The Ballard County CAIP Program had a deadline of May 26th to return invoices and complete all paperwork and educational components.  Seventy Eight of the eligible Eighty participants completed their projects.  The Ballard County Ag Development Fund paid out $352,107 as part of a 50% cost share.  Producers actually spent $1,411,430 to complete their projects.  When you subtract the cost share, that means that producers in Ballard County spent $1,059,323  of their own dollars on projects for their individual farms.

That is an enormous investment in the agriculture infrastructure in Ballard County.  The most popular program was grain storage and improved grain drying efficiency.  Precision agriculture components were next, followed by hay storage.  All of these investments should see  continued benefits in the years to come.  While investments in beef production are declining, investments in commercial poultry production and small animal sheep and goat production are growing.  

The Ballard County Ag Development Board with the leadership of the Ballard County Extension Office has done a very good job of providing programs that have enhanced all facets of Ballard County Ag Production with the tremendous loss of tobacco production in the county.