At the heart of Kentucky culture is our rural and agricultural community.

In the summer of 2006 I began working with the Kentucky History Center to capture the story of Kentucky's historic investment in agriculture; the establishment of the Kentucky Agriculture Development Fund (KADF).

IThe passage of HB611 by the General Assemby during the 2000 Legislative Session, created an unprecedented opportunity for the Commonwealth by committing 50% of Kentucky’s Master Settlement Agreement funds to the KADF.

This historic effort to diversify our agricultural economy away from dependency on tobacco production, while revitalizing the farm economy, led to the establishment of the largest commitment to agricultural diversification in Kentucky. 

These investments will provide a foundation for Kentucky farmers to be more competitive, as well as develop new farm activities that provide new opportunities and increase overall farm income.

The goal of my project with the History Center is to capture the oral history of this historic investment through interviews with agricultural leaders, legislators, and farmers. The project is underway and over the course of the summer I will post excerpts from the interviews on this site.

If you would like to learn more about the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund and the investments made into Kentucky's agricultural community visit the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy website.