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News Release

Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles has directed Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) staff to support the state’s robust agricultural traditions this summer as a way of bringing some level of normalcy to 2021.

“As I’ve said for weeks now, with widespread vaccine access and more knowledge about the coronavirus, it’s beyond time to fully reopen Kentucky,” Commissioner Quarles said. “Last year, we successfully modified everything from farmers’ markets to livestock shows to occur safely. Kentuckians should know my staff and I are here to support local officials in any way possible as they attempt to bring a level of normalcy back to Kentucky. I look forward to hitting the road this summer to visit our farmers’ markets, agritourism destinations, county fairs, and livestock shows.”

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture plans to move forward with supporting local agricultural events throughout the summer. The Department encourages local officials to monitor both state and Centers for Disease Control guidelines when planning events.

“Governor Beshear’s decision to lift the mask mandate for outdoor events with less than 1,000 people pretty much encompasses every agricultural tradition in Kentucky,” added Quarles. “That decision, coupled with wide vaccine availability, means our agricultural community is going to move ahead with a year that looks much more like 2019 than 2020.”

Commissioner Quarles will kick off the Kentucky farmers season with a visit and remarks on Saturday, May 8, to the Covington farmers market at Roebling Point at 10:15 a.m. ET.