Policy & Regulation

Brandon Reed, of Hodgenville, has been named the new executive director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy (KOAP), Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell has announced.

Kentucky Agriculture continues to evolve, and there’s now a new five-year plan to prove it. The Kentucky Agricultural Strategic Plan, created by the Kentucky Agricultural Council, isn’t just about improving the state’s farms and helping farmers – it’s about strengthening their place in communities and improving quality of life and economic vitality across Kentucky.

The 2023 Farm Bill debate continues to evolve in our nation’s capital amidst a lot of political challenges. The farm bill is a massive, comprehensive piece of legislation covering everything from farm programs, conservation, rural development, forestry, trade promotion, nutrition, and even ag research and education.

In 2014, the Kentucky General Assembly passed HB 448- an act relating to destruction of crops on farms by wildlife. This bill allowed landowners to kill or trap on their lands any wildlife causing damage to the lands or personal property without a tag.

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell paid a visit to Graves County recently to discuss the distribution of $20 million of USDA funding to build temporary grain storage facilities in areas affected by last year’s tornadoes. West Kentucky grain producers were especially affected facing uncertainty about storage for their 2022 crops.

It’s been a long road, but the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the 2018 farm bill this past week.

Around 80 percent of the $867 billion bill funds nutrition programs, but it also provides funds for key farm programs for the next 10 years.

Farmers across Kentucky have been waiting for a moment in history that took place last week as Congress passed a farm bill that legalizes industrial hemp. Industrial hemp production will continue to be regulated but will expand beyond the past small-scale production for limited purposes. 

Grow Kentucky is cultivating seeds for success. An economic gardening program, it is a partnership between the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky and the Kentucky Small Business Development Center.

The new Breathitt Veterinary Center uses state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to provide vital services for Kentucky’s livestock and poultry producers, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said Thursday in a dedication ceremony and open house for the new laboratory.