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them from pursuing food safety certification. The last portion
of the questionnaire investigated the future participation
and interests of respondents in training and educational
opportunities related to GAPs.
The questionnaire was approved by Western Kentucky
University's Institutional Review Board (IRB). Before
beginning formal data collection, the questionnaire was
pre-tested at two farmers' markets to ascertain whether
the farmers clearly understood the questions and response
categories contained on the survey instrument. The
questionnaire was also distributed to selected industry
professionals, extension agents, and academic faculty for
review and comment.
Participant recruitment
Data were collected at farmers' markets in 21 counties
in the Commonwealth of Kentucky between April and
August 2014. The counties were selected to represent
different regions of the state that varied with regard to
population size and density. Farmers' markets in Louisville
and Lexington, the two largest metropolitan areas in
Kentucky, were visited. Farmers' markets at the mediumsized Kentucky cities of Bowling Green, Elizabethtown,
Paduacah, and Owensboro were visited as well. Finally,
smaller towns in low-population counties were visited. The
intent of this purposive sampling design was to ensure that
data represented a broad spectrum of Kentucky farmers
across the state.
Farmers who attended the farmers' markets during the
data collection visits were invited to complete the anonymous questionnaire. All respondents were required to sign
informed consent documents prior to completing a questionnaire. The consent document informed respondents
of the voluntary and anonymous nature of the study and
clearly articulated that respondents were free to withdraw
from the study at any time.
Data analysis
Data collected in the study were analyzed by use of the
STATA 14 software. Descriptive statistics (means and
standard deviations) were calculated for each variable.
Chi-Square (Chi2) tests of independence were employed
to examine bivariate relationships between categorical
variables, with statistical significance set at an alpha level
of 0.05 (α< 0.05) unless otherwise noted.
Bivariate analyses were used to test the relationship between demographic factors and current farming practices.
Using these analyses, significant demographic differences
between farmers currently utilizing GAPs and farmers not
currently utilizing GAPs were identified. Similar analyses
investigated correlations between demographic factors
and respondents' desires to participate in education on
food safety certification. The analysis demonstrated
whether farmers who utilize GAPs and farmers who do

not utilize GAPs differ significantly in their desire to
receive further education on good farming practices and
food safety certification.
RESULTS
Demographics of farmers
The questionnaire was distributed to 600 farmers selling
produce at famers' markets in 21 counties across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and 160 (27%) survey responses
were completed and returned to the research investigator.
These results are presented in Table 1. Demographics in the
study were generally diverse, as distribution rates among
gender, age, education, and farm size were very good. The
participants were mostly males (54.4%), possessed a college
degree (43%), and were middle aged, with 28.8% being
50-59. Participating growers reported a wide variety of land
sizes used on their farm, with 65.6% of respondents growing
fresh produce on less than 5 acres, and the largest number
had been in farmimg 6-10 years (35.7%).
Respondents represented 21 counties in Kentucky. The
three largest metropolitan areas in Kentucky contributed
approximately half of all respondents. Fayette County,
including Lexington, contributed the largest percentage of
respondents (17.5%); Warren County, including Bowling
Green, provided 16.9% of respondents; and just over 16%
of respondents indicated Jefferson County, which includes
Louisville, Kentucky's largest metropolitan area, as home.
Slightly fewer than 10% of respondents were located in
Hardin County, 8.8% of respondents in McCracken County,
and 6.3% of respondents in Daviess County. All of the other
counties contributed under 5% of the total respondents for
this study.
Relationship between awareness of GAPs, size of land
used for locally grown produce, education level, and
current farming practices
The vast majority (90%) of fresh produce growers surveyed
indicated familiarity with GAPs. Participants' awareness of
GAPs was further investigated in correlation with current
farming practices used on respondents' farms (Table 2). A
significant relationship (×2 = 7.72, P < .01) was observed
between awareness of GAPs and use of transportation
GAPs, with 64% of participants who were aware of GAPs
indicating management of transportation. Fewer than half of
respondents (47%) reported managing water quality, with
just under 29% of the participants using tested well water on
their farms. Municipal water was the most common choice
of farm use water at 70.3%, while surface water was used by
15.9% of participants and rainwater was used by 53.6% of
participants. Only 55% are managing manure and municipal
biosolids applied on crops, with only 54% of the growers
reporting use of composted manure. Sanitary facilities and
field sanitation were the most likely GAPs to be reported as
being utilized by participants who were aware of GAPs, at

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