Agritourism Monthly - Kentucky Farms Are Fun€¦ · application of computer graphics to commercial...

Story and photos by Chris Aldridge

A small winery in the middle of Kentucky produces the official wine of a Hollywood film festival 26 miles off the Los Angeles coast because of a chance meeting on a plane between the vineyard’s publicist and the festival chairman.

For the fourth straight year, Horseshoe Bend Vineyard and Winery, Willisburg, provided the official wines of the recently concluded Catalina Film Festival (www.catalinafilm.org) on Santa Catalina Island in late September, said Horseshoe Bend’s Greg Karsner.

The festival leader “loves our attitude, our moxie. We made a couple of special labels for them,” Greg said.

This year’s festival ran four days ending Sept.

Greg Karsner at Horseshoe Bend Vineyard and Winery in Washington County. Karsner has been active in the family business for seven years.

Kentucky Department

of AgricultureJames R. Comer, CommissionerA MANAGEMENT BULLETIN FOR THE KENTUCKY AGRITOURISM INDUSTRY

October 2014 • KDA Office of Marketing • Division of Agritourism • Amelia Brown Wilson, Director • (502) 782-4136 • [email protected]

Cheese, wine, and good luckWe all praise carefully crafted marketing decisions, but sometimes it just all falls into your lap. Here are two stories of good luck that recently came to two Kentucky agritourism operators,

presented with our hopes that your business will be the next to benefit.

Web search lands Lexington cheese makerInternet feature and N.Y. Times exposure

Horseshoe Bend wines poured exclusivelyat major California motion picture festival

Story and photos by Jim Trammel

We all agree that the worst fate that can befall a business is failure. The second most dire might be over-abundant success.

Ed Puterbaugh of Lexington, who lays claim to the status of Kentucky’s senior craft cheese maker, operates Boone Creek Creamery with five employees. Every day he starts the 90-day production cycle for only 42 pounds of cheese. He could sell much more, but how to fulfill the contracts?

“Costco wanted every ounce we could make – I

The six blocks of cheese in the press behind Ed will take one day to produce and 90 days to properly age. With a total daily output of only 42 pounds of his highly-sought-after specialty cheeses, he faces several market-prediction challenges as well as time-management constraints in pursuit of business success and development.

(see CHEESE, page 2)

(see WINE, page 4)

MonthlyAgritourism

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2 • Agritourism Monthly • October 2014

CHEESE ... from page 1

had to turn them down,” Ed said. Same answer for Trader Joe’s and Earth Fair.

One of his most daunting obligations is fulfilling the needs of the University of Kentucky, which is under mandate to use a certain percentage of local foods on campus.

Solitary vs. public duties

Ed has to develop customers, do marketing research, and conduct public relations events such as school tours while adding his personal touch to the

The cheese on thebottom shelf in Ed’s

cooled and darkenedstorage room is “Sassy

Redhead,” a spicy OldEnglish cheddar with

whole peppercornsand red pepper flakes,

dusted with red paprikaon top. On the shelves

above are his KentuckyDerby cheese (Derby in this case referring

to Derbyshire, England, where

this type of cheeseoriginated) and the

ever-popular gruyere.

day’s production. Ed believes each wheel of cheese reflects the personal care and attention of the cheese maker, so he won’t stint on that process.

The company relocated to larger quarters a month ago to handle the foreseen expansion, but that brings commitments of its own. The new facility will house a sampling room and a demonstration area where visitors can watch from the other side of an observation window as cheese is made.

To make visiting the plant more appealing than just taking a tour of a stainless-steel factory, the planned restaurant will be decorated as a Tuscan patio. Children visiting will surely note, remember, and talk

about the Hobbit’s Cave that is being decked out especially for them.

“It’s indirect marketing,” Ed said. “They’ll go back home and talk it up.”

Assistance from KDA

Ed has been making cheese for several years now. Cheese making for Ed was a nearly perfect convergence of two prior careers, as a microbiologist and a 1990s graphic artist pioneering the application of computer graphics to commercial printing.

