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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer has submitted an ambitious agenda to the Kentucky General Assembly that would enhance the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s ability to serve and protect the citizens of the Commonwealth.
“The Kentucky Department of Agriculture touches the life of every Kentuckian every day,” Commissioner Farmer said. “My agenda will make Kentuckians safer. It will help the Department do a better job of making sure our citizens get what they pay for, in the store and at the pump. And it will enable us to better serve Kentucky agriculture. I urge the General Assembly to fund our requests.”
Commissioner Farmer has asked for $120,000 per year to help launch an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety training component to the KDA’s successful Farm and Home Safety Program. The ATV safety component would include classroom instruction and hands-on training for ATV operators and education for first responders to ATV-related accidents.
“Kentucky was first in the United States in ATV-related deaths from 2002 to 2004,” Commissioner Farmer said. “That is absolutely unacceptable, especially when you consider that one-third of the victims of ATV accidents in Kentucky and the U.S. are children. This program will save lives.”
The KDA is seeking $475,000 per year from the state General Fund to enable the KDA to award matching capital grants through its Kentucky State Aid to Local Agricultural Fairs Program. The new program would allow for local fairs to apply for grants of $20,000-$100,000 for capital improvements.
“County fairs bring Kentucky’s communities together,” Commissioner Farmer said. “This program will help local fairs build new facilities for their citizens to enjoy.”
Commissioner Farmer is seeking funding for a new motor fuels and pesticides training laboratory. He has asked for $1.65 million to set up and equip the lab and $1.4 million a year to operate it. The facility would enable the Department to perform in-house testing of motor fuel quality and octane levels. The KDA also would be able to use the lab to support the Department’s pesticide regulatory programs, follow up on complaints, and analyze pesticide residues in the environment.
“We want to make sure Kentucky consumers get the amount and the quality of gasoline they’re paying for. We will not allow Kentucky to become a dumping ground for bad gas,” Commissioner Farmer said. “With this lab, the Department will save money that we currently spend by having motor fuel and pesticides tested in outside labs. The labs also would provide valuable testing services to other state and federal agencies.”
The Department has requested funding authority for 18 vacant positions and seven additional positions that would be funded by minor adjustments to licensing and inspection fees paid to the KDA.
“In recent years, the Department’s workload has grown while the size of our staff has declined,” Commissioner Farmer said. “This is particularly true of our consumer protection divisions. We have cross-trained our consumer protection personnel to take up some of the slack. But we need more staff to be able to do our very best to protect the citizens of Kentucky every day.”
The Department also has requested funding for:
- a replacement van for its forage testing program;
- three replacement large-scale testing vehicles for hauling devices to test and calibrate large weigh scales;grants for local animal shelters; and
- the purchase of agricultural conservation easements.
Commissioner Farmer said the cost of his legislative agenda is modest compared to the return it will bring to the citizens of the Commonwealth. “Our proposals are a wise investment of taxpayer dollars,” he said. “By funding our requests, our legislators can act to improve the safety and quality of life of every Kentuckian.”
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