Kyle Kelly, Kentucky Farm Bureau

[MUSIC] >> Hello, everyone, and welcome to Growing Kentucky's leaders. I'm one of your host, Sheldon McKinney, and I'm your other host, Ruth Ann Fink. >> And today we have a returning guest, Kyle Kelly. He works for Kentucky Farm Bureau. He is the director of the Public Affairs Division and FFA in line from Owen County, and he has served on the Kentucky FFA Foundation Board for almost nine years. Welcome back to our show, Kyle. >> Yeah, thank you, Sheldon. Thank you, Ruth Ann, for having me. It's a pleasure to be on this morning. >> Yeah, well, when folks are listening to this, it's early January 2026. You are gearing up for an exciting legislative session in Frankfurt. We wanted to have today to just be an ag policy preview for all of the things that an FFA member might need to be watching or be informed about as this legislative session takes shape. So first, tell us about your role as the director of Public Affairs and set the stage for kind of what's happening in Frankfurt right now. >> Absolutely, so my role is getting to lead the advocacy effort on behalf of Kentucky Farm Bureau and our members, and that takes place at the local state and national level. I think national is a two year Congress, so it's year around for two years that they've got bills that are going and moving at the state level. It's more condensed at 2026. We're in a budget year, 60 days session, so January, April 15th. And I think that's really what we'll focus on here that's this January podcast. It's kind of on the state level, and the issues we're facing here in Kentucky. >> Yeah, and we asked you, Kyle. We just wanted to hear from you. What do you think those three most important topics are that our listeners should know about? And you gave us a list, and they're heavy talk. These are big things that we should all have on the forefront of our mind. That's going to be happening in the ag world in Kentucky in 2026. So let's dive right in. The first one you gave us was formerly in transition initiative. We've been talking about this for a while now. I'm excited to see what's going to come with this session in regards to farmland transition. So first, just tell us about the problem. And then what are the solutions that your team is working towards? >> The loss of farmland is a major issue in Kentucky, nationally, really. But we're losing 100,000 acres of farmland per year in Kentucky. So we've really went to work on that alongside of a lot of industry partners. Our universities, our ag lenders, our retailers, and our commodity groups, of course. Last year in 2025, we picked up a big win by updating the selling farmer tax credit to incentivize selling landowners to seek out a farmer to sell their land to. If they sell to an active farmer, they get a tax credit. So that was a big win to help incentivize keeping land and production and incentivizing that seller. Well, all summer we've realized now we need to go help the buyer. Now we need to help that farmer have access to capital. So going into the 2026 budget session. Our big priority around farmland transition initiative is developing at the state level, a low interest loan program for all active farmers to purchase farmland. And as part of that, to go a step further to ensure it stays in production, we want there to be some type of deed restriction that would keep that land in production agriculture for X number of years. Let's say it's 10 years, maybe it's 25 years. It's for the life of that loan, which could be from 10 to 50 years, potentially, how long it stays in production. That's kind of up in the air, but the goal is develop a low interest loan program. That's not a new concept. We have a low interest loan program for young and beginning farmers through the agriculture finance corporation. We don't want to do anything to harm that. It's working. Keep that as it is. Keep it successful. But let's look at something that can benefit young farmers, beginning farmers and active farmers, with a new program, with more money, not splitting the pot. We're adding more money to it's not an and or it's an or it's both it's it's a it's a program that could really help have access to active farmers so they could purchase farmland with a lower interest loan rate. Talk to that just a little bit more. You say all farmers and I know you say, you know, we have in the state of Kentucky currently there's programs for young farmers, why the focus on all active farmers? Why is that a big benefit for Kentucky agriculture that all farmers piece that you mentioned? The all farmer piece is important because the average age of a farmer in Kentucky's close to 60. So we obviously have a lot more farmers that are older and we'll always prioritize and focus on young and beginning farmers. We have to do that. But it's also important to recognize there's more farmers 36 to 86. Then there is below that that range. So it's important because those are the folks that really are expanding their operations and have the ability to expand and we do want to do more of an incentive in a bonus program for those young and beginning because we do want to elevate them so they can also grow and expand. But it's important we don't leave those all active farmers out because what we saw with the selling farmer tax credit going back to that when it was limited to only beginning and young farmers, we were using less than 10% of that program. It wasn't being utilized