The Ballard County Ag Development Board met in July 2024 to approve the funding of another round of CAIP (County Agriculture Improvement Program) for the producers of Ballard County through the Kentucky Office of Ag Policy.  They voted to use $322,309 of the Ballard County Funds for a 50% cost share program of up to $10,000 for each producer.  That means that the producer can spend up to $10,000 and get 50% up to $5,000 reimbursed.

In the past this program has been greatly received by Ballard County producers, with the biggest programs being Precision Ag, Grain storage and Drying and Hay storage.  Applications were accepted for the entire month of August.  There was enough money to fully fund 62 applications.  When the application process was complete and scored, 98 applications had been submitted.  The most ever in the history of the program in Ballard County.  The Ballard County Ag Development Board will take the 2025 payment in April and apply to the program, so at the end of the day, 80 total applications will be eligible for funding.

This will mean much work for the Ballard County Extension Office from making sure all returned paperwork meets the funding criteria, answering numerous questions on whether a practice is approved or not, to getting the final receipts to the administrator for payment.  Each participant will also have to attend an educational experience sponsored by the Extension Service.  The program runs through July 2025 when the reimbursement must be complete.  This will mean at least $410,000 reimbursed through the program with at least another $410,000 spent by the participants.  At the end of the day the total investment to agriculture in Ballard County will be over $1,000,000, with many of the projects being of a long term nature that will spread the benefits out over years to come.