FRANKFORT, Ky. — For years the Kentucky Proud marketing initiative has been helping farmers and producers move their products to consumers through a variety of market venues. For the first time, an entire town has become Kentucky Proud.

Livingston, located in Rockcastle County, has become the first municipality to join the program. State Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and Livingston Mayor Jason Medley made the announcement last month.

Comer said Medley shares his vision of agriculture as an economic development tool. “He has an innovative plan for raising revenue for his city and creating jobs in agriculture,” he said. “Mayor Medley’s idea could become a model for other small communities to follow.”

Medley said he loves the idea of Kentucky Proud.

“It puts local people to work doing things they’re skilled in. A lot of places that worry about jobs put all their eggs in one big industry. I’d like to do something smaller,” he said.

“There are people who like to work out of their homes, older people, people who like to raise a garden. If they see there’s someplace for their produce to go so it doesn’t go to waste, they might grow more.”

Travis Burton, director of communications for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), said Livingston has worked to build its tourism industry and in looking to grow that industry, reached out to the Kentucky Proud program. The town as a whole is producing a garden and selling the produce within the city and county.

“It made sense for them to become Kentucky Proud members for marketing reasons,” said Burton.

The city is also a part of the Kentucky Trail Town initiative that brings visitors from out of town and even out of the state to the area via Livingston’s proximity to the Interstate 75 corridor. That program was developed to help communities take advantage of the growing adventure tourism market.

According to information from the Kentucky Department of Tourism, “the Kentucky Trail Town program is designed to help connect communities to trail systems and develop the locations as tourist destinations. It will guide travelers to trails, food, lodging, campgrounds, museums, entertainment and other services. The designation will help communities improve their local tourism economies and add more jobs.”

Burton said the city is partnering with the local corrections facility to allow inmates to help raise produce such as green beans, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and sweet corn in the community garden. The goods will be sold to local restaurants in Livingston and nearby Mt. Vernon to raise revenue. The garden is located on a half-acre lot a resident loaned just for this purpose.

Volunteers will can and label the vegetables to be sold. Medley said there’s not a lot of tax base in Livingston, so every little bit that goes back to the city helps. Burton said the produce coming from the garden will actually be the Kentucky Proud products.

“This project was driven by the interest of the mayor and the city commissioners in Livingston to enter the Kentucky Proud program, and I think it’s going to go well,” he said. “From a practical standpoint of producing and being able to have interest from local restaurants to buy Kentucky Proud products, I do think we’ll probably see other cities want to become involved in the program.”

Burton added that historically, brand awareness of Kentucky Proud products has been at a high level in many of the urban areas throughout the state but a recent survey has shown awareness to be growing into smaller, more rural areas. Livingston’s population stands at approximately 300 people.

For more information about Kentucky Proud, go to the KDA website at www. kyagr.com