Kentucky Ag Board Approves $533K for Farm Projects

By Blake Jackson

The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board has approved $533,249 to support agricultural diversification and rural development projects across the state. The decision was announced during the board’s monthly meeting on Friday.

"The Agricultural Development Board invests in projects that strengthen our ag community," Commissioner of Agriculture and Board Chair Jonathan Shell said. "These projects are helping to diversify our agricultural landscape and grow our economy, which is a benefit to all of Kentucky."

County and State Funded Projects

Several initiatives received funding under this round of approvals:

• Animal Care Veterinary Center, LLC was awarded up to $60,191 in state funds and $12,038 in multi-county funds for the purchase of a truck and veterinary box through the Large & Food Animal Veterinary Incentives Program.
• Graves County Farm Bureau, Inc secured up to $5,000 in county funds to acquire grain bin safety harnesses.
• Jarrod Cornett received up to $3,750 in state funds for consultation services as part of the Food Safety and Efficiency Incentives Program.
• Lowes Produce was allocated up to $127,797 in state funds to build a watermelon processing facility.
• Pennyrile Resource Conservation and Development Area, Inc was granted up to $2,500 in Christian County funds to establish a community garden.

County Programs

The board also approved funding for several county-level programs:

• County Agricultural Incentives Program (CAIP): Four CAIPs totaling $259,873 were approved in Anderson ($5,000), Carlisle ($112,739), Lyon ($60,000), and Perry ($82,134). This program provides cost-share assistance to producers for improvements across multiple agricultural areas, including livestock, infrastructure, horticulture, timber, energy efficiency, and value-added production.
• Deceased Farm Animal Removal (DAR): Three DARs totaling $34,400 were approved for Marion ($15,000), Mercer ($15,000), and Spencer ($4,400) to help producers manage livestock disposal in an environmentally responsible manner.
• Youth Agricultural Incentives Program (YAIP): Three YAIPs totaling $27,700 were approved in Caldwell ($2,600), Mercer ($20,000), and Spencer ($5,100) to encourage youth participation in agriculture.

Application deadlines for CAIP and YAIP programs will be advertised locally.

Photo Credit: kentucky-agricultural-board