Tobacco Proposal Shelved

Source from:  By Marcus Green magreen@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal 06/20/2005

A state agriculture board yesterday put off a controversial plan to allow tobacco farmers to use money currently spent to foster alternative crops. Supporters of the plan acknowledged that it didn't have enough backing on the Agricultural Development Board. The board voted unanimously not to consider the proposal, which would have added tobacco to 13 other farm-improvement programs overseen by local county councils. "It's out in limbo at this point and hopefully won't be brought back up," said board member Dennis Griffin, a plan opponent. A group of Christian County farmers supports the plan. David Wimpy, who raises about 30 acres of burley near Pembroke, Ky., said yesterday that he is disappointed in the decision. "There's some more options out there, but right now we're going to let things cool off for the moment," Wimpy said. Some farmers maintain that the money would allow them to finance new equipment necessary to raise tobacco efficiently in the free market created by last fall's federal buyout of tobacco quotas. Health organizations are against the idea, saying it runs counter to legislation that outlines how the funds, part of a 1998 settlement with tobacco companies, should be spent. Amy Barkley, a Kentucky spokeswoman for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said groups lobbied to have half of Kentucky's share set aside for farm diversification "to help change the whole agriculture infrastructure so that tobacco wasn't favored and that people could reduce their dependence on tobacco." "For the suggestion to be made that the money be diverted from diversification in a different kind of future for agriculture was a problem for us," she said. The proposal was backed by tobacco growers and the powerful Kentucky Farm Bureau. Sam Moore, president of the farm bureau and a board member, said the tobacco plan clearly didn't have enough support. "I think (postponing the plan) is a way to keep the program under consideration and to see if there's a way that it can be modified or gain enough support to come back at a later date," Moore said. He said the board was split on whether the funds could be used for tobacco production. There might be other funding opportunities for farmers who choose to stay in tobacco. The Lexington-based Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association has voted to use $3.5 million to establish a program to help growers. Enditem