Farm Safety and Health Week is Sept. 21-27

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 19, 2025) – Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell honored Kentucky’s farmers and the work they do at a Farmers’ Appreciation and Awards Day at Murray State University’s William "Bill" Cherry Expo Center on Wednesday.

“The number of risks farmers face every day on the farm are numerous,” Commissioner Shell said. “We are taking today to show our appreciation for the work our farmers do on a daily basis and to recognize the risk they take just doing their jobs. In Kentucky, we have made great strides to mitigate those risks and make farming safer than ever before, but one farm injury is one too many. We want farmers to know we see them and we appreciate them.”

The Farmer’s Appreciation and Awards Day, hosted by Raising Hope — a Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) program dedicated to supporting the physical and mental well-being of farmers — celebrated this important initiative.

For more than 25 years, KDA has encouraged safe practices on the farm through its Farm Safety and Rural Health Team, which provides educational resources and training to ensure the safety of farmers and their families. The team is always in high demand and on average appears in more than 100 events annually.

The awards program was held ahead of the National Farm and Safety and Health Week set for Sept.21-27. With a theme of “Safety First, Avoid the Worst,” the week encourages farmers and farm workers to always put their health and safety first.

In addition to the awards presentation, the day offered free health screenings, educational safety, health, and rescue booths, an agricultural career fair, and free lunch for attendees.

Awards presented during the event included:

Honorary Commissioners 

The recipients of this year’s Honorary Commissioner awards were honored for their work to promote agriculture safety and health, as well as their work in putting together the 2025 Farmers’ Appreciation Day at Murray State University.

The honorees include:

• Dr. Brian Hoover – agriculture systems technology professor with Murray State University’s Hutson School of Agriculture. 

• Dr. Kristie Guffey – professor and a graduate coordinator with Murray State University’s Hutson School of Agriculture.

• Connie Gray – expo director with Murray State University’s Hutson School of Agriculture.

Friends of Raising Hope

Award recipients for the Friends of Raising Hope award are key partners in and behind the scenes of Raising Hope.

• LaRue County FFA and LaRue County HOSA chapters - LaRue County FFA was awarded one of the Raising Hope grants last year and shared the award with the LaRue County HOSA. The teams came together to host LaRue County Farmers’ Appreciation Day.

• Brandon Reed, Executive Director for KDA’s Office of Agricultural Policy, has worked behind the scenes since the beginning of Raising Hope. He worked to get the program’s first funding and has helped build the program.

• Jay Hall, Executive Director of KDA’s Office of Agricultural Marketing, is one of Raising Hope’s team members. His work has helped ensure Raising Hope has all the resources it needs to be as successful as possible.

Farmers of the Year

Three Kentucky farmers were honored for their work to promote safety, and mental health benefits to their communities.

• Mark Luckett, who has dedicated years of service to farming, agriculture safety, and advancing agriculture.

• John Croft, who has dedicated his entire life and career to farm safety at 7 Spring Farms in Cadiz.

• Dr. Dwayne Driskill, a former professor of agriculture safety program at Murray State University, whose work helped build the program.

For photos from the event, click here.