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Richie Farmer's Guns, Knives Bring More Than $21K at Auction

Former KY Ag Commissioner Richie Farmer
Ed Reinke
/
AP
Former KY Ag Commissioner Richie Farmer

Guns and knives once intended as political gifts during the Richie Farmer administration of the Kentucky Department of Agriculturehave generated $21,415 at auction.

Current Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer organized the sale. The proceeds of the auction will go toward an urban garden project.

“This auction blew the doors off all our expectations,” Comer said in a statement. “We thought there would be some spirited bidding for these collector’s items, but we never expected anything like this. I want to thank everyone who came out to take a look and cast a bid.”

The auction, drawing a crowd of more than 400, consisted of 13 Remington rifles and 16 Case knife sets, which were intended as gifts for other agriculture commissioners during the 2008 Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture conference.

Farmer has since been convicted on corruption charges and is serving a 27-month federal prison sentence.

John Null is the host and creator of Left of the Dial. From 2013-2016, he also served as a reporter in the WKMS newsroom.
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