Kentucky intends to recruit or help launch companies that can turn plants and other farm products into such things as pharmaceuticals, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said. “I want to move into advanced agriculture,” Fletcher said at a news conference Monday. “It’s an area where I think we have a niche ... that’s unlike any other in the world.” But first, Kentucky must retool a business recruitment system that was historically geared toward manufacturers and which put a premium on volume of jobs created, Fletcher and other officials said. For “life science” or “bioscience” companies, tax breaks may be less meaningful than laboratory space or university research assistance, they said. Such companies can generate and invest huge amounts of money with comparatively few employees. But they also may take years to hit their stride.
