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| Kentucky Task Force set to develop strategic plan |
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By JAIME MORGAN
Kentucky Correspondent PRINCETON, Ky. — After the third meeting of the Kentucky Task Force, critical challenges and emerging opportunities facing the state are further explored.
Commodity groups and other agricultural-related groups continue to define prospects for the state along with plans of action and areas of responsibilities. Dr. Tony Brannon, Dean of the Murray State University School of Agriculture, serves as Chairman of the Agriculture Council which heads up the Task Force.
“The main goal of the Task Force is to improve net income in the agricultural sector as well as improving the quality of life for rural Kentucky,” Brannon said. “One of the secondary goals of the process is to have all of agriculture to come together in a unified effort to discuss ways to positively affect our industry.”
Thus far, the committee has explored topics greatly affecting the state.
“Through surveys and meetings, we have identified six major categories of critical challenges and/or emerging opportunities. The Task Force is in the process of identifying action steps and benchmarks for each of these categories,” Brannon added.
The categories under review include rural communities, labor, energy and alternative fuel, health care, markets and production, and finally education.
Brannon said, “As part of this strategic planning process, we have harnessed the support and input of 47 different (farm groups) and the top ag leaders in the state. As part of this process, these leaders have made the commitment to attend the meetings all across the state from Somerset to Murray. I have been truly amazed at the great start that we have toward development of a plan that will become an on-going document providing guiding principles for agricultural development in Kentucky for years to come.”
The topics resulted from a survey of 45 agricultural organizations across the state that were asked to identify critical challenges and up and coming opportunities for their respective industries, agriculture sectors and rural communities.
“There is a new emphasis on building partnerships within the agriculture community that address our combined future,” said Harvey Mitchell, director of agriculture outreach for the Center for Rural Development in Somerset.
The Task Force agreed that educating the general public as well as farmers and other agricultural interests will be one of the priorities of the strategic plan.
“In the past three years, total farm income surpassed $4 billion for the first time in history and net farm income reached new highs,” said Gov. Ernie Fletcher. “The entrepreneurial spirit of our farmers is creating new income sources by adding value to traditional farm commodities and new opportunities ranging from agri-tourism to goat production.”
The plan is set to be completed and published by Dec. 15. The next meeting will be Aug. 16; the opening day of the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville.“The Strategic Planning document will provide the guiding principles to move agriculture forward in the next years,” he said. “It is our hope that the Strategic Planning document will be the first step in a continuing process whereby the Kentucky Agricultural Council will regularly review and update the document to provide an on-going plan for the future of agriculture.”
For more details, contact Brannon at tony.brannon@murraystate.edu
This farm news was published in the Aug. 8, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
| 8/8/2007 |
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