The scope of agriculture in Grant County has evolved over the past 20 years.  Burley tobacco production no longer remains the economic driver for farm revenue.  Farmers looked to supplement the loss of tobacco income with more and additional sources for farm revenue.  The Grant County Agriculture Development Council has been proactive in utilizing funds from the Master Settlement Agreement to assist farmers.  These efforts allow farmers to merge their businesses with the latest technologies and concepts to continue to grow farm gate receipts.

The Grant County Extension Service collaborated with the Grant County Soil Conservation District, the Grant County Cattlemen’s Association and the Grant County Farm Bureau Federation thru an effort to maximize farmer’s funds by providing educational programs to all applicants for the programs.   Curriculum was developed from specialists, publications and programs from the University Of Kentucky College Of Agriculture.

One-hundred twenty-two farmers attended the educational sessions.  Farmers were polled using the application to determine if they would improve a practice from knowledge gained at the training.  100% of the applicants indicated that they would change or improve a practice covered during the educational sessions.

One hundred and twenty-four Grant County farmers completed projects that either improved or changed a current practice on their farm.  These farmers nearly received a total of $369,000 in total reinvestment dollars total expenditures for the program.  Farm practice change projects ranged from commodity storage, genetics, farmland improvement, agriculture diversification, to fencing.