Brandon Reed, of Hodgenville, has been named the new executive director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy (KOAP), Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell has announced.
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Kentucky Agriculture continues to evolve, and there’s now a new five-year plan to prove it. The Kentucky Agricultural Strategic Plan, created by the Kentucky Agricultural Council, isn’t just about improving the state’s farms and helping farmers – it’s about strengthening their place in communities and improving quality of life and economic vitality across Kentucky.
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The 2023 Farm Bill debate continues to evolve in our nation’s capital amidst a lot of political challenges. The farm bill is a massive, comprehensive piece of legislation covering everything from farm programs, conservation, rural development, forestry, trade promotion, nutrition, and even ag research and education.
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HB 167 was signed into law on March 24.
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In 2014, the Kentucky General Assembly passed HB 448- an act relating to destruction of crops on farms by wildlife. This bill allowed landowners to kill or trap on their lands any wildlife causing damage to the lands or personal property without a tag.
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U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell paid a visit to Graves County recently to discuss the distribution of $20 million of USDA funding to build temporary grain storage facilities in areas affected by last year’s tornadoes. West Kentucky grain producers were especially affected facing uncertainty about storage for their 2022 crops.
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It’s been a long road, but the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the 2018 farm bill this past week.
Around 80 percent of the $867 billion bill funds nutrition programs, but it also provides funds for key farm programs for the next 10 years.
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Farmers across Kentucky have been waiting for a moment in history that took place last week as Congress passed a farm bill that legalizes industrial hemp. Industrial hemp production will continue to be regulated but will expand beyond the past small-scale production for limited purposes.
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Grow Kentucky is cultivating seeds for success. An economic gardening program, it is a partnership between the Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky and the Kentucky Small Business Development Center.
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The new Breathitt Veterinary Center uses state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to provide vital services for Kentucky’s livestock and poultry producers, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said Thursday in a dedication ceremony and open house for the new laboratory.
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As discussions about the 2018 Farm Bill begin around the country and on Capitol Hill, Title VII, specifically known as the Research, Extension, and Related Matters Title, will not likely get much attention outside of the agriculture arena.
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New KDA program rewards businesses for offering more Kentucky farm-sourced menu items
Kentucky Proud has unveiled Buy Local, a new program intended to encourage restaurants and other food service businesses to purchase locally produced food products, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles has announced.
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Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles today celebrated the passage in the Kentucky House of Representatives of landmark legislation that aligns Kentucky’s industrial hemp research pilot program with the federal Farm Bill and adds important law enforcement provisions. Senate Bill 218 now goes to Governor Matt Bevin for his signature.
Read MoreSB-139 will next move to consideration by the full Senate.
The Kentucky Senate Agriculture Committee today unanimously passed a bill that would designate equines as livestock, an action that if approved will provide tremendous benefit the entire horse industry. Securing livestock classification of horses and equine has been among the top policy priorities of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), since being founded in 2004.
Read MoreBill would eliminate requirement to remove dual wheels from large farm implements
Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles today applauded the Kentucky House of Representatives for passing House Bill 265, which will help Kentucky farmers transport farm implements on Kentucky roadways.
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Kentucky Farm Bureau’s (KFB) volunteer leaders continue the organization’s grassroots policy development process this month as they head to Washington, D.C., with their list of 2017 national priority issues and a willingness to serve as “The Voice of Kentucky Agriculture.” The group, consisting of nearly 300 KFB members from more than 60 different counties, has scheduled a series of strategic discussions with Kentucky’s Congressional Delegation during the last week of February to examine issues facing agriculture and rural communities in the Commonwealth.
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Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles gave an update of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA’s) Hunger Initiative and urged all Kentuckians to help fight hunger in a rally to raise awareness of Kentucky’s hunger problem today in the Capitol Rotunda.
“The Kentucky Hunger Initiative got off to a great start in 2016, and we are continuing our efforts to develop a strategy to reduce hunger in Kentucky,” Commissioner Quarles said at the annual Rally to Solve Hunger.
Legislation would extend weight tolerance for vehicles carrying farm products, feed
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles endorsed legislation that would help Kentucky farmers transport their goods more efficiently and make Kentucky agriculture more competitive with other states.
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Agriculture exports are critical to growing ag-related and rural economies. A substantial amount of Kentucky’s agricultural sales comes from exports, and while the majority of our farms in the Commonwealth are smaller, family-owned operations, each one has a role to play in providing these goods that are in demand around the world.
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The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that serves all farmers, ranchers and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs for all Americans. The agency provides America’s farmers with a strong safety net through the administration of farm commodity and disaster programs.
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