Ed remembers petitioning the Kentucky Department of Agriculture for permission to operate as an artisan cheese maker. At first, KDA didn’t know how to deal with a small operation, Ed said, but the necessary licenses eventually came about, and his newest career was under way.

Ed’s cheeses take 90 days to age, so he has to predict his market three months in advance. “We’ll always make gruyere – you can never have enough gruyere,” he says. His very popular Sassy Redhead, infused with a rare degree of spicy flavors, is another hot seller. Ed must read his markets and make educated guesses about who will buy what.

Boone Creek Creamery www.boonecreekcreamery.com 2416 Palumbo Drive, Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 402-2364 Email: [email protected] www.boonecreekcreamery.comFor more about gift cheese baskets and the classes in cheese making Ed teaches.

Watch the Boone Creek Creamery film:

http://locallycrafted.tumblr.com/post/97241715555/watch-scientist-turned-

artisan-finds-cheese-at

Agritourism Monthly • October 2014 • 3

Ed says the key to management efficiency is putting “absolutely everything” into accessible database formats via spreadsheets. These posted lists are for Ed and his employees to track what products are in stock, the details of its production, and when it is ready to go out.

National notice

The stakes riding on those guesses has been accelerated recently by a stroke of purest luck: The New York advertising agency for Windstream Communications selected his business as one of eight handcrafting artisans to be featured in high-quality, wide-release Internet videos.

Windstream, based in Little Rock, Arkansas, provides broadband Internet and telephone landlines in smaller cities and rural areas, including Lexington.

The video series, backed up by a Tumblr page, “Locally Crafted,” highlights low-tech hands-on creative pursuits in the areas Windstream serves.

No backstage angling positioned Boone Creek Creamery for Windstream’s favor – the agency found Ed’s company through Internet searching. “It was just a stroke of luck,” Ed said.

Another lucky break followed: The New York Times featured the marketing approach of the Windstream video series as Ed’s was released in early September. Ed’s video is fourth in a planned series of eight.

How to get things done

All that good fortune serves to turns up the pressure on Ed’s time management. Ed advises agritourism operators facing similar challenges to gather and organize data. “We are hyper-organized,” Ed said. “I spreadsheet absolutely everything.”

The company must always track how much of which product is in what stage of production, aging, and stockpiling. Knowing which cheeses sell best in which areas leads to more efficient marketing. “Hyde Park farmers’ market in Cincinnati buys more of certain cheeses than other places,” Ed says as a for-instance.

Solving the challenge of increasing production must precede finding new customers. “If you accept a contract from a restaurant or store, you had better be able to fulfill it, or they’ll close a door you’ll never open again,” Ed cautioned.

Developing new customers

Marketing overlaps with customer development as Ed and his employees work area farmers’ markets. Selling at Hyde Park and Findlay Market in Cincinnati not only drew new customers but also helped his cheeses catch the attention of area restaurants and of Kroger and Jungle Jim supermarkets.

Cheese baskets sold online for the upcoming holiday season will also add to the press of business, as well as the classroom cheese making sessions for which Boone Creek sells gift certificates on its website.

Ed also develops customers with in-house tours. He has a special affinity for school tour groups because cheesemaking fits so many curricula so well. “A French teacher from Sayre School [in Lexington] prepared her class for the trip by talking about French cheeses and the concept of ‘terroir,’ which means the natural balance of flora and fauna in the area where cheese is made, a balance that affects its character.” Cheeses can similarly serve as a tactile, practical illustration of concepts in geography, biology, and physics.

Finally, the solution to the problem of how to get things done is to find enough energy and motivation to do them. Ed seems equal to that demand: Though he says he hasn’t had a day off in three months, he sounds more proud than wearied when he says it.


WINE ... from page 128. One red and one white from Horseshoe Bend was presented to each award winner in 10 categories.

Also, “the only wine poured [was] our labels,” Greg said. Greg shipped 40 cases to Catalina to supply all the festival’s galas, parties, and celebrity cruises.

