State #6: This week on Cutting the Curd Anne's State of Cheese special continues with Kentucky: the bluegrass state, and home of Kenny Mattingly of Kenny's Country Cheese. Learn how a trip to meet with international cheesemakers impressed Kenny enough to turn his dairy farm into an artisanal cheesemaking operation that would eventually reach up to 30 varieties. Kenny speaks on Kentucky's positive attitude towards raw-milk cheeses, some major breaks he's had distributing his cheese at venues in Kentucky, and what he sees for the future of his dairy farm. This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch: purveyors of fine grass-fed beef from the California coast.

On this week's episode of Hot Grease, Nicole Taylor delivers her food headlines and is talking with Nathalie Wiesner of The Stand NY. The Stand is a lemonade stand at Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg that not only specializes in lemonade, but jams, syrups, cocktail fixings, and garnishes! Tune in to hear Nicole and Nathalie discuss the spotlight on the Brooklyn artisanal food scene and the processes involved with up-scaling a small business. Nicole and Nathalie also talk about cocktails for the upcoming Kentucky Derby, as well as Cinco de Mayo. Hear as they make a hibiscus margarita on air. This program has been brought to you by Hearst Ranch.

"The garnishes are one of my favorite parts [of the Stand], I think it's something really different than what other people are making. I have a fine arts background, so to me, the experimentation is really what I love. Once I get something down to the way I think it's perfect I think, 'Alright, what's my next thing going to be?' That's the fun part to me." -- Nathalie Wiesner on Hot Grease

Ben is a full-time and part-time organic farmer. By day he works as the Organic Farm Manager for the University of Kentucky's Organic Farming Research and Education Farm, a job he has held for the previous five years. The university farm is home to a 80-member CSA, grant-funded research, and extension and education efforts relating to organic vegetable production in Kentucky. By night he operates his own (leased) farm in Fayette County, Kentucky where he grows organic sweet potatoes, cabbage, winter squash, and watermelons on 10 acres.

"What's been so great about having the farm is because it has created a visual component to the organic agriculture program [at the University of Kentucky]."

"I've found this movement of young farmers is very inclusive. There's a lot of passion."

-- Ben Abell on Greenhorn Radio