Jonathan Shell, the new Kentucky commissioner of agriculture, will be the guest speaker for the Salute to Agriculture Eye-Opener Breakfast on Tuesday, March 19, at the Silo Event Center.
Shell, 36, is from Lancaster in Garrard County. He was elected ag commissioner in November. He owns and operates Shell Farms and Greenhouses with his father, Gary Shell, according to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture website. They raise cattle and grow flowers, corn and pumpkins.
A Republican, Shell served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2013-2019. He was the youngest person elected to the House in 2012.
In an August 2021 story by Kentucky Public Radio about his plan to run for ag commissioner, Shell was quoted saying, “This will be an aggressive campaign built on homegrown values I’ve learned on the family farm. I’m pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-growth and pro-farmer, and I live these values every day.”
The breakfast, which starts at 7:30 a.m., is free to attend, and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is required.
The Christian County Chamber of Commerce sponsors the annual recognition of farmers and agriculture business and education leaders.
This story has been updated.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
