By Frankie Gould
Kacie Luckett, a Central and East Baton Rouge Parish native, was selected the 2018 Outstanding Young Farm Woman, Thursday evening at the 96th Annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention.
This award is presented to a woman agriculture producer who promotes leadership and the continuation of the family farm in Louisiana.
Kacie and her family are first generation produce farmers. She, with her husband Derek, son Dalton and daughter Maycee, grow local, quality, produce, grass-fed beef and cut flowers for affordable pricing on Luckett Farms located in Central and Pride Louisiana. They currently sell their produce direct to the consumer either through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Program or seasonally at the Red Stick Farmer’s Market in Baton Rouge. The Lucketts also consider their five H-2A workers from Mexico a part of their family.
Recently, Luckett Farms got into the agri-tourism market by acquiring some land on Rosedown Plantation to develop a corn maze and pumpkin patch for fall visitors.
Kacie is a graduate of Central High and Our Lady of the Lake Physical Therapy program. This was the impetus for her agricultural career because as a therapist she helped deliver boxes of food to home health care patients. So goes the story.
So how does CSA work? People who subscribe to the Luckett Farms CSA program will get a weekly box of seasonal fruits and vegetables from the Luckett fields. Then, Kacie educates her customers through a social media group and e-mails about storage tips and recipes on how to use the produce. She encourages members to post recipes and photos to the group site. At the end of the year, she selects the top participant who receives a free CSA season as a prize.
Kacie is a recent alum of the LSU AgCenter’s Agricultural Leadership program. She is passionate about educating others on the value of locally grown, fresh produce.
Kacie was honored just to be a finalist for the Farm Bureau Outstanding Young Farm Woman award. But upon winning she said, “It is an honor to be acknowledge for such a prestigious award. This award validates what we are doing at Luckett Farms and helps with our credibility.”
As the winner of this award, Kacie will receive a $2,000 Farm Bureau Bank Gift Card, a trip to the American Farm Bureau FUSION Conference in Minneapolis, $1,500 Equipment Rental from H&E equipment, $500 cash from BASF, $250 visa gift card, $250 Choice Hotels Gift Card, and $250 Farm Bureau Bank Gift card.
Source: Louisiana Farm Bureau