Gateway professor and students participate in Kenton County Farm Tour

Published on Sep 18, 2019

Dr. Jennifer Myka, Gateway Community & Technical College associate professor of Biology, owns the Free Radical Ranch farm in Piner, Ky., and her farm will be one of 15 farms participating in the Kenton County Fair Tour September 21 and 22.

Free Radical Ranch has participated in the Kenton County Farm Tour since 2015. This year, Gateway’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Club students will be volunteering at the farm to explain the biological perspective behind many farming practices to guests visiting the farm. In 2018, the farm saw more than 1,000 guests over the weekend-long farm tour.

Gateway’s STEM Club consists of more than 12 students interested in a variety of topics including genomics, environmental science, ecology, animal biodiversity and biology. Throughout the semester, STEM Cub students raise funds for opportunities to visit various venues of educational entertainment, such as local museums, and to encourage extra-curricular education through fun and engaging activities.

Free Radical Ranch, a 44-acre farm in southern Kenton County, opened in 2009 when the family purchased a registered Katahdin hair sheep (KHSI). The farm now offers quality KHSI-registered Katahdin hair sheep breeding stock.

At the farm, guests can meet over 12 different species of livestock including alpacas, llamas, goats, sheep, horses, ponies, pigs, cows, chickens, banty chickens, ducks, peacocks and rabbits.

With backgrounds in farming, Biology, genetics, art, and education, the farm holds educational events such as farm tours and classes on raising animals such as alpacas or sheep, rotational grazing, and fiber/fabric classes.

To learn more about Free Radical Ranch and the Kenton County Farm Tour, visit KentonCountyFarmTour.com.