For more than 30 years, Tim Farmer has hosted a television program on KET. But his history with the network, he said, runs even deeper. He was a child in Carter County when he first became a devoted viewer, fascinated to discover KET aired a weekly program about his favorite interests: hunting, fishing and the great outdoors.

“I grew up watching and learning from KET and Kentucky Afield,” Farmer said. “Jeremy Dreier was host, and I’d get my information about what to fish, what bait to use and what the water temperatures were from his fishing report.”

If you grew up in Kentucky, you grew up with KET – so you know the deep roots it has in our state.

Tim Farmer, host, Tim Farmer’s County Kitchen

Those experiences led to a career at the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife and, ultimately, a chance to host Kentucky Afield, where he became a fixture on KET for 20 years, taking home five Emmys for his efforts.

For the past decade, he’s teamed with his wife, Nicki, to run their production company and host Tim Farmer’s Country Kitchen, a program that explores traditional recipes and food preparation. The program has earned a wide following and even attracted offers from commercial networks wanting to bring it to cable. But Farmer always politely declines, adding that Kentucky’s in his blood and he has no interest in taking the program elsewhere.

“KET is the perfect home for our show,” Farmer said. “If you grew up in Kentucky, you grew up with KET – so you know the deep roots it has in our state. And KET’s programming is just pure Kentucky. I can’t think of another place I’d rather be.”

Farmer said he appreciates the fact that KET’s programming is educational and runs the gamut exploring a wide variety of subjects near and dear to Kentucky viewers. Whenever he travels outside the Commonwealth, he said he’s always surprised by how frequently he’s recognized by viewers and approached with friendly questions and comments.

“I think that’s a testament to the role KET plays in people’s lives,” Farmer said. “When people turn to KET, they expect to learn something, whether it’s about cooking or politics or some piece of Kentucky history. And I think Nicki and I are fortunate from being on KET. People don’t look at us like we’re typical television celebrities. Instead, we’re like an old friend who’s approachable and there to share information. And we really like it that way.”

Additionally, Farmer said the network has been a wonderful partner for his three decades on the air, calling it “the standard for professionalism” in the television industry. And its programs covering Kentucky’s public affairs or telling Kentucky’s stories are always thoughtful and interesting, going to the heart of the issues.

“It’s really rare to find a network that’s tailored to a region the way KET is to Kentucky,” Farmer said. “We’re very fortunate to have a place where viewers can turn whenever they want information about our home state. I’ll always have a huge respect for KET – it’s been a big part of my life since it first began.”