Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell visited Murray State University on Wednesday as part of an event that brought in agricultural educators and students from several chapters of the National FFA Organization across the state.
The stop was part of “All in for Agriculture Education,” an initiative by the state agriculture department in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education and Lt. Gov. Jacqeuline Coleman’s office to teach students about how farming and other related jobs impact their day-to-day lives. As part of that program, Shell and other agriculture department workers are visiting schools across the Commonwealth this week.
This year, the Republican state agriculture commissioner said the department wanted to focus on younger students, especially those in elementary schools.
“We wanted to make sure that we were extending that [agricultural] interest a little bit further in or down into their educational attainment,” Shell said. “We have kids today that don't know where their food comes from. They can't identify farm animals. A lot of things that are happening because we're so many generations removed from the farm.”
Following the program, Shell spoke with media about how tariffs are impacting Kentucky farmers and how the state agriculture department is advocating for those workers.
Some farmers have raised concerns about how trade negotiations between the Trump administration and countries like China – the largest export market for soybeans, one of Kentucky’s leading crops – could negatively impact their industry. Last month, the American Soybean Association put out a statement warning that retaliatory tariffs are shutting farmers out of the Chinese market, and said China has now turned to Brazil to fulfill more of its soybean needs.
It’s not the first time in recent years that tariffs have taken a toll on American farmers. International trade disputes during President Donald Trump’s first term ultimately led to $23 billion in government bailout funds for farmers in 2018 and 2019.
On Wednesday, Shell acknowledged issues that some Kentucky farmers are facing – including lowering commodity prices for corn and soybeans, which have been trending down since 2022. Shell said with that decline, combined with rising input costs and issues with access to capital, farmers could be “looking at a devastating time right now if we don't see changes in the marketplace.”
Despite these issues, Shell said what farmers really want is to be able to sell their products wherever possible.
“Not a single farmer I talk to wants to get a government check and a handout. They want market accessibility and markets available. Some of those things take time,” Shell said.
The state agriculture commissioner said the Trump administration is working on “right-sizing” tariff issues the country is facing while also working to sell American agricultural products to other countries after securing trade agreements.
“We can't blame this on trade solely because we've had three years previous to this that have been in depressed markets under the commodity issues that we have,” Shell said. “We are now finally seeing an administration in Washington who has taken this seriously, who's talking to foreign adversaries and partners that we have to make it a fair deal that we need in American agriculture to move forward.”
The commissioner said Kentucky and the rest of the country could see the “golden age of agriculture come into effect” if trade negotiations end favorably.
