Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy
$494,000 from Kentucky Agricultural Development Funds Approved for Kentucky Dairy Development Council

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 23, 2009) - The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, chaired by Gov. Steve Beshear, approved $494,000 in state funds for the Kentucky Dairy Development Council (KDDC) to further their efforts and to continue their support for Kentucky’s dairy industry. This proposal was one of the twenty-four projects approved at the January Kentucky Agricultural Development Board Meeting that took place in Lexington, Ky.

The KDDC will use Kentucky Agricultural Development Funds to continue the daily operations of KDDC and the Kentucky Dairy Improvement Program that includes the Dairy Consultant Program, Young Dairy Producer Initiative, and the Market Incentive Leadership for Kentucky Program. These funds will allow the KDDC to provide financial incentives for Kentucky dairy producers to improve milk quality and increase the quantity of milk produced on Kentucky farms.

Governor Beshear and the 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 KADF.  To date, Kentucky has invested more than $280 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 diversification programs represent more than 3,404 projects that have been funded through Agricultural Development Fund, since the inception of the program in January 2001.

For more information on the Kentucky Dairy Development Council, contact Maury Cox (859) 516-1129.  To learn more about cost-share and loan programs available in your area contact the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy at (502) 564-4627.

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