Kentucky Ag News
Vol. 9 No. 8 • May 2, 2016
Quarles: Session successful for Kentucky ag
We worked together in a bipartisan fashion to pass legislation that will assist farm communities, agribusinesses, and consumers from all areas of the Commonwealth.
Ky. Proud sets the pace at Derby Festival
Kentucky Derby revelers are celebrating the most exciting two minutes in sports, and Kentucky Proud is there with farm-fresh local foods and award-winning Kentucky wines.
Commissioner helps launch Derby Festival
Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles commented on Kentucky Proud and the Kentucky Derby in his speech to the They’re Off! Luncheon April 22 in Louisville. (video)
Quarles to speak at KENA meeting
KENA is a dinner and educational series open to both equine professionals and horse owners.
Study: Food insecurity still historically high
The study reveals that 17 percent of the population in Kentucky is food insecure – 743,310 people, including 222,380 children.
UK sees modest changes in burley outlook
The global burley supply/demand balance has improved greatly over the past year, resulting in modest changes in U.S. burley contract volume for 2016 following significant reductions in 2015.

Kentucky retail food prices drop slightly
For the fifth quarter in a row, food prices in the Commonwealth have fallen, according to the latest Kentucky Farm Bureau Marketbasket Survey, albeit a very slight decline for the first three months of the year.
USDA offers new loans for storage, handling
Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Administrator Elanor Starmer announced changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program last month during a local and regional food roundtable in Columbus, Ohio.

Coming up
- Homebased Processing and Microprocessing Workshops
- Kentucky Equine Networking Association meeting
- Kentucky Grazing School
- Boone County MarketReady Producer Training Program
- HACCP training
- Taste of the Bluegrass 2016
- Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival
- Equine Podiatry Conference
- Growing Ginseng and Appalachian Forest Botanicals for Market workshops
- 2016 Certified Roadside Farm Market Tour