In 2022, KY Place won a $1,000 grant from the Kentucky Historical Society to launch an ambitious oral history project. Our mission: to capture the stories of Kentucky’s farmers in their own words—stories rooted in place, experience, and change.

Over the past few years, we’ve sat down with farmers from across the Commonwealth to talk about their lives and livelihoods. What emerged is a powerful collection of first-person accounts that reflect the evolving challenges and deep-rooted resilience of rural Kentucky.

These interviews explore a wide range of topics: land stewardship practices passed down through generations, the effects of climate change on planting seasons, the pressure of inflation on small farms, and the increasingly unaffordable cost of living in places that once felt like home.

Now, in 2025, we’re proud to release this series in a collection of blog posts throughout the year. Each post will highlight one farmer’s perspective—what they’ve seen, what they’ve survived, and what they’re hoping for.