and a part of that was there just a lot of young and beginning farmers weren't purchasing those land and assets and we wanted to utilize that program by opening it up the first month that that went into law. We had more applications than we did the entire previous year. So we've recognized yes, let's put bonus points if you're younger beginning. But if young and beginning just aren't using it, can't use it, whatever, let's also allow these active farmers to be able to. So we are fully utilizing these programs and we're doing a hour goal, which is ultimately keeping that land in production for a long period of time. So maybe 10 years down the road, a younger beginning farmer does have access to capital they can buy that farmland and it's not been turned into some type of concrete structure. Yeah, there are a lot of barriers of entry for somebody in our agriculture and that farmland acquisition is a huge piece of it. You said 100,000 acres a year is lost in Kentucky agriculture. I did not know that number. If you had to say like quickly, what are the three reasons that we're losing farmland? What is it? So that is something that we are trying to study more to find out exactly what it is. But one is the biggest one is just residential, single family houses. It's the American dream. It still is. I own a house and 10 acres and when you build one house on 10 acres, that takes up a lot of property. So that is probably the biggest. The other thing that we hear a lot about is solar and that is a big push. But when you look at the grain scheme of things, it is somewhat minimal, but it is a big driver because they're taking large amounts of land at a time. Then there's just your traditional commercial development properties, those do take place. But really, the largest one is residential where it is a house and 10 acres plus. The old saying goes, it's too big to moat, too small to grow. Oh, never heard that, but yeah, for sure. Well, you mentioned solar. That's a hot topic too, but also I think connects with eminent domain reform, which is another thing that you had wanted to discuss as a major issue. First, for somebody who really has no idea what we're talking about, what is imminent domain? Imminent domain has been around forever. I would say it got very prominent back in the 1800s for railroads using imminent domain, which is where public entities or certain private entities that are providing a public good, which basically means it's transportation for all or utilities would be a private entity that has imminent domain because they're providing a service for all like electricity or water or natural gas. And essentially, it is those entities that are taking private property to provide a service that is supposed to be a service that is available to all. So the biggest examples are roadways or our utilities like water, electric, and gas. But it is essentially, in very short terms, the taking a private property for the public good. Okay. Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization. So your policy comes from your members, your local members coming and saying, here's what the solution we want to see. They take it to the state. You all kind of coalesce around, here's what our members want. So why don't you tell us what changes do Kentucky Farm Bureau members want to see to imminent domain? So imminent domain and private property rights go back to 1919, the foundation year of Kentucky Farm Bureau. We've always opposed the taking of private property for private use. We've always opposed that in Kentucky. That's illegal. That's not supposed to happen. I don't think it does happen. It shouldn't happen. But what our membership has told us over the last three years is we've not had really any type of reforms or changes to the imminent domain long in Kentucky since 1976. Things were a lot different in 1976. What we're hearing now is even the taking for public good, per roads, for utilities, for all the things that can be considered public good. We're hearing that those entities, there's a lack of transparency around the process. And we're hearing that there is, there's really a lack of what the law justifies as fair compensation around what we consider as agricultural infrastructure improvements. Farmers today are investing a lot of money and things like drainage tile to help their land drain. That's been around before the 70s, but it wasn't near as prevalent as it is now. People are spending a lot of money running water lines. So they can have automatic waters for their livestock, fencing is significantly more expensive today than it was back in the 1970s. So farmers are investing a lot of money on their operations. And we feel that it's time to put in statute that they should be compensated for their agricultural infrastructure improvements and not necessarily just kind of the value of that land as seen from somebody who wants to acquire the land and just flatten the land to build whatever they're going to build. We believe if they, they should have to compensate the farmer for those improvements to the land. If they're going through drainage tile water lines, livestock fencing or even more permanent structures like feed barns and hay barns and the things of that nature, grain bins, some. For sure, where I live, this is such a hot topic. There is just a few issues that's happening in my hometown is a gas pipeline that is coming through basically everyone's farm, a data center