Louisville, KY (March 8, 2018) – Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) members made their way to Frankfort this week to meet with their state legislators during the annual KFB Legislative Drive-In/Food Check-Out Day.

Traditionally the event has taken place on two separate days; one reserved as an opportunity for KFB members to inform their respective legislators of the organization’s priority issues and any legislation they support; the other as a time to bring awareness to food costs in the state and across the country.

“This event is one of the single most important days of the year for our members as they meet with their legislators to discuss priority issues, current legislation and ag-related topics that affect them daily,” said KFB President Mark Haney. “It also allows our members to deliver food baskets to their lawmakers to showcase locally produced goods and the affordability of our food supply, the least expensive and safest in the world.”

The USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates that Americans, on average, spend about 7 percent of their incomes on food each year which means it would take four weeks to earn enough money to pay for a year’s supply of food.

As they made their way to the various legislative offices, members also discussed several legislative priorities including:

• Maintaining the sales tax exemptions for production agriculture

• Opposing freezing the state real property tax rate

• Supporting the rural secondary and county road aid programs and continuation of the 22.2% allocation of the state gasoline tax revenue for rural roads.

Representative Jonathan Shell visited with some of his constituents who were participating in the Legislative Drive-In/Food Check-Out Day event.

Shell, who is the House Majority Floor Leader, said the Drive-In is an excellent example of how the grassroots approach of bringing forth issues to lawmakers works.

“When you have so many constituents from so many different areas of the Commonwealth visiting with legislators with a unified voice, it makes a difference,” said Shell. “Agriculture is critical to this state. As legislators, we need to be doing our part to help these farm families be successful and ensure a brighter future for Kentucky.”

This year’s KFB Legislative Drive-In/Food Check-Out Day brought members representing over 85 counties to Frankfort with more than 140 food baskets delivered to lawmakers as well as Gov. Matt Bevin.