W hen it’s raining and there’s mud and a calf that needs attention, it’s her herdshare owners that motivate Kenya Abraham to be a farmer.
Abraham, who owns SlakMarket Farm in Fayette County with her husband, is Kentucky State University's 2020 Small Farmer of the Year. Each year, the Land Grant Program recognizes one livestock or crop production farmer who produces commodities in the state in a sustainable way.
Six years ago, the family decided to radically change their lives and buy a farm. “Slak” comes from the first letter of each of their children’s names.
“We do this work for our kids and for their future,” Abraham said. “So it really is our farm, our family farm.”
But the community at SlakMarket Farm extends far beyond Abraham's immediate family. Abraham produces and sells raw milk, so the farm operates as a herdshare—meaning the people who consume the raw milk are actually part owners in the business.
In Kentucky, you must own an animal to drink raw milk from it, which is why the herdshare is necessary. But even if the law changed, Abraham said, she would still operate as a herdshare.
the law changed, Abraham said, she would still operate as a herdshare.
“There has to be a level of trust with your farmer, and consumers have to start bringing themselves into that level of trust with their farmer,” she said.
That’s why her herdshare owners don’t just come pick up milk and other products. The owners— which include kids as young as five months old and one year old— are part of the farm, learning the process and getting to know both Abraham’s family and the animals.
“She has done a great job at creating community around food and uses it to educate her family and others,” said Kevin Gurtowski, an Extension associate who has worked with Abraham. “We need more folks like that.”
The herdshare owners also contribute more than just financially— like Donna Schartung, who is a registered professional geologist. She did a map of Abraham’s farm to help her planning.
“It’s amazing what she can get done on such a small property,” said Schartung, who said that Abraham has a
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