The European influence

Horseshoe Bend makes European-influenced dry wines. Founders Ann and Bob Karsner, Greg’s parents, lived in the Netherlands for 25 years, absorbing European winemaking style.

Their grapes are fed by an underground spring. Horseshoe Bend took its name from a creek that forms a horseshoe border around the hilltop vineyards and winery, and also to salute the equine connection to Kentucky, Greg said.

Centrally located between the state’s two largest cities - 40 minutes from Lexington and 50 minutes from Louisville - Greg still finds a challenge in “trying

to get people out here,” he said. The winery occupies more than 120 acres on

narrow Lawson Lane, a one-lane road that transitions from pavement to gravel. “It can be a little bit daunting, especially at night,” Greg said.

Ann makes most of the wine and keeps the books, Bob tends the grapes and also has a hand in the winemaking, and Greg is a jack of all trades. “I do everything,” he said.

Graphic designs

Greg’s most noticeable contribution to the family business is designing unique labels. The most striking, “Kong’s Thong,“ features the famous big ape wearing an unlikely pink brief and holding the Horseshoe Bend logo, a court jester figure.

Horseshoe Bend wines are available in more than 60 restaurants and retail stores throughout Kentucky and Ohio, and at Chicago’s Hearty Boys restaurant.

Horseshoe Bend is part of the Kentucky Proud marketing promotion program. Greg likes buying local and supporting community businesses: “I can’t see a drawback.”

Kentucky grape and wine production now boasts more than 65 small-farm wineries and more than 113 grape producers growing 583 acres of grapes.

On the webHorseshoe Bend .... www.horseshoebend-ky.com

For more about Kentucky’s grape and wine industry and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Grape and Wine Program ..................www.kentuckywine.com

To find a Kentucky winery on the go, download the Kentucky Wine Trails app for iOS and Android devices.

www.kentuckyfarmsarefun.com

PROTECT YOURSELF!Durable plastic warning sign

spells out the law to your visitors on risks and responsibilities.

$300 EACH

Use order form on KFAF website

or in this newsletter 1.5 by 2 feet


The Devine’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch in Harrodsburg honors the United States Armed Forces by including the five military-branch emblems in this year’s maze design.

This will be the seventh year the Devines have opened their family farm in Mercer County for fall activities to guests from all across the state. The highlight of the visit for many is a trip through the 10-acre corn maze.

Maze designer Jason Devine said, “We have all had parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends who fought for the freedoms we enjoy. This year’s design honors all veterans and active-duty members of our Armed Forces with the emblems of our five branches of military:

Can you identify which branch of service is represented by each of the five insignia? (Answer inverted below)

Devine’s seventh corn maze honors U.S. Armed ForcesArmy, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.”

Previous maze designs have honored Kentucky and all of its counties, the World Equestrian Games logo, the Final Four® logo from 2011, the National Championship logo in 2012, and FFA and 4-H in 2013.

Devine’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch fall family fun includes hayrides to the pumpkin patch, bonfires, a petting area, hay maze, giant slide, cow train, tube swings, trike track, corn hopper, and zip lines.

Admission includes a pumpkin for everyone and all activities except zip lines. Devine’s activities run through Nov. 1, when it will become the “Field of Horror” for Halloween. - Devine’s press release

Green River Lake State Park and its supporting volunteers are honoring the 90th anniversary of the Kentucky State Parks system in its corn maze, open through October.

The maze, located near the park entrance, is inspired by the Kentucky State Parks logo.

Most of the work on the maze was donated, and the project is sponsored by the park and the Friends of Green River Lake.

There is no charge for admission, but the Friends group will accept donations from visitors.

Green River Lake State Park south of Campbellsville has a campground, boating and fishing on an 8,200-acre lake, and 25 miles of hiking and horseback trails. Call (270) 465-8255 for information. - Parks Dept. press release

Green River Lake maze notes 90th anniversary of Ky. state parks

(1) Marines; (2) Navy; (3) Army; (4) Air Force; (5) Coast Guard.


