Collaborative project is serving as a lesson in community service to those affected by last summer’s historic floods.

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Months after flood waters ravaged many communities in southeastern Kentucky, efforts are still being made to help in the recovery process.

One recent project is not only proving to be of assistance to the specialty crop growers in the state’s mountain communities, but it’s also helping students learn the value of community service while gaining important hands-on learning experiences.

The Eastern Kentucky Farm Flood Damage Support Program is being spearheaded by the Kentucky Horticulture Council (KHC) through support from Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB).

KHC Executive Director Cindy Finneseth said stakeholders in this region, along with other partnering organizations, have come together looking for ways to help commercial producers in the area recover enough for the coming spring growing season.

“We started brainstorming immediately after the disaster to see what kind of resources could be pulled together to assist growers,” she said. “Our biggest fear was that people would go out of business in an area that is already food insecure with limited access to fresh produce. We didn't want to lose a single grower.”

A lot of the small-scale equipment used by producers in the area had water damage and through much discussion with participating partners, including local extension, the idea to get this equipment to local school agriculture shops for possible repair was born.

“I think there are many valuable lessons that the students are learning,” Finneseth said. “The first one is that they can contribute to the local community. With the skills they have, they can help people who've been impacted by the flooding and help growers get back into production. A second thing is the students are learning these diagnostic and repair skills they can use later in life or perhaps even in a business of their own.”

Jeffrey Shaffer is the horticulture teacher at Western Hills High School in Franklin County. That school is one of many with agriculture shop facilities that are being used in conjunction with this initiative. He said the students there have been excited about being involved.

“I feel that they’re understanding more about community service, and I hope they carry this lesson well beyond high school, and they will get involved in other local activities like this in the future,” he said. 

Brinley Fields is the WHHS FFA chapter’s vice president. Her grandmother was affected by the floods, so she has seen firsthand some of the damage.

“The night that the floods were happening, we got a call from my grandmother that the waters were about to get in her house,” she said. “Thankfully, that didn't happen, but everything in her garage was just absolutely destroyed. And during our drive through the area on our way to help her clean up we saw just how devastating the damage was.”

Fields said in knowing how much help was needed in the area, there was no hesitation at all in getting involved in this project.

 “We knew that a lot of these small implements were used for farming and tilling, and the crew that we have here has been helping repair those and trying to restore them as much as we can, and then hopefully going back to those families,” she said. “Not only are they getting that hands-on experience, but it's also teaching them the importance of servant leadership, which is a big thing in our FFA chapter.”

John Tucker, one of the students helping with repairs, said even though the equipment being repaired is coming from several counties away, he still feels like part of their communities through participation in this project.

“I think it's awesome that we're helping out the people in these areas, and even though we're miles away from them, I think helping give back to those communities in some way is important,” he said. “But we’re also learning a lot about small engine repair which will be helpful to us one day. Something like this brings us all closer together.”

David Neville, owner of Capstone Farms in Shelby and Henry Counties, has been assisting Finneseth in all aspects of the program, including picking up damaged equipment and getting it to the proper places for repair. He also helped secured the gift of a new rototiller to replace one that could not be repaired.

He said this program is all about community service and has seen the interest grow when the students get involved.

“I feel as though when the project was first explained to some of these students had many questions about it, but once they began to turn wrenches and hear the stories about where the equipment came from, it has become very impactful to them and they have really embraced it,” he said.

Finneseth said her hope is to get repair equipment back to the owners by planting time.

“Our hope is that we get every piece of equipment operating and back to the growers before they need it in the spring,” she said. “But we know that some equipment may not be repairable, and we have told the owners that. However, we want those growers to know that we are invested in their success, and we want to enable them to maintain their farming operations. We want them to get back into production as quickly possible.”  

KFB President Mark Haney said helping Kentuckians in their time of need was at the core of what Farm Bureau is all about.

“In seeing the damage in Eastern Kentucky not long after the flood waters subsided, we knew, from an organizational standpoint, how much work it would take to get life back to some kind of normalcy in this area,” he said. “Supporting this project was an easy decision for KFB and we are thankful for the many people, including our students, who are making a difference in the lives of the people who were affected by last summer’s floods.”