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

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 18, 2009) -The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, chaired by Gov. Steve Beshear, today approved $934,798 in nine agricultural diversification projects across the Commonwealth, during their monthly board meeting.

The following investments were made with Kentucky Agricultural Development Funds:

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 $917,239 and included:

$180,580         Allen County Conservation District

$  65,569         Caldwell-Lyon Cattlemen’s Association (Caldwell Co.)

$131,090         Knox County Conservation District

$270,000         Montgomery County Cattlemen’s Association Inc.

$270,000         Rockcastle County Conservation District

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 $17,559 and included:

$5,226             Allen County Conservation District

$3,333             Barren County Conservation District

$7,500             Lincoln County Fiscal Court

$1,500             Pendleton County Conservation District           

###

Gov. 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 $294.5 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 3,574 projects that have been funded through the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, since the inception of the program in January 2001.