About Us

Officers
Eddie Melton - President 
Shane Wiseman - First Vice President 
Larry Clark - Second Vice President 
Drew Graham - Executive Vice President

Directors
Ricky Arnett - Greensburg
Scott Barnes - Lancaster
Alex Barnett - Cynthiana
Bettie Bean - Paducah
Todd Brock - Corbin
Larry Clark - Greensburg
Dr. Nancy Cox - Lexington
Scott Davis - Tompkinsville
Tyler Ferguson - Flatgap
Sharon Furches - Murray
Tim Goodlett - Liberty
Mark Haney - Nancy
Cloyce Hinkle - Artemus
Glenn Howell - Fulton
Stewart Hughes - Georgetown 
Zack Ison - Harrodsurg
Mark Kinsey - Crittenden
Mary Kate Kordes - Central City
Terry Lawson - Mt. Vernon
Mitchel Logsdon - Munfordville
Ray Allan Mackey - Elizabethtown
Joe Paul Mattingly - Raywick
Rob McClanahan - Butler
David McGlone - Grayson
Eddie Melton - Sebree
P.J. Milburn - Bloomfield
Victor Rexroat - Russell Springs
James Runion - Henderson
David Taylor - Somerset
Larry Thomas - Elizabethtown
Tammy White - Sturgis
Shane Wiseman - Winchester
Mackenzie Wright - Carrollton

At Cornett Farm Fresh (CFF) in London, Ky., “If it were any fresher, it would still be in the field.”

That’s their slogan, after all, but it’s more than just a flashy headline.  

“Instead of spending two or three days on a truck and then two or three days in a warehouse, the product is usually here within six to 18 hours from being picked,” said Rhonda Cornett, owner of CFF, a KFB Certified Farm Market.

On a visit to their brand-new store space in early summer, shelves were brimming with buckets of fresh strawberries straight from their 300-acre farm (ran by her husband, Brent).

“People didn't know strawberries could taste like this, because they're not picked green, they're picked ripe,” Rhonda said as she bit into a tender berry. “The consumer can see a shelf life of a minimum at least a week more than what they’re used to. So, the customer is willing to pay a quarter more a pound for something, because they know that the longevity of the product and the quality of the product is better.”

CFF shoppers are treated to a one-stop-shop approach, with an emphasis on locally made products.

“We’re up to 43 Kentucky Proud vendors in the store, from meat and produce to Woodstock Lavender Co. to Rock Bottom Soap,” Rhonda said.

CFF sells more than groceries and dry goods, however; the new location also boasts flowers, a deli, a farm-to-table café, and a bakery. The café serves up country cooking six days a week (Monday – Saturday), a convenience many shoppers enjoy.

“I told my chef that I want down-home meals that you would get from your mom or your grandma,” Brenda said. “Nothing weird that we can't pronounce. Nothing that a farmer or a papaw is going to come in here and say, ‘I don't even know what that is.’”

The menu features staples like cheeseburgers and French fries to more unique offerings, like catfish sandwiches and fried green tomatoes. On opening day April 26, the restaurant sold 82 pounds of chicken livers!

The staff at CFF pride themselves on the convenience factor and providing exceptional customer service.

“We break and string beans for [our customers], and they love that,” Rhonda said. “Some people are too busy, and some are not able to. A lot of our older clientele that used to do a lot of canning can't do it these days because they've got arthritis in their hands or they're not strong enough to lift their canners anymore. So, we can do things for them and they're tickled to death to still have what they grew up having.”

Humble beginnings

While this KFB Certified Farm Market has recently undergone explosive growth, this bustling business grew out of one small seed that was planted in 2020. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for food products far outpaced supply, leading to sparsely stocked shelves in grocery stores across the country. The Cornetts set up shop in their barn, selling a few basic produce items to locals. Before long, they were renting a space closer to town, an old lawnmower shop that they flipped into a farmer’s market in about a weeks’ time.

“People really were into ‘know your farmer, know your food’ because of everything pandemic-wise and lack of availability,” Rhonda said. “And people were, for the first time, more concerned about who handled their food on the way to their plate, too.”

Business soared. CFF operated out of that small shop for four seasons before opening their new location in London, Ky., this spring.