The Floyd County Farmers’ Market was voted Kentucky’s “most celebrated” farmers’ market, as it was last year, but this year by a much wider margin, in the “I Love My Farmers’ Market” promotion staged by American Farmland Trust. This year the market again led Kentucky in the voting, and made a huge upward move in the national rankings, from 23rd last year to fourth this year.

The market has shown considerable growth during its five-year existence, adding farmers, cooks and craft artists and bringing in over $48,000 during 20 sale dates last year.

The market was highlighted this summer by the Appalachian Regional Commission in “Bon Appétit Appalachia,” a showcase that can be viewed online at www.visitappalachia.com and in the Summer 2014 issue of Food Traveler Magazine.

Forty-seven food destinations in Kentucky were so honored by the ARC guide, part of an overall initiative to promote Appalachia’s local food economy.

-- Floyd County Times

Floyd County Farmers’ Market ranked strong nationally in “most loved” voting

For tickets, visit Tackett’s Furniture in Olive Hill, email [email protected], or call (859) 583-1495.

To learn more, visit www.ekfeat.com or www.olivehillhistoricalsociety.org

A deluxe day of immersion in the history and stories of Olive Hill is offered in the “Olive Hill Hidden Treasures” tour Thursday, Oct. 9.

The day-long bus tour adventure begins and ends at Carter Caves State Resort Park and takes participants to interesting places in the area, including a visit to Chestnut Hill Farm, John Hunt Morgan Bed & Breakfast, and Smokey Valley Farm.

Lunch at the historic depot in downtown Olive Hill will present area artisans, entertainment, the story of the Sesquicentennial Quilt, and a dedication of the “Appalachian Sunburst” quilt square to Olive Hill native Tom T. Hall.

The day ends with dinner and drama at the Olive Hill Center for Arts & Education,

featuring “Dining with the Past,” an original production in which Olive Hill history comes to life.

History may also come to life during the visit to the grave of William J. Fields, Kentucky’s 40th governor, who served from 1923 through 1927. Organizers seem to be preparing for “Honest Bill from Olive Hill” to reappear on this occasion to tell his story.

The event is sponsored by Olive Hill Historical Society, East Kentucky Foothills Eco-Agritourism (FEAT), Garden Gate Greenhouse, Tackett’s Furniture, and Olive Hill Trail Town.

Tickets to the day of events are $98.

Governor’s ghost may walk during Olive Hill history tour

Events help make the Floyd County Farmers’ Market special. The market and the Prestonsburg Convention and Visitors’ Bureau produced the city’s first “agri-tainment” event, the “Cornstock Music Festival,” during the market’s Sept. 13 session. The event featured homegrown food and 20 local singers and musicians.

phot

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B. D

avis


By Whitney CrumeOne of the best parts of Kentucky Proud is not

just the fresh produce, but the local people. Jeremy and Joanna Hinton and their three children embody a valued tradition of passing agriculture careers down through the generations.

Jeremy, a native of LaRue County, is the eighth generation to farm in the area. Joanna grew up in neighboring Marion County.

Hinton’s Orchard and Farm Market in 2002 was Tommy Bennett Orchard, part of a farm operated by Jeremy’s relatives. In 2006, the current farm was

purchased and renamed as it is today.

Over the next few years, Jeremy and Joanna added over 1,200 apple, peach and pear

trees to replace aging fruit trees. In addition, they planted raspberries, blackberries, and asparagus.

Today, Hinton’s presents farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, and you-pick experiences, with an accent on agriculture education. The Hintons, University of Kentucky graduates, are passionate about educating on agriculture through school tours and hosting events.

Groups spend a day picking strawberries, eating lunch under the pavilion, exploring the tire jungle, and playing on the old stationary tractor.

One of the unique characteristics of the orchard is the “Mini Market” housed in one of the two old grain bins which have been converted into play places.

