FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 4, 2002
Contact: Kara Keeton, Communications Director
Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy
404 Ann Street, Frankfort
(502) 564-4627

Agricultural Development Fund Discussed at Joint Informational Hearing

The success and future of the Agriculture Development Fund was the topic of John-Mark Hack's presentation to the House Bill 611 Tobacco Settlement Fund Oversight and the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Joint Informational Hearing in Harrison County on December 3, 2002.

John-Mark Hack, Executive Director of the Agricultural Development Fund, informed the committees that the Agricultural Development Board has reviewed over 1500 applications and approved over 800 for an investment of over $98 million since January 2001. These have been strategic, targeted investments on local, regional, and state levels to provide new processing and marketing capacity, new technical assistance programs, and new on-farm financial assistance.

Kentucky is off to a great start on this long journey to diversify Kentucky's agriculture away from dependence on tobacco. Projects funded through this program impact counties across the state. Our farmers, our county councils, the state Agricultural Development Board, and our Legislators have led the way in this historic investment. Yet, the program is not perfect and there are still improvements to be made, especially in our most tobacco dependent counties.

"Successful projects are rooted in the communities and among the people who will benefit from them," stated Hack. "If projects are to be sustainable, the energy behind successful projects must come from the people for whom the project is designed to benefit the producer."

Fostering the entrepreneurial spirit in farmers is the backbone of Agricultural Development Fund. To encourage the development of this spirit in our most tobacco dependent counties, the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy and Kentucky Center of Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship are sponsoring a Farm Family Education Program on December 16, 2002. This is the first of several programs planned to provide educational and technical assistance for producers interested in diversifying their farming operations.

There are many obstacles to overcome in our most tobacco dependent counties and it will take a coordinated effort from producers, local officials, and all other levels of leadership to help solve these problems. The commitment to the program must be sustained to ensure long-term success.

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