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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Regional agritourism organizations in Kentucky may apply through Aug. 1 for matching grant funds for purchasing marketing materials, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture has announced.
The maximum award is $8,500 per region. Applicants must match the grant with at least 50 percent cash. The grants are funded by a $249,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The Kentucky Agritourism Advisory Council will award the grants. The council has appointed a committee that will evaluate the applications and make a recommendation to the council.
Applications will be judged on:
- Number of counties affected;
- Number of farmers involved in planning;
- Amount of funds requested (higher scores will be given to applications with lower requests and higher matches); and
- Sustainability of the project after the grant funds have been spent.
Regional representatives of the Agritourism Advisory Council will help associations complete their applications.
The Aug. 1 deadline will end the first of four rounds of grants. Successive rounds will end Feb. 1, 2007; Aug. 1, 2007, and Feb. 1, 2008.
For more information, or to obtain an application, contact Kelly Ludwig, director of the state Office of Agritourism, at (502) 564-4983 or Kelly.ludwig@ky.gov.
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