Last year's inaugural event saw nearly 400 people at the farmer appreciation breakfast. Organizers are planning for a crowd that size this year, as well, with two tents to be set up for the speakers and awards presentations at the Farmer Appreciation Breakfast beginning at 7:30 am. Sponsor Citizens Deposit Bank will provide breakfast biscuits and drinks for attendees.
Speakers at the breakfast include Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles; Brian Lacefield, Kentucky Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency; Tony Brannon, Dean of the Hutson School of Agriculture at Murray State University; Warren Beeler, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy; Carlisle County Judge-Executive Greg Terry; and Zoe Wilson of the Ballard Memorial FFA.
The committee again will give awards to the River Counties’ Outstanding Farmer and Ag Business, as well as a Friend of Agriculture award. A new award will be given for Outstanding Young/Beginning Farmer. The winners will be recognized at the breakfast.
Free activities for children and adults will begin at 10 am and continue until 1 pm at the fairgrounds. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s mobile classroom will be there, along with Dale Dobson’s presentations on ATV, grain bin and lawnmower safety. There also will be a petting zoo and pony rides for the children.
Megan Koch of Rusted Roots Boutique in Paducah and M&G Farms told West Kentucky Star the exhibitor fair should be an excellent chance to spend some time looking around and shopping.
"There will be several seed and chemical companies, equipment companies, and then we'll even have some vendors selling stuff, you know, farm-related items," Koch said.
The second WAVE conference will begin later that afternoon, and will continue with meetings on July 20 at the Carlisle County Extension Service office in Bardwell. You can learn more about that event at their website, www.kywave.com.
“Like last year our theme for the day is ‘Let’s Grow With It,’ our nod to the idea that all of our strengths – our agricultural heritage, our great people, our natural resources – are economic engines that can enrich our communities for years to come,” said committee chair Bob Wilson of Ballard County Schools. “We want to let people know that we are open for business in the river counties, and that we are moving forward together.”
Phillip Bean of Bean Farms in Bardwell said WAVE started in 2016 when leaders from Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton and Hickman counties started working together for a better future.
"If we could pull all four counties together we could maybe drive some more economic development, trying to work towards a port authority somewhere further north from Fulton," he said.
The first WAVE River Counties Ag Day was in 2017 in Ballard County, celebrating the agricultural community in those counties.
