CommonGround Kentucky

On paper, Ashley’s story will first sound very typical. Her husband is Aaron Reding, and they have three children:  Kathryn, Andrew and Adam. They manage Homestead Family Farms (growing soybeans, corn and winter wheat) as a family operation with Aaron’s parents, Mark and Barb Reding; his sister, Anna Reding Watson; and partners, Michael and Nora McCain. Beyond these basic facts, Ashley’s story proves to be anything but farm-typical.

Ashley did not grow up on a farm, and she will readily share that she hates to get dirty. She lived “in the city” and chose to study business in college. After receiving a Bachelors of Science degree in business management and decision science and information systems from the University of Kentucky, Ashley held several business positions. But after 11 years of marriage to Aaron, she finally dipped her toes into the world of agriculture by joining the farm as a part-time employee in 2009. As things tend to go, one thing led to another, and Ashley became a full-time managing partner at Homestead Family Farms with a focus on human resources, public relations and landowner relations. Putting her business savvy to work, she also developed the farm’s website and social media sites and manages them along with her other tasks.

Ashley still does not like to get dirty, but she has come to respect the “dirt.” She loves that she can use her knowledge to help grow the farm. No dirt required.

Facebook: Homestead Family Farms

Carrie’s love for farming runs deep.  She represents the seventh generation to farm on her family’s land in Morganfield, Kentucky. Growing up raising row crops, forage and beef cattle instilled in her the desire to ensure that her children have the opportunity to be the eighth generation to carry on the family tradition. Carrie married Curt Divine, and they have two children, Coy and Cailey.

Devoted and busy accurately describe Carrie. She serves as the Young Farmer chair for Union County Farm Bureau and created the “Bushels for Books” program that placed over 1,000 agriculturally accurate books in Union County school libraries and daycare centers. In addition, Carrie serves as treasurer of the Union County 4-H Council and a volunteer leader, was the past president of the Morganfield Lions Club and the Union County Extension Council, is a member of St. Ann Catholic Church and has been active in many community activities. Despite her full schedule, she responded with an enthusiastic “yes” when presented with the opportunity to serve as a volunteer in the CommonGround™ Kentucky program. In this role, she has the opportunity to have direct conversations with consumers who may have never been on a farm about the truth of where their food comes from and how it is raised.

Twitter: @Carrie Divine

Currently Denise is a mother to two children, a wife to Curtis, and a full-time dairy consultant with the Kentucky Dairy Development Council (KDDC). They live on the 300-cow dairy farm that Curtis operates full time with his parents. Sounds like another farm woman who grew up in rural America and ended up back on the farm, right? Not so in Denise’s case.  Denise grew up on the outskirts of Cincinnati on a 5- acre hobby farm with a horse and two pet goats. This daughter of a broadcast engineer and a teacher found her connection to agriculture first through her grandfather’s small retirement beef and tobacco farm.

Perhaps that connection prompted Denise to take an animal science class at University of Kentucky. During a research study with dairy cows and calves at the U.K. Coldstream Diary Farm, she fell in love with cows and milking. Following this newfound love, Denise became a student milker at the U.K. dairy and graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in ag communications. Once out of school, she worked full time on the farm with Curtis. Denise’s responsibilities included milking, managing the milk parlor employees, taking care of the bottle calves and helping to harvest the crops. She then accepted her current position at KDDC in 2007, where she connects dairy farmers in south-central Kentucky with resources to sustain Kentucky’s dairy industry. Most important, Denise works to educate consumers about where their milk comes from through dairy education classes at elementary schools via Ag Field Days and other events.

Denise’s upbringing, along with her education, career path and family, created a perspective that is both uncommon and essential. She can relate to consumers who did not grow up on a farm while answering their tough questions about food and farming. And she volunteers in the CommonGround™ Kentucky program to do just that.