Agriculture
• In Casey County there are five greenhouses (one is on the county line in Pulaski County, off Hwy 837) and four produce markets––and one produce auction––where you can buy fresh local Casey County produce, plants and flowers for more than half the year. There are also several berry farms, cattle and dairy farms, and a wool farm.
• Growers from around Kentucky come here to buy their grow mix from Casey County greenhouses.
• Mennonite growers provide much of Walmart's watermelon and cantaloupe supply each summer, as well as green peppers and other offerings. Depending on the farmer, their produce is planted and harvested by horse-drawn equipment or tractors with steel wheels. [Walmart is also making a concerted effort to offer more local and organic produce in its stores.]
• Mennonite growers provide much of Walmart's watermelon and cantaloupe supply each summer, as well as green peppers and other offerings. Depending on the farmer, their produce is planted and harvested by horse-drawn equipment or tractors with steel wheels. [Walmart is also making a concerted effort to offer more local and organic produce in its stores.]
• Casey County Produce Auction, LLC opened in 2009 and is operated by several members of the Old Order Mennonite Community for the benefit of all local growers and buyers.
• Jerome Lange and his family have operated Casey County's only Certified Organic Farm since 1975. He sells his produce (and coordinates produce from other local growers) at Good Foods Coop in Lexington and has written two popular books on organic farming.
• Casey County is home to the largest gate company for agricultural and ranching purposes in the United States [Tarter Gate]. There are also many other gate companies in the county.
• As with many Kentucky counties, tobacco was once Casey County's largest cash crop.
• Kentucky allegedly has the nation's largest Buckeye tree (Ohio state tree), on an Old Order Mennonite farm, off Hwy 127, in Casey County [12'2" in circumference and 144' tall: 156" around and 148' in **another, and that's as of 2003]. We have heard this from the farmer who owns the property on which it stands (but we haven't yet seen it) and it is also mentioned on the Internet. Whether it is the largest Buckeye in the United States, it would seem from a quick Google search that other states also claim this. Either way, that's a mighty big Buckeye tree! [**This article, however, does back up the claim and was written by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 2003, who, admit defeat to their Kentucky neighbor.]
Community• Kentucky allegedly has the nation's largest Buckeye tree (Ohio state tree), on an Old Order Mennonite farm, off Hwy 127, in Casey County [12'2" in circumference and 144' tall: 156" around and 148' in **another, and that's as of 2003]. We have heard this from the farmer who owns the property on which it stands (but we haven't yet seen it) and it is also mentioned on the Internet. Whether it is the largest Buckeye in the United States, it would seem from a quick Google search that other states also claim this. Either way, that's a mighty big Buckeye tree! [**This article, however, does back up the claim and was written by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 2003, who, admit defeat to their Kentucky neighbor.]
• Casey County, Kentucky is the only "Casey County" in the United States (and possibly the world).
• Casey County is also located in the heart of the Knobs Region of Kentucky, consisting of hundreds of isolated, steep sloping, and often cone-shaped hills (known as "monadnocks" in geographic terms). Green River Knob, at 1,789 feet, is not only the highest point in Casey County, along its southeast boundary line with Pulaski County, but has the highest elevation in Kentucky outside of the Eastern Coalfield.
• The Old Order Mennonite Community first came here in the mid-1970s –– there is also a small Amish community in western Casey County (and into Adair County) but its numbers have dwindled in recent years. Both communities drive buggies and some Mennonites in Casey County drive cars.
• The Central Kentucky Agricultural/Expo Center offers several indoor arenas and buildings for a variety of uses on 160 acres. It is also the location of the Casey County Fair, held every June.
Heritage and Tradition: Agritourism
• Penn's Store, in the upper northwest corner of Casey County, is the oldest country store in the United States that has been continually operated by the same family (since 1850). They sponsor several events during the year and regular Porch-Sittings on Sunday afternoons.
• The Casey County Apple Festival is held each September––there is only one apple grower left in the county.
• The Forkland community, just over the northern Casey County line in Boyle County, has an active community center and for 40 years has hosted the "Forkland Heritage Festival" each October to honor the region's rural past and traditions.
• The Casey County Heritage Festival started in 2009 and is held each autumn at the Central Kentucky Agricultural/Expo Center.
• Highway 127 through the center of Casey County is part of a stretch of "The World's Longest Yard Sale"–– the famous 127 Yard Sale –– held the first full weekend of August each year (and spanning 675 miles!).