In the past few months, CFF has swelled from less than ten employees to 32.

“We’re brand spanking new here, and still very much working through the growing pains and the kinks,” Rhonda said. “I think we've had a 70% growth rate every year for the last three years. We are growing faster than we can handle it.”

The market’s successes recently earned them a 2024 Pacesetter Award by the Kentucky Small Business Development Center. Out of 360,000 small businesses in Kentucky, CFF was one of 19 recipients.  

The store will continually evolve and grow as the Cornett family adds more Kentucky Proud vendors and products. If you’re ever in the London area, be sure to stop in at 319 Hwy 192 West, London, Kentucky 40741.

I know many of you have often heard me speak of farm families when referencing the agriculture industry in general.

That family unit is so important to the success of each of our farms and many times those household members also included non-blood relatives such as farm workers or nearby neighbors all of whom pitch in when there is work to be done. And on the farm, that is nearly all the time.

In addition to the normal activities that come with every summer’s growing season, many farm families also participate in livestock showing mostly for the young folks, but there are plenty of opportunities for us not-so-young folks, as well.

Regardless of age or what kind of animals are being shown, these livestock shows are as much of a tradition on the farm as raising a crop.

Having had the opportunity to participate in many of them in my working career as well as being a parent of a child involved, it never ceases to amaze me the comradery that develops between "barn" family members as they attend many of the same events vying for the same top prize.

Participants learn early in their “careers” how to work together from setting up for the show, preparing for their main events, or loading up to go home. They may compete in the show ring, but they are also developing friendships that will last throughout their lives.

I believe, and have seen, bonds develop between many of these barn families that are as strong as any family that one is born into.  

As for my family, we show American Saddlebreds and recently participated in our first event of the season. It just so happened it fell just before my birthday. After one of our classes, as I headed from the show ring back to our stalls, someone called my name to help with a chore.

As I made my way in their direction, my barn family, along with others, gifted me with a surprise birthday party. It was really my wife’s doing since I had mentioned once that I had never had a surprise birthday party.

You can't imagine how happy it made me to see all those folks there gathered around the birthday cake full of hugs and well-wishes.

It made me realize something I already knew: You don’t have to have the same DNA to be a part of a loving family.

I instantly remembered so many of the barn families I have seen and visited with over the years, all having similar experiences be it a celebration of some sort or just being together.

It doesn’t matter whether you live on a farm or not, or show livestock or not, we can experience that expanded family feeling simply by being together, caring for each other, and helping out in times of need, as we travel down the backroads.

One of the first things you learn on the farm is that you can’t control everything, as much as you would like to. There are just certain occurrences, especially the weather, that we must endure no matter the conditions.

We have seen that so far during this growing season. With a wetter-than-normal May, we lost many critical planting days due to continual rain events and soggy fields. 

In looking at our state’s planting progress reports from the USDA over the past several weeks, I’ve often noticed how far behind we’ve been at times.

But, if you’ve lived on the farm for as long as I have, you understand that weather conditions play a significant role in the level of success we will experience during the harvest season.

And no matter what kinds of weather events we experience in any given month, changes can come quickly, as we saw last June when the summertime heat came early and those marshy, wet farm fields suddenly became hard as a rock and dry as a bone.

Even though there are research advancements that have been made allowing us to be productive even in the not-so-perfect of growing seasons, we can still face many challenges, as has been the case on our farm this year.

From trying to get the crops in the ground to a less-than-stellar wheat crop to navigating an ever-changing cattle market, we've had a lot to contend with and I know many of you have had the same issues.

I’ve heard from several of you who are experiencing the same kind of growing season. Still, we understand that each year we will see these issues and we will combat them as best we can.

We’re fortunate in this state to have a comprehensive ag industry network that works together to make our farms as productive as possible.  We learn from each other and help one another when those times of need arise.

Farm families understand that not every year can be one with perfect temperatures or adequate rainfall, all leading to record yields. But we are still hopeful when that first seed goes into the ground that we will see a fruitful and bountiful harvest.

To say that farmers are eternal optimists is a slight understatement knowing there are so many factors that go into raising crops that we indeed have no control over.

