In beginning my tenure as Kentucky Farm Bureau’s (KFB) First Vice President, I can’t tell you how humbling it has been to get your support and how grateful I am to be taking on this role.

As I told our members during the annual meeting held last December, I will always, to the best of my abilities, serve them, this organization, and an industry that has been a part of my life, all of my life.

While visiting so many of our farm families last fall, I got a real sense of how dedicated they are to their land, their livestock, and the places they call home.

As a farmer myself, I feel that sort of dedication every day, but to hear from others in this industry certainly fortifies what I've known my entire farming career that next to God and family, there is nothing more important to the American farmer than the farm itself.

With that said, I also heard of the challenges so many of us on the farm face day in and day out. Whether it was a labor issue, unbelievable input costs, or skyrocketing inflation, no matter what sector of agriculture I saw, the issues were very similar.

When deciding on a farming career, we were never told this would be an easy life. But we did know it would be more rewarding than any other occupation we could choose.

That has been true for me as I have raised my children on the farm. I’m beginning to see them start their ag careers knowing it will come with its share of hardships but hoping they too will see the rewards a life on the farm can provide.

To go along with my time on the farm, I’ve had the good fortune to have also experienced a long career as an agriculture educator.

I have seen so many young people get excited about our industry and hope that I have played some role in helping them get started.

And it’s one of the things Farm Bureau does best, helping the next generation get a solid start in the ag industry whether it is by way of on-farm experience, teaching in the classroom, or other ag-related industries.

The role Kentucky Farm Bureau plays in supporting all farmers, young and "seasoned," cannot be overstated. Their advocacy efforts are second to none, and the respect this organization receives from the local level to the top of Capitol Hill is always amazing to me.

But it takes all of us, this collective membership, to keep that momentum going. As we get thick into this advocacy season, there are many issues we will need to tackle.

From getting a new Farm Bill passed, to addressing issues such as the need for large animal veterinarians in this state, to bumping up funding for our riverport system, the list can often seem endless.

But, in all the years I have been involved in KFB, I do know that there is no issue too tough to overcome. When we work together for the common good of this organization, its members, and the industry we hold so dear, I believe there is nothing we can't accomplish.

Shane Wiseman, First Vice President
Kentucky Farm Bureau