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FRANKFORT, Ky. — A retired University of Kentucky professor is the new executive director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection.
Wilbur Frye of Madison County assumed his new post on Oct. 18. He was director of regulatory services at UK for nine years and taught soil science for 18 years before that. He retired from UK in 2000.
“The Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection truly touches everyone in the Commonwealth,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “It was important to find a top-notch candidate to fill this very important position. Dr. Frye’s experience will serve the citizens of Kentucky very well. I am pleased that he has decided to join the Department.”
Frye described his regulation philosophy as one of voluntary compliance. “Our people in the field have to develop relationships with our clientele that they interact with on a daily basis. Those of us in the Frankfort office also have a responsibility to develop relationships with clientele. That is the key to voluntary compliance.”
“My goal is to make our program the very best it can be to serve the people of Kentucky,” he said.
The Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection inspects gasoline pumps, motor fuel quality, amusement rides, commercial scales, price scanners, eggs and many other items; regulates pesticide applicators and dealers; provides pest control services to local governments; administers the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s commodity food programs, and manages the KDA’s chemical collection and Rinse and Return pesticide container collection programs.
UK’s regulatory services program analyzes commercial livestock feed, fertilizer and seed for quality and content. It regulates Kentucky’s dairy industry to ensure that milk is accurately measured from the farm to the processor. It also operates UK’s soil testing program.
As a soil science professor, Frye and other UK researchers established many of the principles and practices of modern conservation tillage, particularly no-till.
A native of McNairy County, Tennessee, Frye earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Tennessee and received a doctorate in soil science from Virginia Tech. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force. He taught nine years at Tennessee Tech University before going to UK.
Frye and his wife, Martha, a retired registered nurse and independent consultant, have two sons: Tom, a special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Department of Homeland Security; and John, who is with the U.S. Army’s Special Forces and is stationed in Iraq. The Fryes also have a 4-year-old granddaughter.
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