Kentucky Department of Agriculture

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture
is On the Job for Kentucky Businesses

by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer

KENTUCKY businesses benefit every day from the work of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.  Kentucky Proud, the Office of the State Veterinarian and the Department’s regulatory units all add value to products and services sold in Kentucky.

Elsewhere on this site, you will read about the amazing growth of the Kentucky Proud movement. We expect Kentucky Proud to generate $200 million
in retail sales through member retailers by the end of 2010. That means producers are selling more of their products, farmers are making the money they need to stay on the farm, retailers are increasing sales, and consumers are getting the delicious, high-quality, local food products that they want.

The growth of Kentucky Proud has been driven by the hard work of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s marketing office. Our marketing specialists have worked tirelessly to recruit new members, forge partnerships among members, get Kentucky Proud products on store shelves and promote the brand.

The state veterinarian’s office protects Kentucky’s livestock herds from disease. That assures our domestic customers and foreign trading partners that they can buy from Kentucky producers with confidence. Livestock sales account for about $3 billion in farm cash receipts in Kentucky in a normal year, so it’s crucial that we maintain a robust animal disease surveillance system.

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s state-of-the-art motor fuel and pesticide testing laboratory protects motorists from buying fuel that contains impurities or banned substances. The Department’s fuel pump and price scanner inspection programs make sure Kentucky consumers get what they pay for, but they also provide valuable services to Kentucky businesses – for example, making them aware of fuel pumps that are dispensing too much product and costing them money. The KDA’s metrology laboratory calibrates commercial measuring devices, assuring businesses and consumers alike that those devices are fair and accurate.

The Department inspects eggs, tests limestone, checks amusement rides, regulates the grain and pesticide industries in Kentucky and performs numerous other services that protect consumers and give them confidence when they deal with Kentucky businesses.

Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer, right, chats with Food Network celebrity chef Bobby Flay after Flay's first performance at the Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show in October 2009 in Lexington.