Search engine is another Kentucky Proud success

 

 

  Commissioner Richie Farmer

 

Elsewhere in this issue of Kentucky Agricultural News Online, you will read about the new Kentucky Proud search engine. Whether you’re a consumer, a retailer, a wholesaler, a restaurant or anything else, the search engine enables you to find Kentucky Proud products quickly and easily.

 

We’re very excited about it. We think people will buy more Kentucky Proud products if they’re easier to find. And Kentucky Proud producers and businesses will enjoy more sales, keeping farmers on the farm and boosting Kentucky’s rural economy.

 

Kentucky Proud has come a long way. Five years ago, Kentucky Proud had about three dozen members. Today, more than 1,300 farmers, processors, retailers, restaurants, farmers’ markets and Kentucky state parks are members of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s farm marketing program. Kentucky Proud generated about $120 million in retail sales of Kentucky products in the past two years, and we think 2008 will be another big year for the program.

 

That $120 million in retail sales was achieved with a marketing budget of less than $5 million, which came from grants from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. Of all the investments the board has made, Kentucky Proud has proven to be one of the most successful. I’m grateful to the members of the board for their assistance and look forward to working with them to continue the growth of Kentucky Proud.

 

I still think the program has just scratched the surface of its potential. We have to grow our existing markets and open new ones. The timing couldn’t be better as consumers are taking a greater interest in what is in their food and where it came from. They want fresh, nutritious foods made close to home by people they trust. The Kentucky Proud search engine will help people find them.