Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy
Agricultural Development Funds Awarded

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 15, 2009) -The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board (KADB), chaired by Gov. Steve Beshear, approved $120,350 in three agricultural diversification projects across the Commonwealth during their January board meeting.

The following investments were made with Kentucky Agricultural Development Funds:

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.  Approvals for this program totaled $114,000 and included:

$114,000         Johnson County Agricultural Advancement Council Inc.

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.  Approvals for this program totaled $3,875 and included:

$3,875             Franklin County Conservation District

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.  Approvals for this program totaled $2,475 and included:

$2,475             Franklin County Conservation District  

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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 $296.6 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 3,611 projects that have been funded through the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, since the inception of the program in January 2001.