As we move into a time of year when our farm families are hard at work getting their crops out, we have had a difficult spring from a weather standpoint. From strong storms to historic flooding, sometimes Mother Nature can really present a set of challenges that we, as farmers, just don’t need right now.

However, having spent a lifetime on the farm, I know the kind of resolve we have when it comes to facing challenges of any kind. That doesn’t mean it won’t be difficult to get past some of the issues left behind by high water and storm damage, but the tradition of farming that runs deep in our rural communities is unquestionably one of the things that keeps us moving forward.

And move forward we will. I can’t tell you  the number of times I have seen our farm families turn difficult times into opportunities. 

An example of that can be traced back to the transition tobacco producers faced as the market environment changes moved the farm economy in this state from tobacco dependent to a more diversified agriculture industry, and diversified, we have become.

Our livestock operations now rival any in the country. The Kentucky Farm Bureau Certified Farm Market program has grown exponentially since it began 30 years ago. Many of those markets have helped countless tobacco farms transition into the local food economy as well as becoming agri-tourism destinations.

 I remember well when some naysayers thought we would never get a poultry industry off the ground, but we have grown that sector to be the top agriculture commodity in this state and a billion-dollar business.

Our grain production has grown as well, to the point that it provides the majority of farm cash receipts each year.

But perhaps the most important part of our farming operations is the people who get up early, stay up late, work seven days a week, and rarely take a break from the farm in order to feed, cloth, and fuel this country.

As we move past the recent weather disasters, a lot of recovery efforts are underway and will be for some time to come. But one thing I have noticed, and have really known all my life, is the abundant help we have provided individually and as organizations to help our friends and neighbors during this time of need. And yes, right now, we are all friends and neighbors.

Our communities have banded together to lend that helping hand and to provide food, shelter, and the basic needs so many need assistance with right now. Our first responders have put their own needs aside to support efforts in their towns and cities and to rescue their fellow citizens stranded by high waters.

I even heard of a situation where a horse owner was evacuated from his home leaving the horse behind on high ground, safe from the water but unable to be reached by his owner. The owner reached out to his local first responders and they made the trip to the farm in a boat to feed his horse.

These moments of unselfish sharing and caring make me so proud to live where I do and work for an organization that is doing all it can to serve our members in the toughest of times, to move them forward to a better day.

In closing, at the end of the day the faith we have in God, family and each other always seems to prevail. God bless you all.

Drew Graham, Executive Vice President
Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation