Sustainable Harvest Farm is a family owned and operated produce farm in London, KY focused on providing sustainably grown organic produce across the state.
Owner Ford Waterstrat met his wife Amanda at Lindsey Wilson College and the initial plans that would lead to Sustainable Harvest Farm began. Ford had always loved being outside and although his day job was teaching, he quickly fell in love with farming after he began working on a local farm during the summer.
Both Ford and Amanda were passionate about local food and sustainable farming, which led to their development of the first fully customizable and organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in the region.
“I did research on existing farming models and it seemed like a lot of successful farms seemed to be offering a CSA. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people and learn from them,” Ford notes.
Ford learned about KCARD after attending a grant workshop in 2016. He began working with Myrisa Christy on a business plan and funding advice. Ford has continued to work with Myrisa and other KCARD staff throughout the years on business plan updates, funding applications (like the Value-Added Producer Grant), recordkeeping, and more.
“We never would have tackled the Value-Added Producer Grant without the support and leadership from KCARD. Without that grant and the families that work on the farm with us, we wouldn’t have been able to ramp up production like we did,” Ford says.
Over the years, Ford gradually transitioned to farming full-time and now, Sustainable Harvest Farm delivers farm shares all the way from Louisville to Knoxville and sells to wholesale and retail markets, such as Kroger and Whole Foods.
“People should know that the work that KCARD does to support farmers is very valuable. KCARD works hard to support farmers of all scales across the state,” Ford notes.
Check out Sustainable Harvest Farm’s website HERE to learn more about what they offer!