that is trying to buy thousands of acres of farm land and then this solar issue. So it's huge because it does change, definitely changes agriculture, but when your community has been built around agriculture, like my hometown has been, it can change your home community for good. So it's an important topic and I would agree the transparency around it is pretty non-existent. And that's what we want to address. The pipeline in particular, a lot of people, if it is a gas line that is going to provide natural gas to thousands of homes, that's one thing. But if it's a major line that's going for some other industrial use, the general public wants to know that because there is a big difference. That's right. And the imminent domain reform that we're looking at it in this session, it wouldn't stop the projects because a lot of the public, we need these projects, it would just bring more transparency to where there is a local meeting requirement. So they're not saying farmers in Fleming County drive to Frankfurt to this public service commission meeting. There would be a local meeting during the fiscal court meeting there in the county where these entities have to come and explain the scope of their project. So the general public is made aware of it. And we believe our membership leaves at the very least if their private property is being taken, they should at least know the true scope of the project. Yeah. This is at home to so many people, whether it's just something you're hearing about in your community. You know, I live on my family's, or my husband's family's generational farm in the city we live in has literally been built around this farm and they're extending the bypass, which is going to be a great thing for our town. It also will split the farm in half and we will lose farmland. And that's just literally yesterday, my husband was talking about needing new fence, but we can't do that until the road comes through because they know it's not worth the investment if we know this road is coming through, right? So we are living in this in between phase of not knowing what is going to happen with own land, but also it's going to be a great thing for the community and how do you protect yourself? You know, even if that is not your farm and a road is not coming through your farm, you're part of the community and it does, it will impact you in some way. I think that's a good thing if we have FFA members listening to be a part, we say, oh, it's not transparent and it's not, but when there's meetings at your local level, go to those meetings, speak up. I mean, they have taught, you know, my husband's on the planning and zoning every meeting they have once a month, there is a public forum for you to express these things, but people just don't go. You know, that's kind of in something that's starting to go away with my, even I'll speak to my generation, we're not showing up and speaking, we'd rather speak on Facebook. So you've got to be able to know where to use your voice and your voice does matter. You know, I think that's an important thing to call out. We could talk a lot about imminent domain, for sure. The third issue you gave us, Kyle, is an interesting one. I want you to kind of like talk about why this is a priority and it's about the deer nuisance tag reform. Okay, so if you're hearing that and you're like deer nuisance, how is this a priority to Farm Bureau? Tell us. Why is this a priority to Farm Bureau? Every year we go through a resolutions process and we get almost 1,000 recommendations of policy suggestions. The top issue every single year is wildlife management and wildlife management. We'll just stick to deer, because deer is the big one. It not only impacts crop damage is the big one. That's the big one bonsai. But it also impacts automobiles and when I mention that, it's, I mean, it's not a small number. I mean, it's in the tens of millions and an automobile damage is from deer claims alone. And that impacts everybody's rates and things, you know, when that's got to be spread out. So deer damage from an insurance side is one thing, but I'm going to put that aside because I love it for the federation, the farm side. We hear from farmers that are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Those are real numbers from deer damage each year. They will plan a crop. The deer will eat that crop before it ever comes up and they have to replant and the deer will eat it again and then they go through and they harvest it. And we have precision agriculture technology now that shows this portion of the field near the woods will yield and to 15 bushels total. And the rest of that field of beans might be 60 bushel or the rest of that field of corn might be closer to 200 bushel. And you're getting over here in the first run near the woods where deer just come out and they just graze and it's, it is real dollars and cents to our farm members. And we have a nuisance deer tag program in Kentucky, but it is somewhat cumbersome to complete if you're not the landowner. If you rent that farm, if you are the landowner, we have a very good law in Kentucky or a pretty good law in Kentucky. If you rent the farm, it's a cumbersome process for that landowner to work with that farmer and to apply for a nuisance deer tag to allow some takes of antler listed deer so you're not going out there to hunt trophy bucks. You're only taking antler listed deer and you do have to have a wildlife