FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 19, 2024) – Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell honored Kentucky’s farmers and the work they do at a Farmers’ Appreciation and Awards Day at Western Kentucky University’s L.D. Brown Ag Expo Center in Bowling Green on Wednesday.
“The number of risks farmers face every day on the farm are numerous,” Commissioner Shell said. “Farmers must be vigilant about their surroundings from machinery accidents, chemical exposure, unruly livestock, grain bin entrapment, severe weather, and many others. In Kentucky, we have made great strides to mitigate these risks to make farming safer than ever before, but one farm injury is one too many. Whether you are on the farm, on the road, or in the home, please take that extra step to protect yourself and those around you.”
In Kentucky, Sept.15-21 is Farm Safety and Health Week encouraging farmers and farm workers to always put their health and safety first. Kentucky’s farm safety week coincides with the National Farm Safety and Health Week. With a theme of “Don’t Learn Safety by Accident,” this week emphasizes the need to keep safety top of mind while on the farm.
The Farmer’s Appreciation and Awards Day, hosted by Raising Hope — a Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) program dedicated to supporting the physical and mental well-being of farmers — celebrated this important initiative.
For more than 25 years, KDA has encouraged safe practices on the farm through its Farm and Home Safety Program, which provides educational resources and training to ensure the safety of farmers and their families. The farm and home safety team is always in high demand and an average year appears in more than 100 events.
In addition to the awards presentation, the day offered free health screenings, educational safety, health, and rescue booths, an agricultural career fair, and free burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream.
Awards presented during the event, included:
Honorary Commissioners
- Sharon Burton is the owner and editor of Farmers’ Pride. Since 1989, the newspaper has been completely devoted to agricultural news and has become a well-respected source of reliable news for Kentucky farmers.
- Alan Watts is a radio broadcaster who hosts the Morning Ag Report on WKDZ. He has shared the story of farmers and agriculture to his listeners for nearly 40 years.
- Norma Cohron is a member of the Kentucky Partnership for Farm Family Health and Safety and has been a part of Raising Hope since its beginning.
Friends of Raising Hope
Award recipients for the Friends of Raising Hope award are key partners in and behind the scenes of Raising Hope.
- Debra Dobson has worked behind the scenes for farmers’ safety programs keeping equipment and supplies clean for more than 30 years. She is has also helped train Willie Otto, a Blue Healer that helps promote safety and good mental health at events.
- Dr Cheryl Witt approached the Kentucky Department of Agriculture with the idea of physical and mental health of farmers in 2019, eventually that idea became Raising Hope’s foundation.
- Dr Joan Mazer, who worked at the University of Kentucky’s Southeast Center for Agricultural Health & Injury Prevention, was a key player in building the Raising Hope team.
Farmers of the Year
Three Kentucky farmers were honored for their work to promote safety, and mental health benefits to their communities.
- Dale and the late Peggy Tucker, of Warren County, began their farming legacy, Tucker Farms, soon after they were married in 1956. In addition to farming, Dale Tucker served on the Warren County Farm Bureau and the Southern States Board of Directors. Peggy Tucker, who died in January, was one of 12 farm women who assisting in the establishment of a not-for-profit organization to reduce injuries, illnesses and fatalities on family farms. The outcome of these efforts was The Kentucky Partnership for Farm Family Health and Safety, Inc, a co-sponsor of Wednesday’s event.
- Mike and Mary Bach have been actively promoting safety on the farm for years. Mike, who served nine years in the U.S. Army and was a member of the Army’s high-powered rifle division, practiced safety in his career and brought that safety aspect with him when he transitioned to work the family farm. For years he used a toy pedal tractor equipped with a homemade roll over protective structure to teach and demonstrate the effectiveness of saving lives in the event of a tractor rollover in the rolling hills of Eastern Kentucky. Mike and Mary Bach extended that safety aspect by providing grain rescue tubes, at their cost, to the local fire department.
- The Biven Family has promoted farm safety through generations. Ernest Bivens was a Kentucky State Police officer who served on the State Farm safety council. His son, Carroll Dale Bivens, taught 4-H tractor safety school for more than 30 years in Spencer County. Carroll Bivens’ sons, Ryan and Todd, carry on the tradition today. Todd Bivens is an assistant chief with a fire department and also serves as a lead grain and farm safety instructor for the state of Kentucky, training first responders across the state. Ryan Bivens, who owns and operates Fresh Start Farms, has been home to numerous farm and grain safety training days. Ryan Bivens also served Raising Hope chair before it was reorganized this year. His oldest son, Cyrus Bivens, continues on the safety tradition by being involved with the Dixie Ag Safety team and helps oversee the challenge coin program through the local FFA and Farm Bureau.