HINTON’S ORCHARD & FARM MARKET 8631 Campbellsville RoadHodgenville, KY 42748 ● (270) 325-3854http://hintonsorchard.com

Children load up little shopping carts with imitation fruits and vegetables, and play store.

Shifting palate of flavors

Fall brings the Apple Fest and Pumpkin Fest, with visitors gathering fresh apples and pumpkins for all their fall festivities.

Hinton’s is a Kentucky Proud producer and Kentucky Farm Bureau Certified Roadside Farm Market. The open market features rows of fruit and vegetable baskets, shelves of fresh baked breads, and ice cream.

The ice cream flavors pace the changing seasons, with late-spring and early-summer strawberry flavors giving way to peach and caramel apple in the fall. One of the most interesting and delicious flavors is pumpkin-pie ice cream, a sure herald of autumn.

In 2008, the Hintons’ efforts were recognized when they received runner-up honors as KFB’s Outstanding Young Kentucky Farm Family.

Children too young for the corn maze run the Stick Maze, or take a safety-aware hayride.

Apples, and a slice of education: Hinton’s Orchard and Farm Market

Watch a Kentucky Farm Bureau “Bluegrass and Backroads”

profile of the Hintons at www.youtube.com/

watch?v=AmUd24a5LTA


By Carole Logsdon Executive Director, Meade County Chamber of Commerce

I remember trying to drive up to it the first several times and getting lost, knowing I was right on it but not there. Kevin and Rhonda Roberts welcome you to Roberts Family Farm, hidden away in the cedar groves and the farmlands of south-central Meade County, in the Guston community near Brandenburg.

Summer welcomes area visitors to six acres of plump, juicy blackberries, hanging heavy on well-tended vines. Forget all you know about thorns and standing in bushes at old fence rows beside the road. These are ready for you to approach leisurely and fill your basket.

Sparking memories

“Momma Roberts” greets you during the long summer days and leads you to the spot to start picking.

She patiently answers the barrage of questions, familiar to her from years of greeting visitors.

This is where I remembered the days as a young girl when I went with my dad and picked berries for fresh pies or jams made in Mom’s kitchen. I can still hear the quiet murmurings of voices in other locations and the sound of berries falling into nearby buckets. The Roberts family will ship every berry not picked by locals to a nearby winery. Some will end up on the judges’ tasting spoons, competing to be named among the best jams and jellies at state and county fairs.

Gearing up for fall

While blackberries are being harvested, preparations for the fall season were underway at full speed. While I picked blackberries for cobblers, Kevin and Rhonda were clearing pathways, trimming mums for bloom, and growing gourds, corn, and pumpkins. The Roberts family also grows seven varieties of fall melons and gourds for decoration.

They will can 2,000 jars of blackberry jam but will run out by mid-fall. The school visits are scheduled weeks in advance, and the farm comes alive with activity. School buses arrive and sack lunches are placed

My visit to Roberts Family Farm

ROBERTS FAMILY FARM125 Kennedy Road, Guston, KY 40142(270) 422-2361Email: [email protected]

Open through Oct. 31 Mon-Fri 5:30 pm-dark, Sat 1-10 pm, Sun 1 pm-dark


on the picnic tables under the pavilion behind the country store.

The stage is set. In preparation for the fall tourism season, the hands have been brought in; all family members familiar with their yearly jobs are ready. Operations began Sept. 15 and will continue through Nov. 1, daily until dark.

The canning is mostly done and pumpkins are being purchased. I say “mostly done” because Rhonda will can every last berry to ship, and for sale in the country store.

They have an acre of corn that is the canvas for an elaborate corn maze. Andy Mills graphs out the

Momma Rob has opened a bakery!

Rhonda and Kevin have another challenge these days: This fall season brought the Sept. 15 opening of Momma Rob’s Bakery in a separate building on the farm grounds. The farm visitors are giving rave reviews to the homemade

cheesecakes and other delights, Rhonda reports. The farm has grown significantly over the last

three years, she said, including a significant spike in growth last season, which convinced Rhonda and Kevin they had to offer more.