biologist come on your farm to see that damage. What we're trying to do is put some timelines in there that they need to come within 15 days of the call and we're trying to expedite that process. We want multiple year tags. So if you've had to get a tag every year for the last three years, obviously come year four. It's going to be a problem. Let's not make you go through all of the red tape come year four, let's allow an automatic renewal of that tag because we know it's still going to be a problem. So we're just trying to expedite that process because it is a major issue for our farm members and that's all across the state. Not just in grain country, I mean, it's a problem in central Kentucky as well and in eastern Kentucky in a lot of places as well too. What a cool topic to think about. We had a Muleburg County Angteacher Scott Kronin on. He is really into hunting and wildlife. He uses that in his classroom. They processed, I think they said 60 deer this year for hunters for the hungry that just showed up. This is an interesting topic for wildlife and agriculture and how it works together and how we can be better managers that land and animals together. And we're working closely. Great point, Sheldon. We're working closely with hunters with a hungry Kentucky Farm Bureau. We have an event that raises money. We donate a lot of money to them and they've been able to buy refrigerated trailers. So we want, we don't want farmers just going, we want them to protect their land. That is important, but we also want them to be good stewards and to talk with hunters with a hungry. So when they do have to take those new sense animals, they can then donate those two hunters with a hungry and ultimately we'll go to help feed folks that are in need at some local food banks. And we're hoping that this is a win, win, win all the way around. We just need to try to make a few weeks to cut some red tape out of the process of retaining some of those new sense tags. Okay. So if you were listening and you want to be engaged about these topics, you want to weigh in, share your experience with your legislator, share your opinion about how you think that they should support or not support any of these topics. What is the best way for folks to engage in the legislative process? So it's to reach out directly to their legislator and their information is available. They have every one of them. It's their first name, dot last name at kwhlegislature.com. They get those emails or they have legislative assistance in Frankfurt to get those emails. That is the best way to truly reach them. And then like Ruth Ann said earlier, show up, we encourage all of our county farm bureaus to host their state legislators, their state rep and state senator at county farm bureau meetings. We would love, I can speak for every county farm bureau in the state. They would love to have young people attend. Most of them do invite their FFA advisors and even their FFA presidents, a lot of times will serve in an ex officio role, but they would love to see more young faces. When you're county farm bureaus, when you're county chambers of commerce, when those type of groups are hosting events with legislators, please go and please show up because legislators love seeing people. So when I say what Ruth Ann said, show up in person. That means a lot more than a keyboard warrior on social media. That's what a lot of people get their news now, but it is important to still show up in person. It is. Yeah, we need people. And honestly, our FFA members, they are so trained for this. Like, they are the perfect person to then go be a beacon in their communities. You know, we're teaching these skills at the high school, middle school, even level. Don't let that stop when you graduate. You know, keep being a leader in your town and in your community and carry those skills on in life. And when we talk about it all the time, it like gives me goose bumps, like, we hear all the time. We're in such good hands with these FFA members when they become adults in their communities. We want you to do that if you're listening. We really need you to do that. And legislators brag about that. Not just about how well spoken they are, well educated they are, but how well dressed they are. Like when you show up in your blue and gold and you've got your talent and you just look good and respectable and legislators take notice of that and the things that we do in FFA to train young folks, it carries on for the rest of their life. And we hope that the folks stay engaged like you say, everything after they graduate in the process. Yeah. Yeah. Can you be planning a big role in that? With the collegiate farm bureau and you know what you're trying, you're, you can definitely farm bureaus purposely trying to create that pipeline, okay? When they're done with FFA and they've graduated, let's keep them involved if they're going to college. Let's keep them involved in this young farmer program. Yeah. You got to show up too. Thanks to people to do that. Kyle, we've got three new questions for 2026 that we're going to ask all of our guests. I'm excited to hear some of your responses here. And the first one is just if you could instantly master one skill, what would it be? Persuasion. In my job, I government affairs, you know, lobbyist, I mean, that word doesn't have the best kind of, most people don't think of a lobbyist as a good person, but, but I would like to think the