Agriculture

Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell touted the possibility of local farmers growing corn for aviation fuel.

Shell is the new Kentucky commissioner of agriculture and a former state representative who farms in Garrard County.

A 2022 survey indicated challenges include “access to farmland and capital, student loan debt, access to health care, affordable housing and the increasing impacts of climate change.”

Kentucky’s veterinary shortage will likely be a topic discussed during the upcoming legislative session starting in January.

Energy officials believe solar could provide up to 40% of the country's electricity by 2035, but it would require roughly 5.7 million acres of land for panels.

The average American farmer is 57 and a half years old, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s up sharply from 1978, when the figure was just a smidge over 50.

Raising Hope, a group supporting healthy lives on Kentucky farms, sponsored the Farmer Appreciation and Award Day.

The local appointees include Dr. Debbie Reed, Theresa Nichol, Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam, Kristen Stewart and Jason Vincent.

Loans are being offered to crop growers or meat processors that are struggling financially, either because of weather disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company will seek to transfer its Berea operation to a business partner.

Small-scale farmers in developing nations and U.S. are on the front lines of climate change. They need more support, says Root Capital.