SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. – For Kori Thomas, the mission of Peach Tree Farm and Greenhouse, which she owns and operates with her husband, Micah, from the very beginning has been “to be stewards of the land, crops and animals in a way that will leave them better than when they were entrusted to us.

“We strive to connect our community closer to the agricultural way of life through transparency, and to invest the time needed to be sure that each generation after us feels more closely connected to the farm,” Kori told Farm World.

Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) recently selected Thomas as its 2024 Farm Woman of the Year, a prestigious annual award that honors the outstanding achievements of women in Kentucky agriculture.

Thomas, along with runners-up Jennifer Poole, of Daviess County, and Kristan Wright, of Jefferson County, will be recognized during the KFB’s Gold Star Luncheon held in conjunction with the organization’s annual meeting in December.

“Kori Beth Thomas is a shining example of excellence and innovation in production agriculture,” said Eddie Melton, KFB president. “Not only is she making an impact through her work on her family farm, Kori has proven herself to be a leader and advocate for farmers at the local, state, and national levels. Her efforts are helping to ensure that current and future generations develop the same knowledge and passion for farming as she has.”

A graduate of Scottsville High School, Thomas earned her agribusiness degree from Western Kentucky University. She and Micah have two children, whom she home-schools.

“My husband grew up in Russell County (Russell Springs), Ky.,” she said. “He was raised on a small farm there with cattle, hay, and tobacco. I grew up in Allen County, Scottsville, where we now live. Our farm is my family farm. We raised cattle, tobacco, and hay. We both love agriculture and pursued agricultural majors at Western Kentucky University, where we met.

“Our children are starting to be more involved each year,” she added. “Korbin, our son, is 11 years old. He loves anything to do with being in a tractor (i.e., hay, corn, etc.). Karol, our daughter, is 7 years old. She is starting to help more. She likes to play in the dirt when we pot flowers, and will help us tag plants. They both enjoy helping me feed the animals.”

The family’s third-generation farm consists of commercial beef cattle, an orchard of peach, apple and pear trees, pumpkins, as well as row crop and hay production.

“We decided to raise cattle first,” she said. “We moved back home in 2013 and knew we wanted to be on the farm. We were in the process of building our home here and bought cattle even before we had our home finished. After moving in and getting somewhat settled, 2016 is when we planted 120 peach trees.

“At the time, I was still working full time at the Farm Service Agency,” she added. “When my son, Korbin, was about to start school, I felt a calling to come home and home-school our kids. We took the leap of faith and made it work. I then figured out I needed more to keep me busy, and I wanted to do more on the farm than just cattle and the peach trees. Peaches were not consistent due to Kentucky spring weather.”

She said, “We then added mums. We built a pad and had 1,300 mums this year. We started with just under 1,000 the first year. We added a cabin as a retail store. We tore it down from one side of the farm and put it back up. This cabin was where my dad was born and raised as a boy. After this, we put up three large greenhouses and started potting our own flowers, bedding plants, hanging baskets, and perennials.

“We added a small greenhouse this past winter, and will be adding one more this winter,” she added. “We then started our very own fall venue here in Allen County. We are now an agritourism spot. We sell mums, 29 different varieties of pumpkins and do hayrides, corn maze, a playground area, petting zoo, and we have pony rides.”

She said, “We do our own food on Saturdays as well. This year is our first year raising corn. We have harvested some ourselves and sold it to deer hunters, and will have someone come in to combine the rest. We knew we had to be a more diversified farm in order to make the payments. The days of raising tobacco and making money are gone. We enjoy each and everything that we add each year.

“We wanted this (agritourism) for our small town,” she added. “To have an inviting place for families to come and enjoy my favorite season, fall. My goal with the retail garden center is to be the flower destination. I do believe I’m well on the way.”

When asked what it means to her to be named Kentucky Farm Woman of the Year, she said, “It is an honor and a privilege to be named the Kentucky Farm Woman of the Year. I have worked so hard to get to this place, but I never dreamed of getting an award for it. I can’t thank my local county board enough for nominating me.

“To be selected out of all the wonderful women that were nominated is a true honor,” she added. “I am doing what I love each and every day. I always encourage anyone I talk with to be sure to never stop dreaming and make it come to life.

“No reason to be miserable in a job,” she said. “When you love what you do, it’s never considered a job. It’s my passion to make great products for people to buy and enjoy. I’m truly blessed.”