Lindie Huffman
By Nila Harris
Can you imagine paying 52 cents for a breakfast consisting of two eggs, fried potatoes, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, milk, butter, honey, jam, and maple syrup? Of course not! But that is what happened when Lindie Huffman and local farmers from the Pendleton County Farmers Market (PCFM) presented a breakfast-for-dinner event last year as part of National Farmers’ Market Week. The event was an impactful presentation of the sparse amount a farmer would receive for the included products.
This month at the National Association of County Agriculture Agents (NACAA) annual meeting and conference in Des Moines, Iowa, Huffman was declared a national winner for her promotional package The Farmer’s Share: A Breakfast for Dinner Event. Huffman showcased the event that took place at the PCFM, including a brochure, flyers, posters, Facebook Live videos, Facebook posts and an abstract. “As part of the package, I entered the brochure I developed that shares information on how much the farmer receives for products vs. what they sell at retail based on data collected from the National Farmers Union,” shared Huffman. The communications contest is immensely competitive with agriculture extension agents and specialists from across the land grant university systems competing at the state, then national level.
The Distinguished Service Award was also awarded to Huffman. This award is presented to agents who have served for at least ten years as a member of the Cooperative Extension Service, are held in high esteem by their fellow workers, have established and conducted well-honed programs, and are approved by the State Director of Extension. In addition, she was recognized as a state winner for the Agricultural Awareness and Appreciation Award which recognizes agents for their daily use of public relations to improve the understanding and awareness of agriculture in their communities.
Huffman has served as a voting delegate for Kentucky, attending workshops, business meetings, and working with the business matters of the association. She has served the past ten years on the board of directors for the Kentucky Association of County Agriculture Agents. She continues to share her passion and enthusiasm about PCFM and the agriculture community. As a 6th generation farmer who has “been riding a (tobacco) setter since I was 7 years old”, Huffman strives daily to “keep farmers farming and keep families fed,” supporting local farmers in the Pendleton County community and beyond.