Fall is here and so are the beautiful colors and frosty air it brings!  I think everyone loves Fall and how it leads into the holiday season. Join us at the Kentucky Farm Bureau, 9201 Bunsen Parkway, Louisville, KY, on Friday, November 1, for our Ag Club meeting/luncheon.  The meeting will begin at 11:30 am.  Bring a friend and enjoy a delicious lunch.  

SPEAKER

Dr. Ryan Quarles served as Kentucky’s Commissioner of Agriculture from 2016 to 2024. Under his leadership, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) started several new programs, including initiatives to combat hunger and connect Kentucky farmers to new markets.

Quarles’s outspoken advocacy for farmers has been recognized on the regional and national level. He has served as President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), as President of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA), and as Chairman of the Republican Agriculture Commissioners Committee (RACC).  

Quarles graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2006 with three undergraduate majors and two graduate degrees. In 2008, he graduated with a Master’s degree in higher education from Harvard University. He received his law degree from the University of Kentucky and a doctorate in higher education from Vanderbilt University in 2018.  

From 2010 to 2014, he served as member of the House of Representatives.  In 2024, he was chosen to be President of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, a position he feels is a continuation of his public service.   A native of Scott County, he grew up on his family's farm in central Kentucky, an area where they have lived and farmed for more than 200 years.