LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky has a rich history in agriculture, exporting crops like corn and soybean all over the world. However, University of Kentucky researchers reported last year that the total number of farms in the state has been decreasing.
The Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Outstanding Young Farm Family of 2023 is working to change that trajectory in the Bluegrass state.
Matt and Molly Adams won the award for their work and dedication to farming.
Matt spends long days running Adams Farms, which he and Molly own in Hardin County.
The Adamses grow corn, soybeans and winter wheat. They raise cattle to feed their own family and sell as retail beef. They also grow hay for their own herd and horse training facilities around the state.
With so much work to be done day in and day out, Matt says, “There has to be a kind of passion inside of you. I guess you’d just say you’re born with it.”
Matt’s family ran a dairy farm in Rockcastle County until he was a little boy. However, his family sold it following the Great Farm Crisis, and his dad got into agriculture lending.
So, unlike a lot of other young farmers who might work for already-established family businesses, Matt knew he would have to start from the ground up to get back to his family roots.
He began raising cattle in high school and paid his way through college at Western Kentucky University by going home on the weekends to run a hay business.
“And then after college, I was able to buy the farm that we live on now,” Matt said of the property he, Molly, and their two young daughters call home.
The couple says farming is an entire lifestyle.
“You know, you don’t turn it off at the end of the day when you go home at night,” Matt said. “It’s constantly on your mind.”
Molly added, “We’re constantly working, but we find joy in that. We lay down at night, and we’re tired.”
As the couple raises the girls to enjoy and appreciate the important work done on the farm, Matt and Molly are also on a mission to educate others about where food comes from.
“They don’t know who feeds them, and when they hear about farmers, there’s just not a lot of education behind that,” Molly said. “So, we are trying to fill that gap a little bit, just kind of showcasing our life on YouTube and social media.”
Molly shares video blogs about life on the farm and the work she helps with, all in addition to her full-time job as a respiratory therapist at Baptist Health Hardin. The simple videos she makes on her phone get thousands of views.
“People from all over the world have commented, so other countries,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Wow,’ amazed, and other farmers are like, ‘Oh, me and my wife are doing the same thing,’ and ‘Nice to see you out there and videotaping your life.’”
Being in their 30s, the Adamses feel this representation is important, with Census numbers showing the average age of a farmer in Kentucky is 56.
“Not to call it a dying breed, but people aren’t coming back to their family farms,” Molly said.
“You know, if the average age is pushing 60, then it’s not going to be long before they’re all gone,” Matt added.
So with every field harvested, the Adams’ hope is that in sharing their story, they’ll help inspire the next generation of farmers who love life on the farm just as much.
As part of winning the KFB’s Outstanding Young Farm Family of 2023 award, Matt and Molly’s prize includes equipment that will help them grown and run their farm on an even larger scale.