Thursday 28th March 2024

Teen farmer selected as USDA greenhouse grant winner

062722bodiejanes_crain-news
062722bodiejanes_crain-news

Bodie Janes, 15, of Finney, Ky., hoes a portion of his garden, which yields produce ranging from tomatoes, corn and squash, among other items. Janes calls himself the “Barefoot Farmer of Finney Holler.”
(BRENNAN CRAIN/WCLU NEWS)

BY BRENNAN D. CRAIN, WCLU News

FINNEY — Several rows of plants line the growing farm of Bodie Janes, a Barren County teen who calls himself the “Barefoot Farmer of Finney Holler.” And thanks to a grant he obtained a couple months ago, his operation will grow with the addition of a greenhouse.

Janes, 15, lives with his family just outside Glasgow’s city limits in a hollow of rolling, fertile land. He spends most summer days tending to a half-acre garden and a flock of chickens and ducks – all while barefoot.

“Bodie does pretty much everything. He started off when he was little, helping his Daddy split wood, and he’s just gone on from there,” said Stacey Janes, his mother. “He’s always helped in the garden.”

The family relishes in their ability to sustain themselves. Summertime means planting, growing and eventually canning their produce from the garden. Though somewhat non-traditional in today’s time, it served them well during the early months of the pandemic.

The Janes family garden tripled during that time – mainly because Bodie needed something to do. He continued to work the garden and gave away much of the produce he grew. Then he decided he could sell the items, which has been a good reason to continue expansion in the hollow at Finney.

Bodie teamed up with his mother and applied for a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build a greenhouse. They applied sometime last year and were notified of their selection as recipients of the $16,600 award about two months ago.

“There’s only been two people from this region of Kentucky that got it,” Bodie said. “So, we’re pretty proud that we got it.”

The family garden, which contains several types of tomatoes, corn, squash and other produce, sprawls across the lawn near their home. The greenhouse, expected to be constructed by the summer’s end and in use by the fall, will go up adjacent to the garden.

Bodie said business has been steady since he began selling to locals in the area. He hopes the greenhouse will allow the farm to maintain demand through the off-season and earlier next season.

“Well, we can get things like tomatoes and watermelons and things like that out to our customers earlier in the year with our greenhouse,” Bodie said.

Find Bodie’s produce stand every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Wyatt’s Oil, located at 1304 S. Green St. in Glasgow. He also sells at the Bounty of the Barrens farmers market on the Glasgow Square each Saturday until noon.

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