sourdough bread and rolls, pumpkin bread, cheddar cheese rolls and granola.

Now that colder weather has arrived, the Boyle County Farmers Market is moving indoors to 326 W. Main St. “We were finding that once the market closes, you still have the stuff, but no place to sell it,” said Joyce Taylor, one of the market managers who also sells items under the name of her farm, Knob View. When the opportunity came to transition indoors, the group grabbed the chance. Sellers say they love what the new location offers them, because they now no longer have to worry about the weather outside.

STANFORD - The Lincoln County Farmers Market has been awarded $33,255 in grant money to install a permanent structure for its operations. Farmers Market Treasurer Steven Hoeck said the plan is to use the state and local funds from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund to construct a building at First Southern Veterans Park in Stanford. “We're excited,” Hoeck said. “It brings a much better place for local farmers to be able to sell their produce.” The farmers market currently sells by the roadside near the intersection of Somerset Street and U.S. 27. Hoeck said the county site the market currently uses has been declared surplus and will be sold off. The goal is to get the new permanent structure built in time to use it when the market opens again next year, possibly in June.