Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy
Agricultural Development Funds Awarded

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (May 18, 2012) - The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board (KADB), chaired by Governor Steve Beshear, today approved $1,619,471 for 15 agricultural diversification projects across the Commonwealth during its May board meeting at the Shelby County Cooperative Extension Office.

$33,250 High School Greenhouse
The Woodford County Board of Education was approved for $33,250 in Woodford County funds to construct a greenhouse at Woodford County High School.  The project will provide students an opportunity to receive hands-on instruction with growing ornamental and vegetable plants in a greenhouse setting.  Students will also gain experience marketing vegetables to the school cafeteria and local businesses, as well as selling bedding plants to the community.  For more information about this project, contact Tracy Probst, agriculture teacher, at 859-873-5434 or tracy.probst@woodford.kyschools.us. 

The County Agricultural Investment Program (CAIP) is designed to provide farmers with incentives to allow them to improve and diversify their current production practices.  CAIP covers a wide variety of agricultural enterprises in its 11 investment areas.  Six CAIPs were approved by the board totaling $1,216,360 for Bath, Cumberland, Jessamine, McLean, Meade and Trimble counties.

In addition to these new approvals, an additional $322,298 was approved to supplement existing CAIPs in Henry and Pendleton counties.

The Deceased Farm Animal Removal Program serves as a measure to facilitate the coordination of environmentally sound and cost-effective disposal of deceased livestock for Kentucky producers. Three Deceased Farm Animal Removal Programs were approved totaling $19,500 for Franklin, Hardin and Henry counties.

The Shared-use Equipment Program is designed to benefit a high number of producers who cannot justify ownership expenses associated with certain equipment by helping them access technology necessary to improve their operations in an economical manner.   Three Shared-use Equipment Programs were approved by the board totaling $28,063 for Bell, Franklin and Pulaski counties.

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Gov. Steve Beshear and the Kentucky General Assembly continue to make great strides toward lessening Kentucky's dependence on tobacco production while revitalizing the farm economy by investing 50 percent of Kentucky's Master Settlement Agreement into the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund. 

To date, Kentucky has invested more than $370 million to an array of county, regional and state projects designed to increase net farm income and create sustainable new farm-based business enterprises. These funding approvals, made possible by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, represent just a few of the more than 4,000 projects approved, since the inception of the program in January 2001.