(Louisville, KY) - Kentucky Agricultural Council (KAC) member organizations elected their 2025 board of directors at its annual meeting on February 13.
Elected for another term are:
- Dr. Tony Brannon, WAVE River Counties Ag Initiative
- Tod Griffin, Agribusiness Association of Kentucky
- Laura Knoth, Kentucky Corn Growers Association
- Nikki Whitaker, Kentucky Cattlemen's Association
- Niki Ellis, Kentucky Pork Producers Association
- Joe Cain, Burley and Dark Fire Tobacco Producers
- Sarah Coleman, Kentucky Horse Council
Laurie Mays, Senior Workforce Development Project Manager at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Foundation, will serve her first year on the board of directors. She replaced Mark Barker of Farm Credit Mid-America, who served as a director since 2016 and chaired the KAC from 2019 to 2021.
Appointed directors for 2025 are:
- Drew Graham, Kentucky Farm Bureau
- Warren Beeler, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
- Dr. Laura Stephenson, UK Cooperative Extension Service
Following the members' meeting, directors elected KAC officers for 2025:
- Tod Griffin, Chair
- Sarah Coleman, Vice Chair
- Niki Ellis, Treasurer
- Dr. Tony Brannon, Immediate Past Chair
Jennifer Elwell will continue to serve under contract as Executive Secretary.
The Kentucky Agricultural Council grows connections among agricultural organizations and businesses across the Commonwealth. KAC brings value through networking, leading strategic discussions, and building collaborative relationships between farm, food, fuel, and fiber groups. This work includes:
- Planning networking and programming for its members.
- Disseminating information that creates an understanding and appreciation of Kentucky agriculture.
- Serving as a liaison between private and public agricultural organizations, the Commissioner of Agriculture, the Governor, and the legislature to develop and effectively utilize our agricultural resources.
- Coordinating a unified communications effort that represents all of Kentucky agriculture.
KAC’s 50+ members include non-profit organizations, trade associations, commodity groups, state and federal agencies, and higher education institutions.
Learn more at www.kyagcouncil.org.
