CommonGround Farmers
Love for the land, our families, our friends and our food – that’s what fuels our CommonGround community. Scroll down to learn where our volunteers are located, or Contact Us to get involved.
CommonGround Kentucky
Back to Our Farmers
Megan Bell
Mayfield, Kentucky
Our Farm: corn, tobacco, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom, education coordinator
My Hobbies: singing, reading
Ask Me About: biotechnology/GMOs, sustainability and conservation
About Me: My husband and I, along with my father-in-law, farm about 2,200 acres in Graves County, Kentucky. My role on the farm involves taking care of my children and the business end of the operation: paying bills, payroll and yield maps. We have three young boys who love anything related to farming and they hope that someday they will become the third generation on our farm.

Amie Buckman
Benton, Kentucky
Our Farm: corn, sorghum, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer
My Hobbies: arts and crafts, blogging, photography
Ask Me About: animal welfare, antibiotics and animal health, farm ownership, GMO foods, organic and local food
About Me: Growing up in a small rural Kentucky county gave me a passion for agriculture and having conversations with consumers about where their food comes from. I love God, sweet tea, horses and monograms.
Facebook: Amie Beth Buckman
Twitter: @Abbuckman

Miranda Chaplin
Cynthiana, Kentucky
Our Farm: alfalfa, beef cattle
My Work: farmer, wife, mom, operations coordinator for agricultural curriculum provider
My Hobbies: baking, cooking, canning
Ask Me About: animal nutrition, animal welfare and antibiotics, food safety, family farms vs. corporate farms
About Me: It was very important to me to raise my family on a farm. I believe that hard work and values taught on the farm are incomparable to any other business or lifestyle. My passion for agriculture and education translates into my work with a national initiative offering professional development and curriculum in agricultural science education.

Lesa Clark
Paducah, Kentucky
Our Farm: dairy cattle, corn, oats, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mother
My Hobbies: photography
Ask Me About: animal welfare, antibiotics and animal health, farm ownership, hormones in meat and milk
About Me: My parents instilled in me a passion for faith, family and farming. I have farmed with my parents for as long as I can remember. I am continuing this tradition with my daughter and now my grandchildren. My daughter and I both married “city” boys, but we have slowly brought them into the farming operation, too. I love to share my passion for farm life and to tell the story of the multiple generations that currently live and work on our farm.
Website: www.growingupdairyhappy.wordpress.com
Facebook: LeCows Dairy
Twitter: @Lesa_Clark
Instagram: @Lesaeclark

Carilynn Coombs
Shelbyville, Kentucky
Our Farm: dairy cows
My Work: farmer, wife, mom, social media specialist
My Hobbies: baking, being outdoors, cooking, photography
Ask Me About: animal welfare, antibiotics and animal health, farm ownership, food safety, organic and local foods
About Me: I grew up on a dairy and tobacco farm in western Kentucky. Now I enjoy working on our third-generation farm, Jericho Acres Dairy. We milk approximately 100 Holstein cows, grow 100 acres of corn to feed the cows and manage a never-ending hay crop. I love riding in the tractor, spending time with my family and working out.
Website: A Modern Milk Maid
Twitter: @amodernmilkmaid
Instagram: @amodernmilkmaid

Mary Courtney
Bagdad, Kentucky
Our Farm: corn, soybeans, tobacco, vegetables
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
Ask Me About: local and organic foods
About Me: After my husband spent several years as an agriculture teacher, while I worked as a financial services officer, we followed our dreams to become self-employed farmers. I love the opportunity to talk with consumers in hopes of earning appreciation for farming locally and globally.
Website: Courtney Farms

Carrie Divine
Morganfield, Kentucky
Our Farm: beef cattle, corn, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom, insurance agent
My Hobbies: walking, running, volunteering, spending time with my husband and children
Ask Me About: conservation, family farms vs. corporate farms
About Me: While my husband and I both have jobs off the farm, we are still active in both of our families’ farms. I am the 7th generation to be raised on our family farm and have a passion for educating others about food and farming.

Celeste Harned
Paducah, Kentucky
Our Farm: beef cattle, pigs
My Work: farmer, wife, mom, communications consultant
My Hobbies: baking, cooking, writing, photography, blogging, arts and crafts
Ask Me About: animal nutrition, animal welfare and antibiotics, hormones in meat and milk, food safety, family farms vs. corporate farms
About Me: Now that I’m a mom, I realize how much pressure parents put on themselves to feed their kids safe and nutritious meals. I can’t imagine how hard that must be if you don’t know anything about how food is grown or about the farm families who raise it. Since I can’t bring every person I ever meet to visit the farm, I love to share the story of our farm in other ways. I want to show other parents how hard my farm family works to grow safe, healthy food for our family and yours.
Website: Celeste Harned: A Farm Mom’s Perspective
Twitter: @CelesteHarned
Instagram: @CelesteHarned