But for the ones we do, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to continually advocate for our industry in ways that will move us forward, especially in the toughest of times.

First and foremost, this season, we need to get a farm bill passed to ensure our farm families have the tools they need to make every season the best it can be and help guarantee success for future years on the farm no matter which way the wind blows.

We’re big on commitment, and it starts with our employees.

When you work with us, you’ll see this promise come to life every day because we know that our success is closely tied to the well-being and happiness of our team. Join Kentucky’s insurance company and experience how we put this commitment into action.

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Join AirMedCare Network’s membership at a special “members only” discounted rate! Kentucky Farm Bureau members qualify for a $20 discount off their annual membership. For more information regarding how you can take advantage of this discount program, visit my.kyfb.com.

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If you have questions or need assistance, please call Matthew Ingram at 502-495-7706.

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For more information regarding how you can take advantage of this discount program, visit my.kyfb.com.

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By definition, a trade deficit is the amount by which the cost of a country's imports exceeds the value of its exports, according to the Oxford Dictionary.

The nation’s agriculture industry has found itself in a growing trade deficit, something that has only happened four other times in the last six decades and never at the amount at which it currently stands.

In an exclusive interview with Kentucky Farm Bureau News, the Republican Chief Economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry John Newton said the USDA’s May Agricultural Trade Outlook showed another increase in the deficit from the February report.

“The most recent (USDA) forecast updated their projection for imports and increased it by about a billion dollars reducing the trade deficit to a negative $32 billion, which is the largest trade deficit that U.S. agriculture has ever had in history," he said. "We've only had four negative trade balances going back close to 60 years. So, it opens some eyes to where exactly trade is for U.S. agriculture. We know trade's so important for the farm economy and to see a negative trade balance is certainly concerning."

The same USDA report noted agricultural exports in fiscal year (FY) 2024 are projected at $170.5 billion, unchanged from the February forecast.

Newton said U.S. imports so many horticultural products, whether it's fruits and vegetables, wines and spirits and that's really the factor that's driving this negative trade balance along with lower commodity prices for grains and oil seeds.

“I think with a farm bill in front of us and (something) all of our stakeholders have been asking for years, we need to double MAP (Market Access Program) and FMD (Foreign Market Development) funding, so that we can go out and find and develop new markets,” he said. “Our producers have the highest quality and best food available. There's no reason why we can't send food around the world and have a positive trade balance.”

Newton said there have been some efforts to assist in trade promotion, but the current House version of the farm bill could help in those efforts forward.

“I know Chairman Thompson (House Ag Committee Chair Glenn "GT" Thompson) has had several visits around the country,” Newton said. “He’s been listening to farmers and producers in the agribusinesses, and they said, 'Look, inflation's hitting us, too and we need our MAP and FMD dollars. We need those increased so that we have a long-term investment in our trade promotion and market development resources.'"

Making these investments can certainly help to reduce this current trade deficit but American farm families are facing increased competition from other countries, as well. Newton said making investments could help to mitigate this trend in the long run, but it has to be in coordination with enhanced access in markets around the world.

Much of the increased competition is coming from South America. Newton pointed out it’s not only that these countries are planting more acres of crops like corn, cotton, sugar, or soybeans, but they're also putting a lot of money into their infrastructures.

“When they harvest a crop, they can get it to the export market quickly, but one of the things that I think, when you talk to our farm groups here in this country, not only do we have the highest quality products in the world, but we also do it in such a sustainable way,” he said. “And that's not something a lot of our competitors can say. That'll make us competitive long term.”

Another factor that the ag industry here may not be able to counter is some countries are producing their products with very low labor costs making it harder for U.S. producers to compete at the grocery store, with labor costs being as low as they are in some of these foreign markets.

“I'm an optimist and you can never count U.S. agriculture out,” Newton said. “Farmers and ranchers are innovators and I think we're definitely going to get this thing turned around.”

Getting the farm bill across the finish line will be a key component in making this happen. In addition to investments in MAP and FMD, Newton said a strong domestic market is also important, something American agriculture has and can bolster, especially when it comes to biofuels.

