FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 17, 2003
Contact: Kara Keeton, Communications Director
Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy
(502) 564-4627

$882,705 Invested in Kentucky Agricultural Diversification

The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, chaired by Governor Paul Patton, approved $882,705 agricultural diversification projects across the Commonwealth at their monthly Board Meeting January 17 in room 110 of the Capitol.

Agricultural Development Fund Projects approved for funding at the January meeting include:

$6,000 Jessamine County FFA Alumni Association

Jessamine County FFA Alumni Association received approval for $6,000 in Jessamine County funds to establish a cost-share of up to $500 for FFA and 4-H student projects for the year 2003. These funds will help students invest in projects in the field of agriculture and will require students to prepare a projection of the project cost and keep records of the success or failure of their venture. FFA and 4-H students would submit applications for their projects and the funding requirements. By funding an initial 50% cost-share, students would be expected to be able to fund their own project the following year with no cost-share assistance.
 

$74,000 Ballard County Conservation District

The Ballard County Conservation District received approval for $74,000 in Ballard County funds to administer a precision agriculture program. The program will allow progressive grain farmers in Ballard County to adopt equipment that should allow for more efficiency, be more environmentally friendly, and increase profits for grain production.
 

$15,750 Bracken County Agricultural Advancement Council

Bracken County Agricultural Advancement Council received approval for $15,750 in Bracken County funds to establish a cost-share of up to $500 for FFA and 4-H student projects. These funds will assist students invest in projects in the field of agriculture and will require students to prepare a projection of the project cost and keep records of the success or failure of their venture. FFA and 4-H students would submit applications for their projects and the funding requirements. By funding an initial 50% cost-share students are expected to be able to fund their own project the following year with no cost-share assistance.
 

$2,675 Technology for Green County High School Agriculture Department

Green County High School received approval for $2,675.00 of Green County funds to expand the school's agricultural department's technological resources. The funds would be used to purchase Computer Programs, Lab Kits, CD-ROMS, Videos, a Projector and GPS literature.
 

County model programs are designed to provide farmers with cost-share funding to allow them to improve and diversify their current production practices. The cattle handling and cattle genetics programs allow for assistance to purchase equipment and animals to improve the health and profitability of cattle. The forage program improves pastures to allow for improved grazing by animals, reducing producer costs for feed, and improving feed quality. The goat diversification program works to assist producers to venture into this relatively new area of agriculture in Kentucky. And the diversification program is designed to assist in the transition into ten new areas of agriculture including dairy, aquaculture, and horticulture. The hay, straw, & grain storage program allows producers to increase the quality and marketability of products to improve the overall farm income. The following is a list of County model programs that were approved for funding at this meeting.

County Cattle Genetics Improvement Programs approved by the board totaled $51,250 and included:

County Forage Improvement Programs approved by the board totaled $34,199 and included:

County Cattle Handling Programs approved by the board totaled $58,750 and included:

County Goat Diversification Programs approved by the board totaled $20,000 and included:

County Agricultural Diversification Programs approved by the board totaled $326,081 and included:

County Hay, Straw, and Grain Storage Programs approved by the Board totaled $294,000 and included:

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. Of this 50% allocation, 65% of the Fund is set aside for regional and statewide agricultural projects, while 35% is earmarked for individual counties on the basis of their tobacco dependence. Since the inception of the program in January 2001, the Agricultural Development Board has reviewed over 1500 proposals and approved over 850 proposals committing over $100 million to an array of county, regional, and state projects designed to increase net farm income and create sustainable new farm-based business enterprises.

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