Ag commissioner visits with area farmers to detail assistance program

Apr. 6—Farmers in Ohio County were hit hard by the December tornado, they told Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles on Tuesday at the Ohio County Farm and Garden Center in Hartford.

Quarles visited the center to provide details about the Kentucky Agriculture Disaster Relief Program, which is available to farmers in need of financial assistance as they recover from the storm's damage.

The program was created by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), in partnership with the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development and Kentucky Farm Bureau.

The three groups wanted to ensure that they weren't doubling what other agencies across the nation were providing to help individuals in need. For example, they didn't want to ship flats of bottled water to communities that had plenty, Quarles said.

So they set up a program in which dollars collected could be given to farmers, so they could acquire what was needed to begin the restoration process, he said.

To date, $1.6 million has been raised for the fund, which is being distributed by through the Kentucky Farm Bureau Education Foundation. In the first round of assistance, farmer's have been able to receive up to $1,500 in credit to purchase supplies from participating local farm retailers, like the Ohio County Farm and Garden Center.

Forrest Kavanaugh, owner of the center, said about 40 local producers have received funds through the program. He guessed that about 80% of the farmers who visited his store needed a chainsaw first. Then they needed fencing, which has been more difficult to come by.

"It's a good program," Kavanaugh said. "and it really has helped everybody in need."

Coy Sinclair, a part-time farmer, said he was one of the first to take advantage of the assistance program. He said the storm really took out his farm, and he and his family lost nearly everything, aside from a few vehicles.

The assistance has been much appreciated, he said, as he has slowly started to rebuild his house, outbuildings and fencing, which were all destroyed or damaged during the tornado. He encouraged other farmers to take full advantage of the program, if they qualify.

"This program really reaffirms my faith in human nature," he said.

There are 22 retailers participating in the assistance program across western Kentucky. To qualify for the assistance, farmers need to certify they have farm property in one of the affected counties — Barren, Caldwell, Calloway, Christian, Fulton, Graves, Hart, Hickman, Hopkins, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Taylor or Warren — and that they experienced damage from the December storms.

Local retailers were used for the program so that funds could be distributed back into communities in need, Quarles said.

Once farmers qualify and sign an affidavit attesting to their claim, Quarles said farmers are eligible to purchase much-needed supplies for their rebuild, including fencing, t-posts and wooden posts, tools, rope, gates and more.

Fencing is a big issue at this time, however, due to shortages in supplies and labor, as well as the rising costs of materials, Quarles said.

"Fencing is going to take awhile" to be completely fixed throughout the western Kentucky region, he said, adding that his agency knows "that's going to be a complicated factor, and it won't be resolved in just a year."

Quarles said there are plans to offer another round of assistance to farmers, and more details will be forthcoming about that at the end of this month.

For more information about the relief program, a complete list of qualifying purchases and participating retailers, or to learn more details about how to sign up, visit https://www.kcard.info/disaster-relief.

Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315