FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Agriculture Council (KAC) recently presented Gov. Steve Beshear with its five-year strategic plan for state agriculture.

“Connecting: Strategies to Better Kentucky’s Agricultural Economy and Rural Communities (2013-18)” is the second such report initiated by the KAC. The idea of a plan began in 2007, with the convening of the first Kentucky Agriculture Summit.

This brought ag leaders from around the state together to accept a challenge from then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher to develop a strategic plan of action to build on the state’s agricultural successes, and propel all of Kentucky agriculture into the future.

Keith Rogers, who served as the executive director of the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy under the Fletcher administration and who is a current board member of the KAC, said what’s notable about both strategic plans is they were built around topic areas.

“This plan has seven topic areas and, within those, we have established a background and goals and action items to accomplish those goals,” he explained.

Kentucky isn’t the only state to implement such a plan, but Rogers said because of the way it has been designed with the action items and goals, one study ranked Kentucky’s in the top three of all state plans.

“Probably the most unique thing about the structure and how we do this is the fact that the KAC is the lead entity. The council is an organization of about 84 organizations that work with agriculture,” Rogers said. “When you bring those kinds of numbers to the table to develop a strategic plan, you generally can have all views on the table and a good discussion, and I think that’s what our secret is in Kentucky.”

A task force was created to put together the plan and began work in February 2012 with a series of meetings and forums across the state. The report was finished last November. Beshear, who accepted the first plan during the early months of his first term, said it is not just about improving ag and helping farmers, it’s about strengthening their place in communities and improving quality of life and economic vitality across Kentucky.

“This plan for Kentucky’s agriculture community is a strong and thoughtful document that, when implemented, will help secure a bright future for our farm families,” he said.

The seven topic areas include: Next Generation Farming; New Markets Identification & Development; Regional Agricultural & Rural Community Development; Agricultural Education; Consumer Education & Outreach; Government Policies, Initiatives & Programs; and Policy-Maker Education & Outreach.

Rogers said the importance of such a document is to guide the state to the next level agriculturally, as it grows and diversifies – and while the plan addresses many areas in agriculture, he said the topic of Next Generation Farming really stood out.

“We have matured enough as an industry that we have a lot of young people who are coming back into production agriculture and into industry careers,” he said. “So, one of the biggest focuses (of the plan) was on the next crop of producers and those being involved in agriculture.”

Kentucky agriculture has enjoyed growth even in the midst of an economic downturn. But during the period the plan covers, the state will lose a significant portion of farm income as tobacco buyout funds end and as direct payments from the government may go away as part of a new farm bill.

Rogers said that loss of revenue was acknowledged in the document and, while a direct way to replace it is not included and may not even be possible, action on such topics as tax policy, that would give farmers an advantage or help compensate for lost revenue, are addressed.

Will Snell, an agricultural economist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, made note of the concerns caused by these upcoming losses in the plan’s executive summary.

He wrote: “A more immediate and direct concern will be filling the void of tobacco buyout payments ending in 2014 and likely cuts in other government payments (e.g. direct payments), collectively accounting for around 20 percent of our net farm income in recent years. Consequently, Kentucky agriculture, like U.S. agriculture, will probably have to depend more on the marketplace to replace these lost dollars.”

The strategic plan also includes a “Top Five List” of priority policy actions to advance Kentucky agriculture. 

Those include: “restore the historical level of revenue to the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund that will permit it to continue support for diversification of Kentucky farm production and strengthen the economic vitality of rural communities; fully fund and implement initiatives under way to upgrade the diagnostic facilities at the Murray State Breathitt Veterinary Center, including full construction funding in the Commonwealth’s 2014 budget;

“Improve the competitiveness of Kentucky agriculture with other states and help to increase net farm income through innovative legislation and tax law modifications, and also create a regulatory environment that allows agricultural producers and businesses to make long-term operational decisions and investments in land, labor and equipment;

“Continue to provide strong funding support for the Department of Agriculture’s Kentucky Proud program and also increase state funding through KDA for agriculture-focused companion marketing efforts at regional, national and international events; and adequately fund the state’s agricultural experiment stations and university farms to cover the costs of deferred maintenance on facilities and provide adequate funds for new programs.”

For more information about the KAC or to view the five-year strategic plan, go to www.kyagcouncil.org