By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

HARRODSBURG, Ky.— With a packed house in the sales arena of one of the largest cattle farms in the state, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke to farmers and agriculture officials during his visit to Kentucky last week.

Vilsack held his fourth rural community forum since becoming head of the USDA at the Anderson Circle Farms main headquarters, to hear comments and to update constituents since the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
“As President Obama and I help rebuild and revitalize rural America, we want those affected by decisions made in Washington to be part of the process to develop innovative solutions and chart a path for these communities to participate in the new 21st century economy,” said Vilsack.

The Secretary spoke of trends he had noticed in farming after studying the USDA Ag Census and said that his agency needs to create new opportunities for small farming operations by linking local producers with local consumers through farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA.)  He also said that mid-size operations need to expand into biofuels and renewable energy opportunities.

Vilsack appeared later in the week on CSPAN’s Washington Journal and discussed his trip to Kentucky and some of the comments he heard.

“We’ve been doing this in a number of states and we had a story to tell in Kentucky; investments to help families weather the tough economic times with additional food assistance and how that stimulates not just opportunities for needy families but it also stimulates the economy. It helps producers by purchasing more food products,” he said.

Vilsack added that while in Kentucky he had a chance to visit people and projects directly affected by the USDA’s portion of the $787 billion stimulus package.

Some of the programs and funding for those programs that have had a direct impact on Kentuckians include more than $3.7 million in loans distributed by the Farm Service Agency to 101 Kentucky farmers; the USDA’s Single Family Housing program support for Kentucky households;  the $19 million from the USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal program for six Kentucky water and waste disposal projects;  more than $3 million from the USDA’s U.S. Forest Service for three capital improvement and maintenance projects; more than $1.1 million to the Forest Service in Kentucky for three projects to reduce hazardous fuels and restore local habitats; $4 million for the Fox Creek Watershed project in Fleming County to upgrade the existing flood control dam to meet current hazard dam safety requirements; $412,000 from the USDA’s Community Facilities program to five communities to purchase vital police cars and an ambulance; $2.8 million to help administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; funds to support the Emergency Food Assistance Program; and more than $2 million for equipment grants to schools participating in the National School Lunch Program.

Those state projects are just a sampling of some of the initiatives the USDA has supported across the country.

The day after his Kentucky visit, Vilsack announced the selection of nearly $143 million in water and environmental projects that are being funded immediately by the ARRA.

The projects will help provide safe drinking water and improved wastewater treatment systems for rural towns and communities in 21 states according to the USDA. Indiana and Ohio are two of those states on the receiving end of funds to go toward water projects.