Renew America Success Stories

Owsley County Action Team

The Owsley County Action Team (OCAT) is a group of citizens representing a broad cross-section of the community who are working toward implementing an economic diversification strategy that promotes entrepreneurial initiatives in high-value agriculture, wood and forest-based enterprises, tourism and recreation, industrial development and infrastructure development. 

Since its formation in 1847, Owsley County has been hampered by poverty and unemployment. The county's economic base is composed solely of timber and agriculture, making it extraordinarily susceptible to economic downturns. As the sixth poorest county in the nation, real unemployment hovers at about 47% while the county's farms, one of its primary sources of income, have been disappearing. Efforts to reverse the county's fortunes have been hampered by its inaccessibility to primary transportation systems, and its lack of other natural resources. 

In 1992 a group of citizens, with guidance from the U.S. Forest Service, convened to address these problems. The group was formalized soon after as the Owsley County Action Team with a start up grant from the Forest Service. Based on the input of dozens of community members, OCAT obtained broad community support for an economic diversification study and became the forum for planning and sharing ideas. 

The resulting diversification plan calls for development of the local economy through agriculture, forestry and tourism while protecting the county's natural resources by ensuring sustainable resource utilization and stewardship practices. 

OCAT members represent a broad socioeconomic cross section of the county, ensuring that numerous viewpoints are represented. One member organization, Workers of Rural Kentucky (WORK), comprises mainly low-income women who have joined together to share information and expertise, and have successfully started three small businesses. 

Owsley Cando, another OCAT member, has established a recycling center and sponsors environmental education programs in the schools. 

Successful collaboration among the stakeholders has resulted in productive spin-off groups and partnerships with area universities and development agencies. 

Program Highlights 

Programs 

• OCAT has helped a local business obtain funding to establish a dry kiln operation and provided a logger and landowner education program on best management practices.
• OCAT has provided support to a local enterprise that makes outdoor furniture from recycled plastic milk jugs.
• Future initiatives include pursuing secondary wood enterprises such as millwork, kitchen cabinets construction, furniture fabrication, the production of specialty wood products, woodworking, crafts creation, and the development of special forest products.
• OCAT offers total quality management (TQM) training and is working with Morehead State University to develop small business development workshops.

• OCAT received a $20,000 startup grant from the U.S. Forest Service, with matching money and in-kind services coming from local sources.
• More than 200 residents provided input into the economic diversification plan.

• Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The Owsley County Action Team is a community association receiving substantial administrative support from the state and federal governments. OCAT has formed partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americorps, Morehead State University and the Kentucky Leadership for Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability Project, among others. 

Budget: The latest figures are available by contacting the program. 

Community Served: The 5,000 residents of Owsley County, Kentucky. 

Measures of Success:  

• Several spin-off groups have arisen from the economic diversification process, including the Eastern Kentucky Goat Producers, who share expertise, resources and marketing strategies. As a result of formation of this group, goat producers have been able to acquire new breeding stock that will increase their meat-to-goat ratio, raising income.
• The Eastern Kentucky Vegetable Producers Association, another diversification spin off, has obtained a building to use as their base for marketing locally-grown vegetables.