Kentucky Ag News
Vol. 10 No. 6 • March 16, 2017
Consider ag's importance all year long
National Ag Day is Tuesday, March 21, and it is a good time to reflect on some of the many ways agriculture affects us every day.
Bulleit Distilling celebrates new plant
Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles joined other elected officials and dignitaries to officially open the new Bulleit Distilling Co. facility in Shelby County on March 14. (photos)
VIDEO: "Thank you for investing in Kentucky farmers."
Ag tag donations benefit youth organizations
March is the month in Kentucky when farmers renew their farm license plates. Sheldon McKinney, executive director of the Kentucky FFA Foundation, says it’s also time for them to consider a $10 donation to the Ag Tag Fund. (audio)
Take the middle fork to a Ky. Proud meal
Mark Jensen isn’t comfortable with describing his Kentucky Proud restaurant as “farm to table.” He feels that should be the role of every restaurant.

Quarles praises hemp bill approval
Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles celebrated the passage in the Kentucky House of Representatives of landmark legislation that aligns Kentucky’s industrial hemp research pilot program with the federal Farm Bill and adds important law enforcement provisions.
Beef Expo sales top $1 million again
Sales at the 31st annual Kentucky Farm Bureau Beef Expo March 3-5 exceeded $1 million for the sixth consecutive year.
Quarles asks FDA to withdraw proposal
Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withdraw a proposed regulation on smokeless tobacco products that would have a “devastating” economic impact on dark tobacco growers and businesses in Kentucky.
Deadline for Leopold nominations is near
Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles reminds Kentucky farmers that applications for the 2017 Leopold Conservation Award in Kentucky are due by April 1.

Freezing temperatures could damage crops
Wheat in the jointing stage will be damaged if temperatures reach 24 degrees Fahrenheit and below for at least two hours.
Candid Conversation: Zippy Duvall
Kentucky Farm Bureau interviews American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall about national farm policy.

Coming up
- MarketReady producer training
- Beekeepers schools
- UK sheep shearing school
- Ohio River Valley Woodlands and Wildlife Workshop
- Kentucky Woodland Owners Association and Foundation Annual Meeting
- Fifth Annual Appalachian Seed Swap
- Kentucky Forest Industries Association annual meeting
- KSU Mobile Poultry Processing Unit training
- Greenhouse tomato production field day
- KSU outdoor aquaculture program
Kentucky Farm Fact
- Kentucky counts 76,400 farms, sixth in the United States - and 91 percent of those are family-owned and -operated. #KyAg365