As we move forward into 2023, it is a busy time for agriculture advocates with the session of the state's General Assembly in full swing, as is the 118th U.S. Congress.

Kentucky Farm Bureau members are showing up in big ways as agricultural advocates as was evident with more than 2,000 signing up for our last annual meeting along with the largest group from any state attending the 2023 American Farm Bureau Federation annual convention.

It is critically important that our farm families have a strong voice when state and national agriculture issues are being discussed.

And with more and more legislators, especially at the federal level, being far removed from the farm, we stand as an important link between the ag industry and the lawmakers who are creating legislation that affects our farms on a daily basis.

In doing so, we must remain educated on the issues at hand and consistent in our efforts to communicate with legislators at all levels.

So often, many of the laws and regulations that promote, and affect agriculture began with simple local meetings where an idea is brought forth beginning a process that often leads to the successful passage of beneficial laws in Frankfort and Washington.

However, there are many groups out there that don't fully understand or agree with many of our agricultural practices and are just as adamant about getting bills passed that would cause harm to our industry and the farm families who feed us all.

While I would like to believe these particular folks are never intending to cause damage, not fully understanding the situations we face on the farm can lead to regulatory nightmares that create more impairment than improvement.

A good example of that is in the Waters of the U.S. situation in which the current administration in Washington has rewritten the rule, that would allow sweeping federal government overreach on family farms and would increase their regulatory authority. 

We must be vocal on this issue to ensure this back-and-forth on regulations, which seem to change with every new administration, ends and we get a clear concise law passed that keeps sweeping government authority off the farm and we settle this issue once and for all.

No one wants clean water more than the American farmer and we must make lawmakers and regulatory personnel understand that.

Another issue closer to home is the use of the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) funds high school students earn but can only use in state postsecondary institutions. There are scores of Kentucky high school students who have a different vision of their postsecondary education including career and technical schools that provide invaluable training for dozens of career fields that don’t require a four-year degree.

Current rules do not allow these students who chose a proprietary school to utilize this scholarship money they have earned. Legislation currently is being devised in the General Assembly that would allow for this use of funds and help create a future workforce that will benefit us all.

These are just two of many issues KFB members should be vocal about when advocating for their communities, and the agricultural industry that supports and sustains our rural heritage.