issues I lobby on are for the good of the people, but you do have to be able to not just persuade them. You need to educate them, but, but yes, I would love to just be able to master the skill of persuasion and get 100% of the vote every time I have to go lobby an issue. But realistically, real, like your job so much easier, it would, but I do think that would be one good skill that if I could master a professionally, I would love to master the skill of persuasion. Thank you, Dan, pretty good, Kyle. Thank you, Michelle. Thanks for having me. Yeah. Okay, next is what's your favorite way to unwind? So I think golf is a good way that I like to unwind. Unfortunately, I'm not very good. So there are days where it might just frustrate me more than that it helps me unwind, but I do like playing golf. I enjoy doing it. Most of the time you're joined by three of your good friends or work colleagues and you get to go out there and enjoy the sunshine and just, you know, not really think about work, even if you're talking about work issues, you're just getting to do it in an enjoyable way being outside and playing golf. So I wish I would, if I were better, I would, it would enjoy it even more. What you master that skill too, golf, I wish I could, I would have started earlier in life if I could have. So for any middle school, everything listeners, golf is something you can do forever and it is a pretty good reason to get out of the office sometimes when you can go do that with some work colleagues and other lobbyists and things like that for my career. Okay, and that's a good pro tip. All right, our last question is just what's a topic that you're an unqualified expert on? Unqualified expert on, I would say Kentucky high school athletics. Okay, do, do tell high school basketball in particular. So that was something that my grandfather and dad both actually, when I was the year, was 2000, it was my first KHA state tournament at Reparina, Lafayette, one Lexington Catholic, I think one the next year anyway. I used to know every single state champion winner but I started going to the hospital state tournament in the year 2000 when I was, I'm trying to think, I mean, I would have been in like elementary school, not trying to, I don't know if that dates me as young or old at this point, but anyway, so 25 years ago, and I've been to the state tournament every single year since then I used to leave for spring break late or come home from spring break early when I was in college. And I just to be able to go to the state tournament now it's during session. So it's very difficult to go because it's always right there at the end of March when things are busiest during session, but I try to sneak away at least for one or two games. It's just something I've always really enjoyed and I say I used to always go with family growing up with my dad and my granddad and just a lot of fun. I try to keep up with hospital basketball players that some of them made it, some of them, you know, after high school they were incredible athletes, but just didn't go on to play in college. And we're done with it. And then some are, you know, the Reed Shepherds of the world that are now making significant contributions in the NBA. So I love watching those high school kids and then there was a kid from Owen County currently playing at Western Kentucky University, Sheldon, that was just named this week as a top for an award to be the number one player for a mid major college in the country. So Tegan Moore from Owen County is having a really good season down at Western Kentucky University as a sophomore. Wow. Well, go tops, go high school basketball. This is where you are an unqualified expert on it. You have your bonus. That was great. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for being with us. This is such a busy season for you. I'm going to tell you we are lucky to have you in Frankfurt representing so many Kentucky Farm Bureau members voices from across the state. We've been lucky to have you around the table working for Kentucky FFA members the past nine years too. So thanks for having me. Yeah. Thank you, Sheldon. Thank you for your leadership. I've, it's been an honor to serve on the FFA Foundation Board for nine years and the growth that we've had since 2016 really. I guess I came on in 2015, but I was a proxy for for someone and to get to see the growth over the last 10 years is is incredible for FFA members listening. And I hope that they also recognize the work that you retain and the rest of the team do on their behalf. The work that you all do is to help fundraise so they don't pay out of pocket for a lot of things that they get to do and a lot of the awards and contests. They work so hard on their rewarded for that because of the work that you all do. So thank you for what you do. It's been a been an honor to serve on that FFA Board for for nine or 10 years at this point. You've grown up on the board now. Well, you have a great session and I hope you get engaged and visit with your local legislators about issues that are important to you. And thank you for listening to this episode of growing Kentucky's leaders. Growing Kentucky's leaders is a podcast brought to you by the Kentucky FFA Foundation. Our music is performed by urban county FFA member Joe Fritch. Our work is by Julie Fritch Creative. Your hosts are Sheldon McKinney and Ruth Ann Fink and you can find us on all social platforms at Kentucky FFA.