FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles recently announced the launch of the Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp., which he said will focus on making the state the agricultural technology capital of the United States.

Quarles cited Kentucky’s world dominance in the horse industry, genetic progress in poultry, and sustainability advancements in no-till farming as selling points for attracting agribusinesses.

He said Kentucky offers traditional business incentives from the state, along with agriculture resources such as funding, networking, and marketing support for startups.

“When we think of software development, we think of Silicon Valley,” he said. “When we think of advancements in healthcare, we think of Boston. We believe that Kentucky can step up to the challenges facing our agriculture communities and become the agriculture hub of technology and innovation in the United States.”

The Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp.’s board of directors includes representatives of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the City of Lexington, the University of Kentucky, and Alltech, one of the world’s top five animal health and nutrition companies.

Headquartered in Nicholasville, Ky., since 1980, Alltech’s leadership sees myriad opportunities for Kentucky to grow as a global leader in agrifood innovation, said Dr. Mark Lyons, Alltech president and CEO.

“In 2017, my father, Dr. Pearse Lyons, penned an op-ed for The Lexington Herald-Leader, challenging the region to harness the energy of its traditions and expertise within agriculture, food and beverage,” he said.

For the past few years, he said the collaborative efforts of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the City of Lexington, the University of Kentucky and others have been working to make his father’s vision a reality.

“With the formation of the Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp., this group is taking a significant step forward in creating an ecosystem for agrifood innovation that builds upon Kentucky’s best attributes,” he said.

Linda Gorton, Lexington’s mayor, said she sees an opportunity to make the Lexington and Fayette County area a thriving agricultural technology center.

In April, she announced her proposed budget includes $1 million to kickstart the Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp.

“Now, we are establishing a public-private partnership, the Bluegrass Ag Tech Development Corp., to provide for staff, locations, incentives and challenge grants,” she said. “In this budget, I am pledging $1 million toward these efforts.

“Our partners have also expressed an interest in working with the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board for additional funding and support for this effort,” she added.

Last month at the Alltech One conference, she said, “Advancement of ag tech as an economic development initiative has been a key focus of my first term. Good, high-paying jobs will grow out of this public private partnership.”

Nancy Cox, dean of the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, said this effort is a complement to the college’s education, research and outreach missions.

“A vibrant ag tech hub will provide more opportunities to develop new research collaborations and innovations, while also providing more opportunities for UK graduates to stay in Kentucky, and work in these new agriculture-based companies,” she said.

“With a presence in all 120 Kentucky counties, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service provides education and technical assistance that helps producers across the state benefit from new ag tech innovation,” she added.

When asked how they will work together to achieve their goals, the board said in a June 16 joint statement, “The commonality of goal-setting and milestone achievements will be established by the board.”

They added that they would “collectively use their ag network channels to promote the Bluegrass AgTech initiatives once they are underway.”

As a next step, the board said they will begin to search for an executive director, adding that a place to house the corporation has yet to be determined.