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

Agricultural Development Board Invests $15,400 in Tobacco Steamers for Trigg County

The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, chaired by Governor Paul Patton, approved $15,400 in Trigg County Agricultural Development Funds for shared-use tobacco steamers in Trigg County.

Harton Farms and Lawrence Brothers Farms submitted proposals to the Trigg County Agricultural Development Council requesting funds to assist in the purchase of tobacco steamer units to add value to existing crops and to provide support and custom services for other tobacco producers in Trigg, Lyon, Caldwell and Christian counties. The steamers will allow producers to use one tobacco barn to fire cure two crops of dark fired tobacco in one growing season, thus increasing their efficiency dramatically. Harton Farms and Lawrence Brothers Farms each anticipate providing steamer services to 10-15 tobacco producers in the first year.

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. The Trigg County tobacco steamer projects represents just two 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 Todd Harton at (270) 522-4626, Ernest Lawrence at (270) 522-8355 or the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy at (502) 564-4627.

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