Started in 2017, to replace its predecessor “Ballard County Ag Day”, “WAVE AG Day” has become a very big event in the four River counties of west Kentucky.  On the 18 of July, over 300 people gathered at Columbus Belmont Park for the 3^rd Annual WAVE ag day, to fellowship, tour the vendor booths and to reveal the 2019 Famer of the Year, Ag business of the Year and several other awards that were presented.  WAVE short for West Kentucky Alliance for a Vibrant Economy, is a group from Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman and Fulton Counties designed to celebrate our agriculture economy  and to try and help with economic development in the 4 river counties.  The group is composed of government leadership from each county, business leaders, farmers, school leaders and the Extension Service in each county. It has grown in the last 3 years to a point where an executive director has been hired for a more local presence and to have a presence in Frankfort and Washington.  

While agriculture is the focus of the group, total community development is the real mission.  Job retention and creation in all fields is a focus and hopefully by pulling the resources of the 4 counties together, we can be much more successful than each working on their own.  Along with Ag Day, other activities were a booth at the Ky State Fair, a Community Appreciation Dinner in January where Representative Comer was the features speaker along with smaller community events in all 4 counties. Extension agents have been on the committee from the start and been a huge help in logistics, publicity and direction and we look for our roles to only increase with more success in the future.