“We need to get this sustainable aviation fuel and the (biofuels) tax credit issue figured out to create more opportunities here, but we have to get out there, find and develop those new markets,” Newton said. “I know our trade partners want our products and to buy U.S. agricultural products. So, I think we'll meet the moment, and we'll reverse this trend.”

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, told KFB News, “Kentucky’s farmers rely on selling their goods abroad for their livelihoods, exporting over $3 billion in products each year, but our nation’s agricultural trade deficit has become a huge problem.”

McConnell added, “Years of trade surplus under previous administrations have vanished thanks in part to President Biden’s failure to outline a clear trade agenda and his refusal to ink a single trade agreement while in office. As Congress continues its work on the Farm Bill, Senate Republicans stand ready to support the Foreign Markets Development and Market Access Programs, and we continue to urge the Biden Administration to hold our trading partners accountable for breaking the rules.”

Candid Conversation presents a discussion about the topical issues related to Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) priorities, the agricultural industry, and rural communities, in a question-and-answer format. In this edition, David Knopf, Regional Director of the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Eastern Mountain Regional Field Office discusses the importance of data collection for the agriculture industry.

KFB: For our readers who may not know what the USDA NASS Kentucky Field Office does, could you gives us a description of some of the things your office does?

DK: NASS is USDA’s primary statistical agency and publishes reports about crops and livestock. Within Kentucky, the primary job is to collect data from farms and agribusinesses and turn that information into useful reports. Data are collected in a series of surveys throughout the year from a representative sample of farms and agribusinesses. Every 5 years NASS conducts the Census of Agriculture which gathers agricultural information from all farms and about people that operate them.

KFB: Why is collecting the data your office does so important to farmers?

DK: In this data driven world,.. statistics are needed to make informed decisions. Perhaps the two most important reasons are for marketing and farm policy. Markets rely on supply and demand numbers to function, and the statistics NASS publishes help with the supply piece. A somewhat less direct value is the development of farm policy at the federal, state and even local level.

KFB: How does the general public benefit from the information collected by your office?

DK: Benefits resulting from statistics are often indirect. I think this is true for how the general public benefits from USDA agricultural statistics. Two concerns that many people have are an adequate food supply and a strong economy. Data provides information to understand the food supply and helps to maintain a more stable market. Similarly, a strong farm economy contributes to a better overall economy, especially for rural communities. Understanding the farm economy through statistics contributes to better farm policy and can improve the profitability of farm businesses.

KFB: In looking at the 2024 growing season, we seem to have been behind in the planting process. How unusual is it to see a season like we are seeing?

DK: Each year is a unique set of circumstances, making it difficult to say what is normal. Of course weather is the primary factor influencing crop progress and condition. Fortunately there hasn’t been widespread adverse weather making this an average year in terms of planting and crop development. One of the favorable outcomes is the winter wheat crop. It has had some of the highest condition ratings on record and the yield forecast is 83 bushels per acre, which would make it the third highest yield on record.

KFB: The office publishes a crop progress report every week during the growing/harvest season. How do you collect that info and what is the biggest benefit from doing that?

DK: It starts with reports from University of Kentucky Extension staff, and some USDA staff. They report crop progress, crop and livestock condition and other pertinent information for their county. That information is then summarized and prepared into a report. The report also contains a weather summary from the University of Kentucky Ag Weather Center.

It’s probably the most popular NASS report because it provides a state-wide view of crops and livestock. It allows agribusinesses, university staff, commodity organizations, government and others, to make informed decisions based on real-time data.

KFB: There is a world of information one can see from your webpage. Tell us a little about that. It seems like that would be a monumental task to gather all that information.

DK: The NASS webpage has evolved into the primary means of disseminating data to the public. All published data, from about 400 reports annually, can be accessed from the site. It is an everyday task to gather data from farms and agribusinesses, and turn that data into useful statistics. It takes a full-time staff of about 30, and another 25 part-time individuals to accomplish the tasks for Kentucky.

KFB: The NASS website can be useful to farmers but what can the non-farming public learn from this information?

DK: I occasionally receive requests for statistics from students doing research reports or science projects, so I know it can be used by non-farming individuals. More often, I think individuals with farming experience will take the information and package it in a way that is easier for the non-farming public to use. A great example of this is the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom, #TeachKyAg.