Welcome Kristie Hicks to The Plough!

We're very excited to announce that Kristie Hicks will be joining The Plough doing a variety of hosting! Kristie has a tremendous on-screen presence and will be a great addition to the show! A native of Bardstown, KY, Kristie has a BA in Theatre and Radio-Television from Morehead State University and has worked professionally in print, radio, and TV. She is a member of The Screen Actors Guild and won a Billboard Magazine Award for her work in morning radio. Kristie is a former Miss Kentucky Teen USA and Miss Kentucky America.

Chris Coulter: The Plough Agriculturist

In searching for an agriculturist for The Plough series who knows their stuff, I didn't have to look far. Chris Coulter, owner of Coulter's Good Earth Garden Farm, was easily my first and only choice. Chris and I are first cousins and grew up practically brothers. Chris has two things: a tremendous intelligence for the outdoors and gardening, and a natural gift at being in front of the camera.

Chris grows some of the most beautiful Kentucky vegetables and fruits that I have seen and tasted, and I've seen and tasted a lot. I believe he may be our Grandfather's reincarnated green thumb.

I'm excited for viewers of The Plough to watch and enjoy Chris. You will definitely learn from him, his gardening skills and knowledge are truly first rate.

Chris's Bio:

Chris is a Kentucky native who grew up on a farm surrounded by all types of plants and animals. He obtained a BS in Wildlife Management and then went on to complete his MS in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Kentucky. He has worked in a variety of fields including education and the commercial nursery industry. After spending two years working in agriculture overseas he has returned to the family farm to do what he loves best--growing vegetables, fruit, and poultry using sustainable and organic methods. Coulter's Good Earth Farm began providing high quality produce to the local community in 2003. He lives in Bloomfield with his wife Amy, and their two children.

The Plough: Introducing EPISODE 5 and the "NEW LOOK"

We are excited to unveil our "new look" to The Plough DVDs! The Episode 5 DVD cover features Gladys Reed, owner of The Kentucky Depot Restaurant in Stanford. The photograph was taken by a tremendously talented Kentucky photographer, Amanda Marie Wimsatt.

Here are some of the segments you will see in Episode 5:

"Sweetness in Stanford" - An intimate look inside The Kentucky Depot Restaurant
"Nature Trail Discoveries" - Bernheim Forest Naturalist Wren Smith on Winter Animal Survival
"Kentucky Student Spotlight" - Sarah Parks, vocalist
"Good Earth Garden Tips" with Agriculturist Chris Coulter
"Humorous Findings" in old Kentucky Newspapers
"Unearthing Kentucky" Metal Detecting with Will Plummer

and more!

Metal Detecting the Fields and Hollows of Kentucky

Here it is, spring is upon us, and one begins to hear the voices of birds that have been hidden away during what has been one of the longest, coldest winters I can recall in Kentucky. Today wrapped segment shooting on Episode 5 of The Plough. My friend, Will Plummer of Louisville, was down today to tape a segment on metal detecting. I have been fascinated with artifact hunting using a metal detector for quite sometime. Will has only inspired a deeper interest. Though there are many out there who just simply don't get into metal detecting, I encourage you to try it. Metal detecting requires much patience and control on mental frustration if you don't find anything on your first dig. But in most cases, you WILL find something on your first dig. It may not be that rare Lincoln- era campaign coin, and instead a piece of barbed wire that fell out of a farm truck last year, but practice patience and you will be rewarded.

Always get permission from landowners if you are hunting on land owned by someone else. If hunting on public property, obey the guidelines and restrictions of the property.

Though I don't get to "detect" as much as I would like, I find that going out into a field and being alone with the metal detector is a way to recharge after a busy week of work. I enjoy the peace and solitude of it. I also get fascinated with it...often feeling overwhelmed that there are thousands of pieces of history waiting to be recovered beneath the soil under my feet.

Some people think that it is wrong to mess with pieces of history buried beneath the ground. If it is human bodies they are talking about, I would most certainly agree. But many artifacts beneath the soil such as coins, buttons of clothing, Civil War era rifles and pistols, buck shot, have been put their by accident, or by way of littering. Some were once looked for and never found by their owners.

Metal detecting is a way of recovering our past. In it we learn. The process of hunting for pieces of history buried beneath the soil is also emotionally, and for me, spiritually rewarding.

A Review of the January 2010 Edition of "The Plough"

By John Allen Boyd, editor "Sunbonnets & Sweetgum" and author of "Emerson Avery, That Latin Teacher"

If first impressions are important in analyzing art, and they are, my initial reaction to this digital magazine is one of wonder at being in the presence of something new. The very concept of receiving a sleek, innovative publication that is not printed on paper jumped at me. After all these years of holding bound collections of paper pages in my hands and looking at pictures and reading the written word, “The Coulter Plough” is an experience akin to lifting myself over a fence and stepping onto new land There is a sense of moving from one era and into another.

As I went through the articles in this issue, there arose one sure commonality: their familiarity, in the sense of family. With each section, I was in friendly company. Like being invited to sit down at the family table and noting the personality of each one there – listening and seeing one and then another during the meal. Able to partake and enjoy their good manners and company.

In this issue, I was close to the earth, to history, to the lives of our ancestors, and to this part of our nation and state. Whatever the time and place, I found my ease. The moving visuals captivated and lifted me beyond the frequent artificiality and tugging of traditional media. And the artwork and music. Awesome. The disc is green, inexpensive, and easy to store. Most of all, its content is fascinating from beginning to end. Our interests and inquiries are piqued. Each article has its own personality just as each son and daughter around the family table does. There is that unmistakable bond of kinship to Kentucky and the folks who pass their time here and who have preceded us. It is personal and up close. Friendly. Home folks. I found it endearing to be reminded of the early spring wildflowers. I had no idea about the making of chicken soup. It was interesting to be reminded of how Sue Mundy romped around this part of Kentucky and earned the hanging he received during that bloody, raw age - the same century of early stills and whiskey making. There! All of it! That’s what grabbed me. This entire issue of “The Coulter Plough” landed me on my feet in this place I call home.

Welcome New LIBRARIES!

Welcome to Allen County and Oldham County Public Libraries to The Coulter Plough series!