06/10/2025
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Representative Ryan Bivens
Growing the next generation of farmers
As lawmakers begin preparing for the 2026 Regular Session, members of the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture met June 5 to discuss ongoing efforts to keep active farmland in production.
Kentucky’s farmland is disappearing at an alarming rate, with aging farm owners and difficulty transitioning land to the next generation playing a major role. Agriculture Committee members learned that over the last two decades, about 17,000 farms have been lost and more than 1.4 million acres of Kentucky farmland have moved to other uses. In fact, for the first time in history, production land accounts for less than half of Kentucky acreage. This trend threatens not only Kentucky’s agricultural legacy, but also our access to food and overall economy. After all, there is great truth behind the bumper sticker that reminds us “No Farms, No Food.”
While much of the loss is in fast-growing areas, the impact can be felt in almost every single Kentucky county. As farmland shrinks, it becomes even more difficult for small and midsize farms to compete for land and labor.
The very nature of agriculture often leads farmers to be land-rich and cash-poor as so much is invested in land and machinery. This often makes it harder to pass the family farm down from one generation to the next. Many family farms face uncertainty when heirs move away or choose not to continue the business. Rising land values only increase this pressure, making it more lucrative to sell than to farm. According to committee testimony, only 20% of family farms successfully make it to the second generation.
Finding a solution does not necessarily mean reinventing the wheel. Sometimes, it is as simple as bringing together existing resources and connecting people who are interested. The Kentucky Farm Bureau is leading in this area with the Kentucky Farmland Transition Initiative. The organization maintains a website, KyFarmlandTransition.com, that serves as a hub to provide information and resources to those actively farming today who want to keep their land in farming. In addition, organizations like the UK Cooperative Extension and Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts provide resources on estate planning and other land stewardship practices.
As lawmakers, we can also help by adopting proactive, pro-farming policies. Several years ago, the legislature created the Selling Farmer Tax Credit. This program encourages continued use of agricultural land by providing tax credits to farmers who sell their land and assets to others who want to farm. This past session, we doubled down on this initiative and passed HB 775. This measure expanded the credit to include active farmers; allows the credit to be preapproved before the sale; and increases the tax credit to $50,000.
Agriculture Committee members also heard from the Bluegrass Land Conservancy, a Lexington-based nonprofit that works with landowners who want to preserve their land. The group discussed a $4 million budget request that would help them leverage a $45.7 million federal investment. Ultimately, the conservancy told members that this money would go directly to Kentucky farmers and landowners who choose to preserve their land. This proposal will be discussed further as we continue building our next budget.
Seventy percent of farmland will change hands in the next two decades. The issue will continue to receive legislative attention as lawmakers keep working with stakeholders. The ag industry and other land conservation groups are also working on the federal level to adopt similar policies.
As always, I can be reached anytime through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. You can also contact me via email at [email protected] and keep track through the Kentucky legislature’s website at legislature.ky.gov.
