Martin County has one of the largest apple orchards in the state with 120,000 trees planted for the first round.  Another 200,000 Honey Crisp trees are planned for the near future. A grant for 3.2 million dollars has been received for a  processing facility that will be located near the orchard site.

The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service will play a vital role in the “Apple Atcha” project by working with farmers in Martin, as well as, the surrounding counties to educate and encourage the production of apples.  The apples produced in the region can be taken to the facility for processing and purchase. The Extension Service along with Specialists from the University  provides educational resources for pesticide certification and insect and disease control and tissue culture for determining nutrient requirements.

This high density orchard project will offer many new job opportunities for the region and significantly increase the potential for greater family farm income.