Barren County conservation-related agriculture projects awarded $300k-plus

BY MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
GLASGOW NEWS 1
Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday that the Kentucky Soil and Water Conservation Commission has selected 345 Kentucky farm projects to receive a total of $4,203,631 in tobacco settlement funds.
Thirty projects and funding totaling $339,143.63 have been approved for Barren County farmers.
The money is intended to help farmers promote practices that protect water quality and prevent soil erosion. Projects include alternative water sources for livestock, grassed waterways, fencing to facilitate rotational grazing, and cover crops, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
“When Kentucky’s farming families prosper, so does Team Kentucky,” Beshear said. “Through this funding, our farm owners are able to address issues that impact our environment and implement practices that improve productivity and increase their bottom line.”
Tobacco Master Settlement funds are appropriated each year by the General Assembly to support the program. Funds are distributed with the assistance of the 121 soil and water conservation districts across Kentucky that work with local farmers to verify and submit proposed projects for consideration. Award recipients have two years to complete the project.
The Conservation Commission has obligated more than $180 million in state cost-share funds over the past 30 years. In fiscal year 2022, reimbursements were made for the completion of 456 projects. These included more than 50 miles of fence, 1,553 acres of cover crop and about 20 miles of pipeline to supply 184 waterers.
This list shows each county’s approved funds and number of approved applications.
Soil and Water Conservation Commission Chairman Danny Shipley, a farmer in Allen County said, “The Cost Share Program helps farmers and landowners throughout Kentucky be better stewards of our land. The program helps landowners address existing soil erosion, water quality and other environmental problems associated with their farming or woodland operation.”
The Soil and Water Conservation Commission is administered by the Division of Conservation, within the Energy and Environment Cabinet.
Glasgow News 1 learned from the cabinet, upon request, that the Barren County projects are primarily for improvements to heavy-use areas, such as the installation of rock in a gateway of a fence where equipment travels, or a large concrete pad to decrease mud during the winter in an area where animals are fed.
Other projects here include grade stabilization structures to reduce erosion of an embankment or stream or gully and improve water quality; critical-area plantings, which establish permanent vegetation on sites that have, or are expected to have, high erosion rates; installation of fencing to rotate livestock away from natural waterways and to help establish rotational grazing and maintain fields; watering facilities that will help rotate livestock and that will include a pipeline to get water to the facility from the city or from a nearby spring.
“We’re honored to work with our farming community through this and many other programs,” Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman said. “It’s inspiring to see how these projects make such a difference for our farmers.”
Allan Bryant, chair of the Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts and a Henry County farmer, said: “These funds give us the opportunity to take better care of our land for the next generation. I’m happy to say that the partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Kentucky Division of Conservation and conservation districts across the state stand ready to assist and provide technical knowledge to install and make these practices work.”
For more information about the State Cost Share Program, contact the Soil and Water Conservation District in your county or click here.