New State Support for Alternative Crops Emerging

Kentucky

Randy Seymour, (270) 531-2353

Per one of the conference attendees, Randy Seymour, the State of Kentucky set aside over $100 million to be used to fund projects that have potential as alternatives to tobacco production. The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board administers these funds through an application process. Thus far, two applications for field production of native seed have been submitted and funding is expected this winter.

Kentucky also has a new conservation reserve program (CREP) that will spend $120 million setting aside and restoring natives to watershed protection areas. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is also actively promoting native plant use. The NRCS is supporting the CREP project and a new forage program that gives equal emphasis to native plant use.

Minnesota

A bill (proposed but not passed) for an act relating to financing native vegetation planting; emphasizing the planting of native species; appropriating money......

H.F. No. 1620. The goal was to establish a native grasses and wildflower seed production incentive loan program. Although the discussion once included a no-interest loan and repayment with native seed, the bill was a beginning. Here are some of the details:

Section 2. subdivision 1. The commissioner shall establish a seed production loan program to provide loans that enable people to begin or expand efforts to develop and produce new, local-origin, native grass, and native wildflower seed species.

The commissioner shall use the ecological regions identified by the commissioner of natural resources covering the entire State. The commissioner shall design the loan program to produce ten local variety native grass species and 40 local variety native wildflower species for each region. The commissioner shall develop the program to produce 100 acres of native grass seed production and ten acres of native wildflower seed production in each region.

The loan program must provide loans for operating and capital costs related to the development and production of native grass and wildflower seeds during the research and development phase. (Recognizing that the business is not simple to start.)

Loans may not exceed $225 per acre per year of native grass and wildflower seed for each person or entity applying for a loan over an expected average development period of five years (not to exceed eight years, realizing the time it takes). Repayment of the loan is to be made at four percent per annum above the original loan amount.

The applications must be reviewed, ranked, and recommended by a loan review panel appointed by the commissioner (to include two lenders with agricultural experience, and representatives from DOT, DNR, and a farm management specialist).

Seeds produced under this section are intended to be used to fulfill State agency needs for seeds and the purchase must be arranged on a contract basis with State agencies in each biennium that program seed is available. (A market is guaranteed!)

North Carolina

State Agricultural Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps is exploring the possibility of farmers growing native plants such as ginseng. At this point the Agricultural Department is looking at plants like ginseng, golden seal and black cohosh, and talking with specialists to see if herb cultivation is a viable agricultural enterprise for small-scale farming. For generations, residents of the Southern Appalachian mountains have collected these and other herbs for natural remedies. "We're looking at elevating production to growing, rather than collecting plants" said Phipps on a recent farm tour in Western North Carolina near Asheville. She intends to "see how we can further diversify agriculture in this part of the State and generate profits for farmers." If native herbs go into production, can native forbs and grass seed be far behind? Robin Suggs of Yellow Creek Botanical Institute who accompanied Phipps noted, "We hope to be able to offer new approaches to people in agriculture. Yellow Creek Botanical Institute is a nonprofit organization trying to develop native plants as a farming option in Western North Carolina. (Excerpted from the January 13, Asheville Citizen-Times by Quintin Ellison, Staff Writer.)