When we talk about the importance of women in Kentucky agriculture, one name that is always spoken is Alice Baesler. Alice Woods Baesler received her degree in home economics from UK College of Agriculture in 1963, and she has enormously influenced the Kentucky agriculture sphere and holds a place in everyone's heart. As the former Principal Assistant at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and wife of State House Representative Scotty Baesler, Alice's influence has been felt for generations of women in Kentucky Agriculture.

While serving in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Alice Baesler attended the second annual International Conference for Women in Agriculture in Washington, D.C. This opened her eyes to the dire need for more women to become involved in agriculture in the Commonwealth. She brought that fierce motivation home with her.

When she returned to Kentucky, Alice worked with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture to organize the first conference for Kentucky women in agriculture, held in Louisville. The conference, Breaking New Ground, covered practical workshops involving finances, resources, education, safety and health, and marketing, along with a round-table discussion on the issues affecting women in Kentucky agriculture and their families and communities.

The conference was attended by several high-profile figures in agriculture, such as Commissioner Billy Ray Smith! Since then, Alice Baesler hasn't slowed down on getting women involved and motivated to make their mark on the world of Kentucky agriculture. She became one of the first women in Kentucky to obtain a hemp-growing license, shortly followed by an organic license. Alice owns and operates Cannatraits and founded it with her husband. Cannatraits is the only USDA-certified CBD farm in Kentucky. Alice Baesler actively farmed and managed over 400 acres of tobacco and hemp until her death in August 2023.

She will forever be remembered as a Kentucky agriculture pioneer.

Read her obituary