Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy
Investments Made in Agricultural Diversification

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 15, 2009) -The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, chaired by Gov. Steve Beshear, approved $1,886,666 in agricultural diversification projects across the Commonwealth, during their monthly board meeting.

The County Agricultural Investment Program is designed to provide farmers with incentives to allow them to improve and diversify their current production practices.  C.A.I.P. covers a wide variety of agricultural enterprises in its eleven investment areas.

County Agricultural Investment Programs approved by the Board totaled $1,868,416 and included:

$150,000         Green River Area Beef Improvement Group (Daviess Co.)

$295,000         Henry County Cattlemen’s Association

$  63,680         Jefferson County Farm Bureau

$200,000         Jessamine County FFA Alumni Association

$  38,000         Lee County Conservation District

$300,000         Madison County Conservation District

$  71,000         Meade County Cattlemen’s Association Inc.

$197,097         Morgan County Fiscal Court

$  45,000         Oldham County Farm Bureau

$116,000         Owsley County Conservation District

$180,000         Spencer County Conservation District

$188,000         Trimble County Cattlemen’s Association

$  25,639         Green River Area Beef Improvement Group (Webster Co.)

The Deceased Farm Animal Removal Program serves as an interim measure to facilitate the coordination of environmentally sound and cost effective disposal of deceased livestock for Kentucky producers. County Deceased Farm Animal Removal Programs approved by the Board totaled $13,250 and included:

$    7,500         Henry County Fiscal Court

$    3,250         Spencer County Fiscal Court

$    2,500         Trimble County Fiscal Court

The Shared-use Equipment Program is designed to impact 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. County shared-use equipment programs approved by the Board totaled $5,000 and included:

$    5,000         Daviess County Cattlemen’s Association

For information on a specific award, contact the recipient or the county Cooperative Extension Office. For more information about these programs in general, visit agpolicy.ky.gov or call the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy at (502) 564-4627. 

###

Governor Steve Beshear and the Kentucky Legislature 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 $281 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 represent just a few of  more than 3,447 projects that have been funded through the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, since the inception of the program in January 2001.