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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 25, 2008
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-4696
PLAN CALLS FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN KY. AGRICULTURE
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky must continue and enhance its investment in agriculture production, infrastructure, marketing and education, according to the new agriculture strategic plan that was submitted to Governor Steve Beshear today.
Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer, second from right, chats with other Kentucky farm leaders prior to the news conference Jan. 25 in Lexington in which the new strategic plan for Kentucky agriculture was submitted to Governor Steve Beshear. Pictured with Commissioner Farmer are, from left: Marshall Coyle, president of Kentucky Farm Bureau; Tony Brannon, dean of the Murray State University School of Agriculture; Scott Smith, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, and Michael Judge, executive director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's marketing office. (Photo by Ted Sloan) |
“A Pathway for Kentucky Agriculture and Its Rural Communities: 2007 to 2012 Strategic Plan” was unveiled in Lexington at the Kentucky Press Association’s annual convention. The plan was crafted in 2007 by representatives of 50 agriculture organizations, government agencies and universities.
“I want to commend the agricultural leaders who came together to ask tough questions about their industry and its place in the 21st century,” Governor Beshear said. “The ideas they have developed in this strategic plan will be essential to achieve the long-term goals of our agriculture and rural communities.”
“I appreciate the hard work of the Task Force on the Future of Agriculture to create this strategic plan,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “Kentucky agriculture has made great progress toward diversifying our farm economy and making agriculture more profitable. With this plan as a guide, we will be able to build on the gains we have made.”
“During the past year, I witnessed a core group of agricultural leaders who … have provided a unified strategic plan and road map to guide Kentucky’s farm families to a brighter and more profitable tomorrow,” task force Chairman Tony Brannon wrote in a letter in the strategic plan.
The plan calls for continuing the investment of 50 percent of Kentucky’s share of tobacco settlement funds into agricultural diversification while also investing state General Fund dollars into Kentucky agriculture. Among the 30 goals listed in the Task Force report, a few of the major priorities include:
- continuing to support the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Kentucky Proud marketing program;
- upgrading the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center and Murray State University’s Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville;
- addressing the shortage of large-animal veterinarians in Kentucky;
- developing policies and infrastructure to support Kentucky’s biofuels industry; and
- funding the proposed Kentucky Agriculture Heritage Center in Mercer County.
For a copy of the strategic plan, go to www.kyagcouncil.org.
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Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer, left, and Governor Steve Beshear speak moments before the news conference on the agriculture strategic plan Jan. 25 in Lexington. (Photo by Ted Sloan) |
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