Agriculture development projects approved for more then $2 million

19 projects selected across state

TAYLORSVILLE, Ky. (July 18, 2014) — The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, chaired by Gov. Steve Beshear, approved $2,113,769 for 19 agriculture diversification projects across the commonwealth.

State and regional investments approved included:

• Livestock Slaughter Facility: Beef & Bacon Custom Processing LLC was approved for up to $100,000 in state and $100,000 in multi-county funds to construct a 4,000-square-foot animal processing facility in McLean County.  Funds will be used for site work, building construction and equipment purchases.  The facility will process cattle, hogs and deer initially with limited USDA-inspected processing in the future. The applicant estimates that 400-500 farm families will benefit from the project.
• Louisville Farm to Table: Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government was approved for $120,000 in state funds across two years for continuation of the Louisville Farm to Table program.  The goals of the program are to connect Kentucky producers with purchasers, particularly large volume buyers and to promote the development of a more comprehensive local food system of aggregation, distribution, processing and manufacturing. The applicant estimates that the project will facilitate sales for at least 60 farm families and will provide educational opportunities for more than 300 farm families.

County investments approved included:

• Environmental Stewardship: The Deceased Farm Animal Removal Program serves as a measure to facilitate the coordination of environmentally sound and cost-effective disposal of deceased livestock for Kentucky producers. Two Deceased Farm Animal Removal Programs were approved for Clark and Henry counties, totaling $15,000.
• On-Farm Investments: The County Agricultural Investment Program (CAIP) is designed to provide farmers with incentives to allow them to improve and diversify their current production practices in an effort to increase net farm income. CAIP covers a wide variety of on-farm agricultural enterprises in its 10 investment areas, including production, marketing and value-added processing. Seven CAIPs were approved by the board totaling $1,176,876 for Adair, Cumberland, Fayette, Grayson, Muhlenberg, Scott and Trimble counties.
• An additional $548,162 was approved to supplement existing CAIPs in Garrard, Henry, Magoffin and Ohio counties.
• Shared-Use Equipment: The Shared-use Equipment Program is designed to benefit 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. One Shared-use Equipment Program was approved by the board for Carter County, totaling $8,648.
• Shared-Use Equipment Storage: The Garrard County Conservation District was approved for $10,000 in Garrard County funds to construct a storage facility.  The 84-foot-by-20-foot facility will house the county’s shared-use equipment near the conservation district’s office. The central location of the facility will allow for improved maintenance and tracking of the equipment, along with easier access by farmers.  The applicant states that 1,000 farm families have the potential to benefit from the project.
• Veterinary Technician Livestock Working Facility: Owensboro Community and Technical College was approved for $7,500 in Daviess County and $4,583 in Hancock County funds to construct a 40-foot-by-80-foot facility to house and handle livestock. This facility will help OCTC’s newly established veterinary technician training program meet certain requirements for accreditation by the American Veterinarian Medical Association. The facility will consist of three stalls, an equine work area, livestock working area, wet lab and feed/hay storage.
• Youth Cost-Share Program: The Green River Area Beef Improvement Group Inc. (GRABIG) was approved for $20,000 in Daviess County funds to provide a youth cost-share program for agricultural production projects. The program provides youth up to $1,000 in cost-share reimbursement for equipment, structure or supplies necessary to carry out an agricultural project in crop, forage, vegetable, livestock or greenhouse production. Additionally, this program exposes youth to farm record keeping, low interest funding opportunities and basic accounting.