Political leaders, policy makers, and county members make up a capacity crowd to witness another history-making event.  

The 61st Annual Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) Country Ham Breakfast and Charity Auction at the Kentucky State Fair brought in a combined winning bid of $10 million in support of Kentucky charities, continuing the longstanding tradition of generosity that has made this event one of the commonwealth’s most anticipated gatherings.

Since its inception in 1964, the breakfast has raised nearly $54 million for nonprofit organizations and other charities across Kentucky; $30.5 million in the last three years, alone, thanks to the combined efforts of Central Bank and Joe and Kelly Craft.

Once again, these two top bidders joined together to come up with this year’s winning total.

Central Bank’s President & CEO, Luther Deaton, said that giving back to the community is something the bank has done since its inception.

“Mr. Garvice Kincaid started this bank in 1946, and he always said, ‘We're going to give back to the communities and we'll take care of the children, and we're going to fund education,’ and that's what we do,” Deaton said. “God has blessed me with so many good relationships, and Joe (Craft) and I have a great relationship, and it's just an honor to be partner with him and our bank to do this. This event is about more than a winning bid — it’s about making a lasting impact. Our team is proud to give back to charities that strengthen communities and provide hope for Kentuckians across the state.”

While the Crafts were away and unable to attend, Jennifer Barber, Partner-in-Charge of Frost Brown Todd's Louisville office, placed the winning bid on their behalf.

“I've been to the ham breakfast many times, and this is a very important event for Kentucky,” she said. “Kelly and Joe Craft would like to thank Kentucky Farm Bureau for hosting this wonderful event again this year. They hope their charitable contributions will help improve the lives of Kentuckians across the Commonwealth. It's a real honor for me to be here to bid on the ham for them.”

Remarks from KFB President

KFB President Eddie Melton thanked all of this year’s bidders with a special shout-out to Central Bank’s Deaton and the Crafts. The combination of their separate bids of $5 million helped push the winning bid to a near record level once again for the State Fair’s Grand Champion country ham.

“While our name is synonymous with the Ham Breakfast every year, it is the charities our bidders support that are really the winners, at the end of the day,” he said. “I’m incredibly thankful for our businesses and entrepreneurs who have made this event a tradition of their own.”

Melton addressed the crowd of over 1,600 before the auction took place, beginning his remarks with thanks to the county Farm Bureau members and leaders in the room, and across the state.

“Our organization can’t do all the great things we do without the continued support of every member in every community throughout Kentucky,” he said. “They truly serve as the foundation of KFB, and we can never thank them enough.”

Specifically, Melton mentioned the efforts county members made in the past year in giving out a record amount of scholarship money to deserving students.

“A prime example of our members’ community involvement is the scholarship programs offered by county Farm Bureaus throughout the state,” he said. “Helping with educational endeavors is one of KFB’s top priorities. This year, a total of 601 state and county scholarships were awarded, worth $810,150, a new record for this program.”

Melton also recognized the work Lt. Governor Jacquline Coleman and Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell are doing in getting ag education to elementary students across the state.

From a policy perspective, Melton mentioned the efforts being made, at all levels, to move KFB’s Kentucky Farmland Transition Initiative (KFTI) forward.

“Legislatively, House Bill 703 was introduced by State Representative Myron Dossett to make changes to the Kentucky Selling Farmer Tax Credit, making the credit work for more farmers and providing greater certainty for sellers,” he said. “Provisions of this bill were included in HB 775.”

In addition, Melton talked about the contribution Kentucky U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell made to farmland transition with the introduction of the Protecting American Farmlands Act.

“Sections of that bill were included in the recently signed reconciliation bill,” he told the crowd. “We were able to work with Senator McConnell to establish the first-ever provision in the federal tax code to provide some relief on capital gains taxes for sales of land that stays in farming.”

McConnell received a special welcome and recognition for his long support of agriculture and the many years he has devoted to the Commonwealth as he prepares to leave his Senate seat after his term expires next year.

Melton concluded his remarks with a call to get the farm bill finished.

“While we appreciate the support of agriculture in the recent reconciliation bill, let’s finish this work by passing a new farm bill,” he said. “Together, the two will update programs and add certainty for farm families as they continue to produce our nation’s food supply. Food security is national security.”