Family is the Future of Agriculture

Family is the Future of Agriculture

Charles Romans

The Ashland Beacon

Kenny Imel of Imel’s Greenhouse located on Route 1 in Greenup County, Kentucky, said that the future of agriculture and farming begins with family. And that isn’t true just for families that currently grow or operate other agriculture-related businesses. “We have to help these kids learn that there are a lot of opportunities in agriculture,” Imel said. “And that goes beyond planting and harvesting, though that is a major part of it.”

Imel recently hosted AG Venture Day with Farm Credit, where local FFA students competed in various competitions and learned about a wide variety of potential careers in agriculture and agribusiness. That event was just one of the many events and community enrichment programs Imel is involved in throughout the year, though he does his best to stay out of the spotlight personally. “It’s not about me,” Imel said. “These kids and other organizations are doing great things, and we as a community and as business owners need to support them every way we can.”

Though he might be more than willing to share the spotlight – or, as he prefers, avoid it entirely – Imel has worked tirelessly to make certain that as many people as possible get to see how agriculture supports every community and helps them grow. Imel and his entire family operate the greenhouse from a customer-centered philosophy, focusing more on how to help each customer with their current and future goals rather than simply selling them something.

“Money can’t be what it’s all about,” Imel said. “That isn’t your legacy because money just goes away. It’s all about what you build and what you grow. And we want to grow something that will go on beyond just us. We would like to see this greenhouse go on for generations.”

That philosophy was something that Kenny Imel learned over time, from his beginning with an FFA project and what would be considered a microbusiness with his brother in 1976 to a business that has consistently grown for nearly five decades. Kenny Imel and wife Pam Imel have grown the greenhouse into a community hub of sometimes hard-earned knowledge of agriculture and support for all aspects of farming and farm-related businesses. Imel’s has become a destination for farm families that promote agritourism in the community and beyond, and is a founding member of the Kentucky Farm Bureau Certified Roadside Market Program.

Everything Imel and his family do—from hosting the state’s largest Farm to Table Dinner to AG Venture Day and the various agritourism activities that help community members and visitors experience agriculture firsthand in an up-close and personal manner—is about helping make everyone’s community better. They are an inexhaustible resource for both current and future farmers and anyone interested in any aspect of agriculture. More than that, Imel himself is proof of the thought that if you know your ‘why,’ then the ‘how’ makes itself possible. And Imel’s ‘why’ is because he wants to give back and help the community any way he can and could possibly best be summed up by a statement he made at this year’s AG Venture Day.

While taking a rare break between introducing speakers and making sure everyone had everything they needed for the activities and the competitions, Imel said simply, “I wish we had something like this when we started.”

So, Kenny Imel and his family have become the help they wish they had when they first started out. He is quick to point out that he did receive help and support from his family and is grateful that the community has always been there for him throughout his agriculture and business journey. Now, everything Imel’s Greenhouse is involved in gives back to the community—such as the proceeds from the Farm to Table Dinner going to local youth organizations, including FFA, 4-H, and the McConnell House. AG Venture Day allows groups and individuals not only to win prizes but helps them learn how to network with established businesses in the field and learn more about entrepreneurship in agriculture and agricultural careers.

Imel said that it is important to teach the next generation of farmers and young people involved in agribusiness about not only the challenges but the rewards of agriculture. “We have built, rebuilt, and tore down along the way to get where we are now,” Imel said. “And we have expanded, then expanded again. We started with one building that was 28 feet by 48 feet,” he said of his journey. Now, not only has the original greenhouse expanded, but there is an additional site (where Farm to Table and AG Venture is held), and he is up to around 100,000 square feet.

“We did a little bit of everything when we started, with the greenhouse and an orchard business. We raised produce, and we farmed tobacco, cattle, and hay. When the markets moved, we moved with them,” Imel said. “As one phased out, we built something else. We are at the point now where we are about 95 percent retail with some wholesale,” he said of how his business evolved. And it is the knowledge of the potential difficulties and changes that need to be taught to the next generation of agribusiness owners.

“You have to move with it,” Imel said of the changing landscape of agriculture. “And we need to teach these young people and help them learn how to do that.”

Recently, Imel’s Greenhouse was recognized by NEKY, winning awards for both Retail/Wholesale Business of the Year and Small Business of the Year. Imel said it was humbling to be chosen, and he appreciates the support of everyone at NEKY. But as always, he freely gave the credit to others. “They (his family) have worked hard to make everything happen. Nothing would have been possible without their hard work and the support of the community.”