“We decided we had to offer either a bakery or a wedding venue, and the wedding venue would have cost triple,” she said. Plus, Rhonda has always enjoyed baking. So they took the plunge, and Rhonda left her school system job, she told AM.

On the farm website, she thanks everyone who made their opening day so memorable and successful. “I was bursting with happiness, thankfulness and just simply feeling BLESSED!” she wrote.

design and cuts the maze in which Kevin will drive the tractor. Kevin also pulls the hayride wagon through the pumpkin patch to let visitors pick their pumpkins.

Artistic, beautiful colors

As I walk through the pumpkin patch, I think the owls and mice at night took paint brushes to their sides, so artistic and beautiful are the colors and shapes. Deep oranges, reds, and purples streak their curves and bumps.

Pie pumpkins are stacked along the pathways and under old shade trees waiting to be selected for the fall pie. Mums abound, and corn shocks stand tall for

decorating needs. Visitors feed young goats, giggle at the pigs, ride wagons, and pick pumpkins,

Roberts Family Farm has found its wings in agritourism. At a time in today’s culture when most Kentuckians have no real connections to farm life, even in rural areas, Roberts Family Farm gives people an opportunity to experience great food and clean country fun close to home.


Brown-Forman to invest $30 million in Old Forester distillery in Louisville

The Brown-Forman Corporation plans to build an Old Forester distillery on Louisville’s historic Whiskey Row, Gov. Steve Beshear and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced.

The project is expected to create up to 20 new jobs on an investment of approximately $30 million.

The center will feature tours, a tasting room, exhibits, bourbon-making demonstrations, and event spaces.

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) gave preliminary approval for tax incentives up to $900,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments conditional on meeting job and investment targets.

KEDFA also approved tax benefits up to $410,000 for Brown-Forman through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act, which allows approved companies to recoup

Kentucky sales and use tax on certain construction and equipment costs.

Kentucky produces 95 percent of the world’s bourbon, and the 5 million barrels of aging bourbon here outnumber the state’s population of 4.4 million. More than 9,000 jobs in Kentucky are connected to distillery-related enterprise, generating approximately $415 million in payroll.

- Governor’s office press release; www.kybourbontrail.com

NEWS FROM THE

Brown-Forman will open a distillery and bourbon experience for its founding brand, Old Forester, in two historic Louisville buildings at 117 and 119 Main Street.

Four Roses visitor center in Bullitt Countyis brand’s second Bourbon Trail location

The new Four Roses visitor center at the Cox’s Creek Warehouse and Bottling Facility in Bullitt County has been officially opened by state, local, and company officials.

It is Four Roses’ second destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®.

Officials expect the newly constructed 2,500-square-foot visitor center, located off Kentucky Highway 245 in Cox’s Creek, to attract more than 20,000 guests annually. The center is predicted to create 12 new local jobs.

The $500,000 expansion features antique bottles, vintage advertising and other memorabilia from the Four Roses archives.

An enhanced tour, which runs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the hour, will showcase the facility’s warehousing, barrelling, and bottling operations.

The visitor center also includes a premium bourbon tasting bar that allows guests the opportunity to sample Four Roses products following tours.

The new visitor center expands Four Roses’ presence on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The historic Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg already has one of the state’s most popular visitor experiences, with a 5,000-square-foot visitor center and tour program. Four Roses distills 10 unique bourbon recipes to create award-winning small-batch and single-barrel bourbons.

The 126-year-old Four Roses brand has received numerous awards in recent years, including being named “American Distiller of the Year” in four of the past five years by Whisky Magazine. The award presentation took place in Bardstown during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

- Governor’s office press release; www.kybourbontrail.com

If you would like to see your agritourism success story in Agritourism Monthly, or you have an event you would like us to include, email details (photos are helpful) by the 20th of the previous month to Amelia Wilson, [email protected].

KENTUCKY FARMS ARE FUN KY_FARMSAREFUN

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