By Megan DeHart, President
Mercer County Farm Bureau

Growing up in suburban Chicago, I was as far removed from agriculture as a child can be. But, I started riding horses at age 6; I came to Midway College for an Equine Management Degree, met a farm boy, fell in love, and got married.

I never imagined myself to be where I am today. While we were dating there was a lot of farm education. He was raising “beefs”, which I found out would go in the freezer. I remember asking, “You can do that?!?!”. I thought all meat had to go through the grocery store. The whole process sounded fishy to me.

At that point, he was probably questioning his relationship choice! Nineteen years later we now have a cow/calf operation and use our cattle for our farm-to-freezer business. We pride ourselves in creating an amazing-tasting product and people know exactly where their beef is coming from.  

We are both, what I believe, “the norm” these days in the fact that we work full time off the farm. Jamie is a farrier, and I am a nurse practitioner. I tell people we work to support our farming habits. We are both very active and have a passion for Mercer County agriculture.

During our first year of marriage, Jamie and I attended the state summer Young Farmer Outing in Western Kentucky. I really did not understand why we were going, but I knew Jamie was excited about the farm tours. That was my introduction to Kentucky Farm Bureau.

Jamie was already a member of the county board but after that outing, I was asked to join. Still very much in the learning phase of life regarding agriculture, I learned to sit back, listen, and take in as much as I could.

Let us be honest, in farming we must continuously learn! Becoming more comfortable on the board, I felt led to show people where their food comes from and what products are produced in Mercer County.

My first project was a yearlong social media campaign, “#365daysofMercerCountyAg,” where we showcased a picture a day of our local farms and farm families on our federation's Facebook page.

I became county president in 2022, which was quite the honor as the first female President in county history. Because Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization, my goal has continued to be to support all sizes of local farmers, from the big production operations to the folks with a few acres that sell produce at the farmers’ market.

There is the importance of being “agvocates” for problems facing our local officials, and state and national legislators, but without the farm community, there is no one to advocate for.  Now we need to focus on young farmers and how we encourage young people to stay on the farm or become interested in farming.

The key to success is a board that truly cares about the local agriculture community and staff to support all our big ideas. I cannot talk about Mercer County without thanking our Federation Secretary, Beth Kelly, who keeps us in line and makes sure we stay on track with events and projects. Who knew a big-city girl would fall in love with Kentucky agriculture!