Extension Service farm industry tour ‘pretty neat’

By Tara Kaprowy

Grand marshaled by two charming trolleys, a parade of cars snaked through Laurel County Friday as part of the University of Kentucky Extension Council’s farm industry tour. The trip featured four stops, with more than 100 participants getting an inside look at everything from making molasses to handcrafting wood furniture.

“It was pretty neat,” ninth-grader Matthew Herrmann said. “I liked seeing all the farms and what all the people do.”

Hank Wilhoit agreed.

“It’s beautiful,” he said of the experience. “You’re out with nature ... Things like this are what makes Laurel County known. It’s just a good thing.”

FIRST STOP: Danny “Doody” Hale’s sugar cane farm

As soon as farm tour visitors arrived, they were greeted with the smell of coffee brewing and neighbors hard at work stripping cane. Quickly, a line formed for greens, vegetable soup, which was served with cornbread that had spent time gurgling in a cast iron skillet.

After lunch, Wayne Kirby, Knox County Extension Agriculture agent, explained the workings of the farm.

Danny “Doody” Hale has been making molasses from his four acres of sugar cane for the past seven years.

The process involves stripping the cane, squeezing the green rods through a grinder and boiling the resulting juice in a wood-fired evaporator. The result is molasses — or, as it’s known in some parts of the country, sorghum.

“But to us it’s molasses anyway you look at it,” Kirby said.

SECOND STOP: Mike and Fredi Angel’s Red Dog & Company

Farm tour visitors were welcomed by the fresh scent of sawdust inside Mike and Fredi Angel’s workshop. There, visitors saw an array of the Angels’ handcrafted mule-ear furniture, including everything from old-timey rocking chairs to dining room suites.

“We use everything from maple, walnut, cherry to ash,” Mike Angel said.

Angel became interested in traditional furniture-making methods after suffering a leg injury. While recuperating, he refinished some hickory-bottom chairs his grandfather had made years before. The project prompted him to study old-fashioned Appalachian designs and experiment with woodworking techniques.

When he retired in 1994, he got serious about his pastime.

Now the Angels have a thriving business thanks to trade shows and Internet sales.

THIRD STOP: Spring Valley Farm

Farm tour visitors gathered around bushels of juicy tomatoes and muddy sweet potatoes when they arrived at farmer Wendell Martin’s 76-acre farm.

“It’s good to see we have a lot of wannabe farmers today,” Martin joked when he greeted his guests.

Martin has worked his Bush-area farm for the past 13 years. The land is bursting with row upon row of produce, along with several greenhouses that store everything from vegetable starters to hanging baskets.

“We have all me and my boys can handle right now,” Martin said.

Martin grows tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, sweet corn, cabbage and peppers, along with a variety of flowers. He sells everything he grows at his Spring Valley Farm market on KY 363.

FOURTH STOP: Stuart House Farm

After a day of touring, participants were released into the evening sun and treated to an exceptional “beef in the ground” dinner at Stuart House’s cattle farm.

After dinner an auction was hosted by the Wilderness Trail Area Chapter of the University of Kentucky Ag Alumni Association. Proceeds provide scholarships for local students who plan to attend UK’s College of Agriculture.

“We had about 300 people for the final event and about 125 to 150 went on the tour,” Extension agent Glenn Williams said. It was just excellent; one of the best we’ve ever had. I think the ag alumni association raised right at $900,” Williams said.

Staff writer Tara Kaprowy can be reached by e-mail at tkaprowy@sentinel-echo.com.

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