Louisville Agricultural Club Celebrates 75 Years and Leadership Program

2024 LAC President Jeff Young, Keith Rogers, Holly Rogers, and Past LAC President Bill McCloskey.

By Jennifer Elwell and Colin Wray

Louisville, KY - On January 9th, 2023, the Louisville Agricultural Club (LAC) celebrated 75 years of community, cooperation, and collaboration. From new members to those who first attended more than 40 years ago, the room was alive with a community of agriculture enthusiasts.

LAC 2024 President Jeff Young opened the night, welcoming all new and old members to the momentous occasion, followed by greetings from Fran McCall of Kentucky Farm Bureau, who graciously hosted the event at their headquarters. Long-time members were recognized alongside current board members for their contributions to the club over the years, and many told stories about their Kentucky agriculture journeys.

Attendees were then treated to a spectacular dinner and a presentation by the former Chief of Staff for the Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture, Keith Rogers, who reminded the audience of the changes in Kentucky agriculture and how the journey is still ongoing thanks to many key players in the room that evening. Rogers was surprised with the honor of the club’s Distinguished Service to Agriculture award for 2023.

The Louisville Ag Club’s Scholarship Program also had time in the spotlight, as what started as just a few hundred dollars in tuition assistance in 1983 has since grown to provide more than $300,000 to aid Louisville-area students pursuing studies in agriculture or related fields. The importance of the Scholarship Program couldn’t be understated; as the tuition cost rises, so does the age of the current farming generation. For Kentucky agriculture to continue being a dominating force of economic and social importance, young agriculture professionals will need all the help they can get. Scholarship program chair Bryce Roberts, Spencer County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources, thanked the late Howard Kamin for founding the program and the many volunteers who voiced Freddy Farm Bureau during the Kentucky State Fair to raise the funds.

To conclude the evening. Young introduced the first cohort of the Kentuckiana Agribusiness Leadership Academy. This one-year, competitive program focuses on leadership development for early/mid-career agriculture professionals in the Louisville region. Made up of representatives from local businesses and organizations, such as Farm Credit Mid-America, Bennett’s Gas, Kentucky Venues, and Heaven Hill Distillery, the first class of KALA will study a variety of topics relating to the business aspects of agriculture, ethical dilemmas in leadership, group dynamics, and developing individual leadership plans to better prepare themselves and their organizations to tackle the future of agriculture head on.

With 75 years under its belt, the Louisville Agricultural Club continues to be a place for budding ideas, networking, and supporting the future of agriculture.

Anyone interested in attending an LAC meeting should contact Phillis Mudd at (502) 569-2344 or visit www.louisvilleagclub.org.