As we celebrated the 60th Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast and Charity Auction, I was truly amazed at the compacity crowd, the record-breaking bid on the Grand Champion Country Ham, and the enthusiasm that filled the room.

This single event has become such a tradition at the Kentucky State Fair and in the history of our organization. It brings people from all walks of life together to enjoy a great Kentucky meal, wonderful friendships, and a charitable giving event that is like no other.

I can’t thank Kelly and Joe Craft enough for making this another record-breaking year, and all of our bidders who come year after year to participate in this uplifting celebration. This could not be the successful event it has become without them.

We had government leaders at the local, state, and national levels make their way to the breakfast, many of which have made this an annual tradition all their own. I appreciate them so much for supporting our farm families and all they do to make our ag industry better.

We even had a real-life Freddy Farm Bureau show up to the roar of the crowd. In presiding over the ham breakfast during my first year as KFB president, it gave me a real sense of gratitude for so many who made this day so memorable.

From our dedicated staff who work in some capacity or another many weeks out of the year to ensure all goes well, to the folks who prepare the fine breakfast we enjoy each year, to our devoted members who have made this a day a part of their county Farm Bureau's history, it takes a monumental effort to make this event a success.

This year, most days saw capacity crowds coming to the fair, or as we like to say, the largest farm/city event anywhere. We saw a record bid on the 2024 4-H Champion Ham during the Commodity Breakfast that gets the fair started. 

We saw continual growth in our youth livestock exhibitors that culminated in a dynamic Championship Drive. And then there is the food that comes from our commodity groups that bring some of the best, and freshest Kentucky-produced goods you can find anywhere.

Our 4-H and FFA members were present every day of the fair representing a new generation of agriculturalists and leaders who will one day represent Kentucky in so many industries, at so many levels.

Seeing them and watching all the good things they are accomplishing makes me feel optimistic about our future here in the Commonwealth.

To say this annual Country Ham Breakfast was great is a gross understatement. But to say how memorable of an event it was is something I can say every year.

Standing in front of this crowd and witnessing their enthusiasm and involvement in this truly unique experience, is a real blessing and makes me even more proud to say I'm a Kentuckian, I'm a farmer, and I'm part of the greatest farm organization in the world.

Eddie Melton, President
Kentucky Farm Bureau