LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s (KFB) 92nd Annual Meeting wrapped up another year in state agriculture, for many of its members, it was a banner year; indeed, a record year.

One of the highlights of the 2011 meeting came during the annual University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture’s Ag Outlook session. This year, agricultural economists estimated farm cash receipts will surpass $5 billion for the first time ever in Kentucky, and net farm income here will rise to nearly $1 billion.

That news fortifies what most ag industry experts acknowledge about agriculture remaining strong in a weak economy. But the outlook session was just one of many, as the KFB conference hosted agency elections, policy for the coming year and awards for many members from throughout the state.

KFB has placed a high value on the 2012 farm bill. “Kentucky farmers are calling for a policy that will continue to provide an economic safety net for agriculture, with an emphasis on crop insurance, conservation, rural development and research and education,” a KFB press release stated.

Other areas of policy include continuing to advocate for health care reform, encouraging competition and increasing consumer choices and placing a high priority on H-2A migrant worker program reform. State legislation priorities include funding for the Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville, continued funding for the Soil Erosion and Water Quality Cost-Share Program, ensuring steep property tax increases are subject to voter referendum and the support for the state’s career and technical education programs.

KFB President Mark Haney said 2012 promises to be another busy year for the agency’s public policy program of work.

“Our broad range of policy positions are aimed at strengthening our farm economy and providing farm families with essential programs and services,” he said. “But with a difficult economic climate at both the national and state levels of government, it’s extremely important to set priorities.”

Haney, a farmer from Pulaski County, was reelected KFB president during the meeting. Additionally, Webster County’s Eddie Melton was reelected first vice president and Hart County’s J. Fritz Giesecke was reelected second vice president.

On the national policy front, KFB will be working to protect conservation programs on working farmland from budget cuts, as well as other federal programs that directly impact farm production.

The organization is also looking to preserve full funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which provides financial and technical assistance to help farmers reduce soil erosion and protect water and air quality.

KFB joins with the American Farm Bureau Federation in opposing the U.S. Labor Department’s proposed changes to youth farm labor regulations. Those changes, which are published in the Federal Register, would alter what youth are allowed to do while working on a farm, which could keep many who are not working on their parents’ land off the farm altogether.

Kentucky senior Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell spoke to the conference on this issue and said the new regulations “defy common sense” and that the proposed guidelines could go so far as to prohibit a teenager from mowing the lawn or operating an electric drill on a farm.

In addition to all the work at the conference, there were many awards handed out. Jim Sidebottom, a 55-year farming veteran from Green County, was named the 2011 KFB Farmer of the Year.

Each year the award “recognizes an individual whose efforts not only strengthen the state’s agriculture industry but also demonstrate service and leadership both on and off the farm,” according to the KFB.

Adam Hinton of Flemingsburg was the top winner in the Excellence in Agriculture Awards. This recognizes young KFB members who do not earn most of their income from the farm but contribute to the agriculture industry through service and leadership.

The 2011 Outstanding Young Farm Family honors went to Michael and Nora McCain of Washington County. The award goes to a couple under the age of 35. The McCains raise approximately 4,200 acres of corn and soybeans, plus another 16 acres of burley tobacco.