Op-ed from Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 11, 2025) – Kentucky Ag Tag is on the road to $1 million and we need your help getting there.

Last year, Kentucky farmers donated a record-breaking $931,201.81 to the Ag Tag Program. It was the largest amount ever donated in a single year and topped the 2023 total by nearly $200,000. But this year, I’m hoping we can reach that $1 million mark creating even more positive outcomes for Kentucky’s agricultural youth.

Ag Tag money is generated through the $10 voluntary donation Kentuckians make each year when they buy or renew their farm vehicle license plates, or “ag tags.” The money is then split equally between the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky FFA, and Kentucky 4-H to support Kentucky’s agriculture youth and other organizations and programs benefiting our farm families.

The $10 donation may seem like a small amount. But, by multiplying it by the thousands of Kentuckians that give and then putting those funds in the hands of the department that focuses on the state’s agriculture community and the two leading agriculture youth development organizations, we are providing a strong backbone for Kentucky’s agricultural future.

As a former FFA kid I know the differences the organization can make in a young person’s life. Providing leadership experiences, life lessons, lasting friendships, and giving me the skills I needed for my future, FFA set me off on a path that led me to the Commissioner of Agriculture office.

In the same way FFA helped shape my life, 4-H creates experiences that make lasting impacts. 4-H and FFA are two youth programs that are at the forefront of the future of Kentucky agriculture, providing direction in life for many of our influential young people.

You can help create those lasting impacts by donating to Kentucky 4-H and Kentucky FFA when you buy or renew your farm license plate, or “Ag Tags” this year. When renewing your plate, you have the opportunity to make a $10 donation. It’s a small amount that can make a huge difference and one of the easiest ways to give back to the community and the future of agriculture.

The KDA uses its share of the Ag Tag funds for various programs such as the Ag Athlete of the Year awards, the Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award, Kentucky Women in Agriculture, and the University of Kentucky Grain and Forage Center of Excellence. KDA will be using the funds for a new program this year that monetarily incentivizes Kentucky school district using Kentucky food products for school meals. We are extremely excited about this endeavor and see it as a fantastic way to bring more Kentucky agriculture products into healthy, nutritious school meals.

Half of the 4-H and FFA donations are returned to local councils and chapters, meaning leaders in your community can use those funds to cover the cost of 4-H and FFA camp and other leadership programs for our youth. County 4-H councils use Ag Tag dollars to provide 4-H camp scholarships and travel for life-changing educational experiences to enable local 4-H youth to grow as leaders and engaged citizens. FFA chapters are free to use the money to meet the greatest needs in their community, such as FFA jackets for students in need or helping cover travel costs to leadership events.

That unselfish willingness to help build and prepare Kentucky’s agriculture youth are predominant features of FFA and 4-H. They are two of the leading youth organizations in Kentucky and the nation. While they work to prepare youth to take on the challenges agriculture faces, KDA works every day to promote Kentucky’s farmers, inviting each resident in the Commonwealth to realize the importance agriculture plays in the present and in the future. That future is Kentucky’s agriculture youth. That’s why this year’s Ag Tag campaign theme is “Bluegrass Beginnings, Boundless Futures.” Funding from your voluntary donations helps all three organizations fulfill our mission to sustain Kentucky agriculture for generations to come securing the future of Kentucky agriculture.

In the weeks to come, as many of you head back to your county clerk’s office to renew your Ag Tags, I hope you will make the $10 donation. Last year we set a record for Ag Tag collections in a single year. Let’s try to break that record this year, while at the same time helping to ensure a bright future for Kentucky agriculture.