Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell came to the Henderson Chamber of Commerce’s annual Agriculture Appreciation Breakfast Tuesday morning focused on a main idea: “Agriculture is economic development.”
The Garrard County Republican, who just began his term in January, the economic development narrative is going to play out the rest of his time in office.
“We’re going to have that conversation why agriculture is economic development,” he said, adding that the commonwealth has gold in its dirt. “We don’t always have to chase the smokestacks.”
Shell focused on four sub-points in a talk about agriculture’s role in the state’s economic development. First, the state and its farmers need to invest more in biofuels, specifically for aviation needs.
Shell said 50% of Amazon’s airplanes—worldwide—land at Cincinnati’s airport in northern Kentucky, and other large corporations use Kentucky as a hub. He said he only sees an upside for a greater investment in aviation biofuels.
Kentucky should also add a large-scale animal processing plant, specifically for beef. Shell said the state is doing OK with chicken and pork processing, but needs beef processing, which would create economic opportunities for farmers to produce feed, as well as create jobs at the plant and as drivers.
“Having these large-scale animal processing is a must,” Shell said.
For points three and four, Shell said he wants to see more locally-grown food in grocery outlets across the state and also more investment in farmer’s markets.
Eblen awarded agriculturist of the year
Reed farmer Jonathan Wayne Eblen was awarded the Chamber of Commerce’s agriculturist of the year.
According to chamber board member Kelsey Hargis, who introduced him, Eblen became a partner in his family’s farm, Triple E Farms, in 2014. The farm was formerly called Ezra Eblen and Sons, but the name was changed in 1980 to Triple E.
At its beginning, the farm was 1,000 acres. Now it’s 6,000 acres, where Eblen farms corn and soybeans, said Hargis. The family has also raised cattle, commercial vegetables and hemp, she said.
Eblen is a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church, is a Henderson County High School graduate and has a degree as a John Deere diesel technician from Vincennes University.
He’s also the chief of the Reed Volunteer Fire Department and president of the Henderson County Fair Board, and is active in the Henderson County 4H and Livestock Program. He is married to wife, Carli.
