December 23, 2002
Contact: Kara Keeton, Communications Director
Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy
404 Ann Street, Frankfort
(502) 564-4627

State Agricultural Development Board Delivers $7,500 to Lyon County Tobacco Farmers

The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, chaired by Governor Paul Patton, delivered a check in the amount of $7,500 in support of the purchase of a tobacco steamer in Lyon County. Local farmers, Rod Murphy, Bobby Birdsong, and Randy Bush submitted a proposal for the tobacco steamer to the Lyon County Council to help area farmers prepare their tobacco for market. The three tobacco farmers will make the tobacco steamer and steamer services available to producers in Lyon, Caldwell, and Trigg Counties.

Kentucky has made a historic effort to diversify away from tobacco production while revitalizing the farm economy by investing 50% of Kentucky's Master Settlement Agreement into the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund. To date Kentucky has invested over $98 million to an array of county, regional, and state projects designed to increase net farm income and create sustainable new farm-based business enterprises. This project in Lyon County represents just one of the over 800 projects that have been funded through Agricultural Development Fund, since the inception of the program in January 2001.

For more information regarding this project, contact Rod Murphy at 270-365-5340, Bobby Birdsong at 270-365-3144, Randy Bush at 270-365-2760 or the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy at (502) 564-4627.

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