Ag investments help in tough times
Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer
Kentucky farmers had a tough year in 2007 with the April freeze and the drought that followed. It looks like 2008 will present challenges of its own as the national economic downturn affects us all. High feed, fuel and fertilizer costs are squeezing the bottom line.
There is no silver bullet that will change things. We are at the mercy of forces much larger than we are as individuals or as a Commonwealth. For the time being, all we can do is tighten our belts and ride it out.
But I remain convinced that the future is bright for Kentucky farmers. That’s because our leaders had the vision to invest half of Kentucky’s tobacco settlement money into agricultural diversification. The best thing we can do now for the long-term prosperity of Kentucky agriculture is to maintain these investments and build on the momentum we have established already.
The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, of which I am vice chairman, has invested more than $250 million into setting a firm foundation for Kentucky agriculture. These investments are helping many farmers find ways to make up for lost tobacco income. Some are growing vegetables for the commercial market, for processing into value-added products, or to sell directly to consumers at farmers’ markets. Others are raising goats for the growing ethnic market. Others are opening their operations as agritourism destinations. The Kentucky Proud program is opening markets for Kentucky farm products and enabling consumers to identify foods that were grown, raised or processed close to home.
The K.A.R.E. program is a good example of a wise investment in Kentucky agriculture. This funding will enable farmers to make improvements to their operations that will boost their profits. I am especially pleased that K.A.R.E. funds will be used for on-farm water retention projects, which I believe are important to the future of our agricultural diversification efforts. Improvements made under the K.A.R.E. program will have a lasting impact on Kentucky agriculture for years to come.
Kentucky farmers are the most resilient, innovative and hardest-working people I know. While we try to keep going through these uncertain economic times, we can act to create a more prosperous Kentucky in the future.
