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Agriculture can arguably be considered the heart of what makes Kentucky, Kentucky, and Ag. Commissioner Jonathan Shell says his administration is committed to making sure that stays the case.
There’s a lot of unique challenges facing the industry in the modern age, from AI data center companies buying up land, outdated tax policies and foreign trade hiccups, and Shell says farmers of all sizes are constantly doing what they can to stay ahead of the game. Part of his job, he says, is to help them accomplish that and be successful, not just for themselves but for the citizens who depend on them.
As AI usage unfortunately becomes more prevalent and more demanding, Shell says they’ve been watching the unfolding data center discussion keenly. The issue agriculture wise, is that these data centers take up a lot of land and resources that could be used for farming.
He says there’s just too much unknown right now, and he wants to make sure farmland remains protected.
There needs to be more regulations regarding where they can be built, and Shell also says there’s needs to be much more disclosure about who owns the companies behind the centers.
When the Joint Committee on Agriculture meets in September, Shell says there is a list of things he hopes they will discuss, one of them being a possible restructuring of agricultural taxes. He says other industries are having record economic years, but agriculture has been flagging.
He also assured that agriculture will remain the central focus of the Kentucky State Fair coming up at the end of August after some confusion regarding the State Fair’s Mission Statement occurred earlier in the year.
Commissioner Shell is travelling around western Kentucky this week, attending events and making announcements, and he’s looking forward to the annual Fancy Farm Picnic this coming Saturday.