As we begin a new year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those members who attended our Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) Annual Meeting last month. This annual gathering is one of the most important things we do as an organization.

It is a time to adopt policy and priority issues, to hear from local and national agriculture leaders, and to spend valuable time with each other as we work to move KFB and the ag industry forward.

This meeting also allows us to honor those who have won various farm leadership awards during 2024 and to hear from our youth in various events, including the Outstanding Farm Bureau Youth and Discussion Meet competitions.

For me, I compare this meeting to a family reunion. I often use the phrase, “Farm Bureau family,” but that is what makes KFB so strong in our advocacy efforts.

Since the very first Farm Bureau meeting I attended more than 40 years ago, it has always felt as though each gathering, no matter what part of the state in which it occurs, is a bringing together of family members to conduct the business of this organization.

And like any family, we don’t always agree on everything. However, we always respect our grassroots heritage and the ability to work together to come up with the right decisions to benefit farm families throughout Kentucky and an industry we all depend on.

With our priorities in place, we are poised to move forward into 2025. One of the most important efforts we will make this year is to keep our farmland in production. The Kentucky Farmland Transition Initiative was set in motion to address the loss of Kentucky farmland and decline in Kentucky farmers.

As we continue to look for ways to keep farms in production, we must understand that we simply cannot afford to lose production farmland and farm families at the rates we have seen through the last few ag censuses.

We also need to address the growing ag trade deficit by supporting efforts to find new markets or expand existing ones for our agricultural products. No matter the size of our farms, export markets are critical to the success of every farming operation.

In addition to new customers outside of the U.S., we must also explore new ways to use our crops for domestic purposes, including the use of agricultural feedstocks from this country for sustainable aviation fuel initiatives. 

The main thing that will help us face these ? and most any other issue associated with agriculture ? is passage of a new farm bill.

Another extension came at the end of 2024, and we must emphasize to our lawmakers that kicking the can down the road only leaves farm families in limbo as we try to plan for next year’s crops.

Having had conversations about these and other challenges with other members during our annual meeting, there is no doubt we will face these issues head on and do all we can to find solutions. It’s what we do at KFB. As we look to the future, I want to thank all of you for your support over the last year and for entrusting our leadership team for another year. Let’s work together to make 2025 the best it can be on and off the farm.