Danielle Hayden
Whitesville, Kentucky
Our Farm: beef cattle, chickens, hay
My Work: farmer, wife, photographer
My Hobbies: blogging, cooking, movies, travel
Ask Me About: animal welfare, antibiotics and animal health, farm ownership, food safety, hormones in meat and milk
About Me: My husband and I raise beef cattle together on our farm in Whitesville. We recently developed a relationship with a local community college and are providing students with the opportunity to bridge the gap between what they learn in the classroom and what happens in real life through hands-on training with our cattle. In my day-to-day life, I blog on a personal level because of my passion for agriculture.
Blog: High Heels and Shotgun Shells
Twitter: @haydanib
Instagram: haydanib
Snapchat: xxdanibxx

Lindsey Hendricks
Auburn, Kentucky
Our Farm: corn, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
My Hobbies: arts and crafts, baking, reading, traveling
Ask Me About: farm ownership, GMO foods, sustainability
About Me: My husband, Adam, and I are fourth-generation farmers. I love the fact that farming is a job that can involve the whole family. Like so many other farm families, we hope to pass it on to our children one day. Hearing our 5-year-old say that she wants to be a farmer makes us so proud.

Leanne Ragland
Magnolia, Kentucky
Our Farm: corn, pigs, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
Hobbies: cooking, photography, blogging, travel
Ask Me About: animal nutrition, animal welfare and antibiotics, family farms vs. corporate farms
About Me: Before marrying my husband, who is a farmer, I had no idea how food made it to the grocery store. I grew up in a city in Florida, so becoming a farmer in Kentucky was an adjustment for me. Now, I love the wide-open spaces, my farm responsibilities and teaching my children about the farm.
Website: Florida Girl on the Farm
Facebook: Shady Rest Farm, Florida Girl on the Farm

Ashley Reding
Howardstown, Kentucky
Our Farm: corn, soybeans and winter wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
My Hobbies: reading, scrapbooking and traveling
Ask Me About: GMOs, fertilizer and insecticide usage
About Me: My husband and I farm with his parents and six of his nine siblings. I was a city girl who never liked dirt and grew up an only child (can you say culture shock!) I have learned to love agriculture and enjoy sharing our farm story.
Website: Homestead Family Farms
Facebook: Homestead Family Farms

Stacy Sipes
Ekron, Kentucky
Our Farm: alfalfa, beef cattle, corn, soybeans, tobacco, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, program director
My Hobbies: cooking, reading, traveling
Ask Me About: animal welfare, food safety, farm ownership
About Me: My husband and I were recently married. Although I have a farming background and work in the agriculture industry, our marriage made me a partner in my husband’s farming operation. We both have a love for the land and livestock and hope to continue to grow our operation.
Facebook: Stacy Lowe Sipes
Twitter: @srlow
Instagram: @srlowe

Laney Snider
Franklin, Kentucky
Our Farm: barley, beef cattle corn, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, office manager
My Hobbies: baking, cooking, reading, traveling, writing
Ask Me About: animal welfare, antibiotics and animal health, GMO foods, farm ownership
About Me: Like many women, I wear several different hats. In addition to being a wife, I work on the farm, as well as off the farm as an office manager. In my free time, I enjoy volunteering with 4-H and riding horses. My husband and I hope to grow our farm and eventually turn it into a fun and educational destination for tourists.
Website: The Ranchy Ruby
Facebook: Laney Snider

Becky Thomas
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Our Farm: alfalfa, beef cattle, corn, soybeans, vegetables, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
My Hobbies: baking, cooking, arts and crafts, travel, reading
Ask Me About: local and organic foods, food prices and safety
About Me: I am a lifelong farm girl. As a young child growing up on the farm, I learned the importance of caring for animals and tending to the land. On our farm, we raise beef cattle, soybeans, corn, wheat, alfalfa and Timothy hay. We also grow sweet corn to sell at the local farmer’s market. The main farm where we live is the farm that I grew up on and we purchased from my parents. I love that my children grew up on the same farm that I did, and now my grandchildren are enjoying that same experience.

Ellie Waggoner
Paducah, Kentucky
Our Farm: dairy cattle, corn, oats, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
My Hobbies: arts and crafts, baking, cooking, movies, reading, traveling
Ask Me About: animal welfare, antibiotics and animal health, farm ownership, hormones in meat and milk, sustainability
About Me: I am the proud mom of three children, including twins. Multi-generational family meals have been a tradition in our family. Now, the primary cooking responsibility has been passed down to me, and I enjoy it. These meals give us an opportunity to raise our children with the extended family, which is quite rare outside of the farming community. My children’s friends love to play at the farm. It is this huge playground and wonderland for them to explore, to exercise their imaginations and to get really dirty. While I am still involved on the farm, the children are my priority and they are with us to experience life’s lessons.
Facebook: Ellie Gore Waggoner
Instagram: @Milkingmaid

Suzanne White
Owensboro, Kentucky
Our Farm: corn, fruit, tobacco, soybeans, vegetables
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
My Hobbies: overall fitness, reading, running, traveling
Ask Me About: farm ownership, food safety, organic and local foods
About Me: I grew up on the farm, but I spent 10 years as a high school mathematics teacher in Bowling Green, Kentucky before I returned home to the farm. On our farm, we grow both organic and conventional crops. Our family enjoys being involved in our community. We especially love to host groups from our local Boys and Girls Club and surrounding schools to teach them about agriculture and give them “hands-in-the-dirt” experiences.
Facebook: Cecil Farms Produce
Twitter:@CecilFarmsPD