Louisville, KY (September 23, 2015) – The Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) Board of Directors will host the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture candidates Jean-Marie Lawson Spann (D) and Ryan Quarles (R) at a “Measure the Candidates” forum on Tuesday, October 6, in Louisville. The event – held at the KFB state headquarters at 10 a.m. ET – provides the candidates with an opportunity to share their vision for the future of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) and how they will operate from that office if elected.

“Measure the Candidates” is a forum, not a debate, and open only to the KFB Board of Directors, selected staff and members of the press. During the forum, each candidate is offered five minutes to make opening comments and then presented with a series of topics about the KDA. Questions specific to those topics will follow so that candidates can provide insight into their goals for the KDA and how those decisions will impact KFB and its membership.

KFB’s president, Mark Haney of Pulaski County, will moderate the forum. He and seven additional members of the KFB Board of Directors will address the candidates on topics specific to KFB policy, Kentucky agriculture issues and KDA operations. Candidates will be given three minutes to respond to each question.

Following the policy discussion, any member of the KFB Board of Directors may be recognized and given the opportunity to address the candidates in an open question and answer session. Five minutes of closing comments from each of the candidates will conclude the forum, which is expected to last approximately two hours.

After the “Measure the Candidates” forum is complete, both candidates, if their schedules permit, also have the option to participate in a 10-minute press conference with members of the media.

KFB will also broadcast “Measure the Candidates” live on the Internet at kyfb.com/livestream. Press conferences will not be livestreamed. Video of the entire forum will also be uploaded and archived onto KFB’s YouTube channel.