When the Bath County ag center was first envisioned, a big part of the vision was to develop programs which would help farmers remain profitable as the state began its transition from tobacco to other commodities.  One of the first structures that the county erected was a covered building for the sale of produce.  Produce was seen as an economically viable alternative for tobacco in Bath County.  The location of the county along I-64 with such a close presence to Lexington in the west and Huntington to the east provided farmers in this area with a large population base to market products.  Not only did the county look at fresh fruits and vegetables as a tobacco alternative, they also planned for value added production with the development of a large certified kitchen and the Kentucky Market Pavilion.  Since its beginnings, the Bath County produce auction has operated out of the Bath County ag center.  Since 2010, the produce auction has provided a local wholesale market for local producers looking for ways to keep their farms sustainable. Since 2010 the auction has had total sales of $1,067,565.  The average yearly sales through the auction is $88,963.75.  On average, there are over 68 producers who take part in the auction each year and since its beginning there have been over 300 different producers from Bath and surrounding counties that have taken advantage of the market.  Produce that is sold through this market go to restaurants and other end users, but the vast majority is sold to small and mid size farmers who operate road side stands or have direct sales to other entities, adding an additional value at the farm gate for products sold through this venue.  The market has not seen the growth that the original founders had envisioned, however, it is an important tool for local small to medium sized farmers in the area that are trying to maintain some level of profitability on the land that they own.