Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell called on March 2 for residents to help surpass last year’s record donations to the state’s Ag Tag fund, highlighting new ways to contribute through vehicle license plates.
The Ag Tag fund supports youth agricultural programs and other initiatives that benefit farm families in Kentucky. In 2025, farmers donated $995,440.74 to the program, setting a new record and exceeding the previous year by more than $60,000. Shell said he hopes this year will see even greater participation.
“Ag Tag money is generated through the $10 voluntary donation Kentuckians make each year when they buy or renew their farm vehicle license plates. The money is then split equally between the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), Kentucky FFA, and Kentucky 4-H to support Kentucky’s agriculture youth and other organizations and programs benefiting our farm families,” Shell said.
A new option for supporting agriculture was introduced after House Bill 157 passed during the 2025 legislative session. The “Friends of Agriculture” special license plate is now available to any resident, not just those who qualify for a farm plate. Ten dollars from each purchase and five dollars from each renewal go into the Ag Tag fund, which is divided among KDA, Kentucky FFA, and Kentucky 4-H.
Shell explained that both voluntary donations from farm truck plates and mandatory fees from Friends of Agriculture plates are used to benefit leading agricultural youth organizations in Kentucky. He said these funds help provide scholarships for camps, cover travel costs for leadership events, supply FFA jackets for students in need, and support various KDA programs such as the Ag Athlete of the Year awards and Farm to School Stars Recognition Program.
Shell has served as commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture according to the official website. He operates a multigenerational family farm according to the same source. The department fosters agritourism, farmers markets, farm safety initiatives like Raising Hope, promotes local agricultural goods across the state, supports economic development policies for producers, oversees specialized offices including policy and animal health divisions, advances marketing efforts such as Kentucky Proud, provides market reports, and emphasizes economic growth through various initiatives according to its official website at https://www.kyagr.com/.
“That unselfish willingness to help build and prepare Kentucky’s agriculture youth are predominant features of FFA and 4-H,” Shell said. “While they work to prepare youth to take on the challenges agriculture faces, KDA works every day to promote Kentucky’s farmers… That future is Kentucky’s agriculture youth.”
