House Bill 611 and the implementation of the Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement has allocated nearly $2.4 million over a 17 year period for use in the re-structuring of Clay County Agriculture to alleviate financial problems caused by dependency on tobacco income.  Access to capital is always among the top barriers preventing producers from venturing into new enterprises.  The Clay County Agriculture Development Council has been instrumental in assisting producer’s transition since 2001 by using County Agriculture Investment Programs (CAIP) funds for capital.  These funds aid producers by allowing them to adopt best management practices for agricultural enterprises.  Over 320 producers have implemented over 1000 practices to increase net farm income such as better selection of bulls and heifers, timber stand improvement, hay and machinery storage and fencing.  The Clay County ANR Agent coordinates the Agriculture Development Council meetings and all the educational meetings that are required for producers to meet all qualifications to receive funding.  This year another $321,000 was put into a program that has benefited 73 producers who continue their diversification efforts away from tobacco or who are beginning farmers.