Kentucky Horticulture Council Third Party GAPs Audit Cost-Share Grant

Any Kentucky producer completing a third party Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) audit in may participate in the KHC cost share program. Cost share will be 75% of the audit cost up to a maximum reimbursement set yearly. 

• Kentucky produce growers.

• Must complete a third-party GAPs audit from an official certifying agency during the program year.

• Must be, or become, a member of Kentucky Proud through the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

• Previous cost-share recipients may apply, but may receive lower priority than first-time applicants.

A straightforward audit reimbursement: KHC pays back most of what a third-party GAPs audit costs you, after the fact. Verbatim from KHC's cost-share page: "Cost share will be 75% of the audit cost up to a maximum reimbursement of $1,250." So the cap binds once your audit runs past roughly $1,667.

What an audit actually costs, per KHC: "Audit costs are primarily determined by complexity of the audit (number of crops or procedures being audited, for example). Over the last six years, the audit costs of farms we've worked with have ranged from $225 to $3,054."

To get reimbursed you must:

• "be, or become, a member of Kentucky Proud through the Kentucky Department of Agriculture"

• "complete the application and submit it to the Kentucky Horticulture Council before the deadline"

• "submit a copy or image of the paid third party GAPs audit receipt from an official certifying agency"

Eligibility is broad: "Any Kentucky produce grower completing a third party GAPs audit... may participate in the KHC Cost Share Program." Funds are limited and awarded from a finite pool — "Application pre-approval is strongly encouraged but not required," and "previous recipients may have lower priority than first-time applicants." There is no penalty for applying and then not completing the audit.

Caveat on currency: these figures are the 75% / $1,250 terms KHC published for its most recent documented cycle. Confirm the current year's cap with KHC before you book an audit.

Complete the Application and return by email to: info@kyhortcouncil.org

or mail to:

Kentucky Horticulture Council

PO Box 21736

Lexington, KY 40522-1736

• 2020 Application

• AMS Page on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)

• Join Kentucky Proud