By Blake Jackson
Eddie Melton, President of Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB), addressed members at the organization’s 105th Annual Meeting in Louisville this morning.
Reflecting on his first year in office, Melton shared his thoughts on the past achievements and future direction of KFB.
Melton began by expressing his gratitude for the support he received from the KFB board during his initial year as president. “They do an outstanding job representing agriculture and setting the direction for our organization every day,” he said.
He emphasized the theme of this year’s meeting, “A Firm Foundation,” highlighting that KFB’s century-long history serves as a strong base for further growth. “What makes our organization what it is, is right here in this room – our volunteer leaders all across the state,” Melton stated, underscoring the importance of local leadership.
Melton echoed the sentiment shared by American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall at the previous day’s Commodity Luncheon, acknowledging the vital role county leaders play in KFB’s success. “A county president serves as the leader and as the voice of Kentucky Farm Bureau in your county,” he said. “The work that you do … allows our voices to be heard on the local, the state, and the national level. And it helps us to have those discussions about agriculture and our rural way of life.”
From a policy perspective, Melton stressed the importance of the farm bill. “The farm bill is the one piece of legislation that's most important to us in the ag industry, and it's one that our farm families need. This bill ensures our farm families have tools to meet the demands of our production needs, our support programs, research and development initiatives and trade opportunities, just to name a few,” he explained.
Melton also presented concerning data from the USDA census, revealing the challenges Kentucky farmers face. “From 2017 to 2022, we lost 6,500 farmers in the state of Kentucky. In five years alone, we lost 500,000 acres of production farmland,” he noted. “That’s 274 acres every day in Kentucky that we lose of production farmland.”
Despite these challenges, Melton remained optimistic. “One thing that can't be dampened is the human spirit,” he said. He also highlighted the Kentucky Farmland Initiative (KFTI), which aims to preserve farmland and now has 26 partners committed to keeping the land in production. “We’re going to have to take a shotgun approach. … I think this coming year we’re going to see some real progress made,” Melton concluded.
He encouraged members to actively participate in the afternoon policy-setting meetings, reminding them that, “As a grassroots organization, you set the policy for this organization for this coming year.”
Photo Credit: kentucky-farm-bureau
Categories: Kentucky, Government & Policy