Meet the candidates for commissioner of agriculture

BY GRACE TIERNEY | LINK nky REPORTER

The Kentucky commissioner of agriculture position is up for grabs after Ryan Quarles’ eight years in office.

Four candidates are vying for the position: Democrats Sierra J. Enlow and Mikael Malone and Republicans Richard Heath and Jonathan Shell. The commissioner is elected to a four-year term and limited to serving two terms.

The candidate who takes home the nomination will be responsible for expanding agricultural markets, increasing rural economic development and promoting the Kentucky Proud program, which will cultivate a connection to Kentucky’s farms.

A theme of this year’s candidates is that they were all born and raised farmers. Shell, from Lancaster, still works on his family’s farm as a fifth-generation farmer. Shell Farms and Greenhouses in Garrard County raises cattle and grows flowers, corn and pumpkins. His campaign touts him as “pro-life, pro-second amendment, pro-growth and pro-farmer.”

In 2012, Shell was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives, becoming the youngest member of the General Assembly. A year later, his colleagues elected him Kentucky’s first Republican House Majority Floor Leader, where he developed and executed legislative strategies leading to enactment of a right-to-work law, prolife legislation, support for farmers and a crackdown on opioid traffickers.

His Republican opponent, Heath, also grew up on a farm and farmed to pay for his college. Heath ran the Graves County co-op, where he built barns, tool sheds and other buildings for farmers every day.

“I’ve lived the farm life,” said Heath. “I know how important farming is to the commonwealth.”

Heath is a six-term state representative and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. In 2015, he narrowly lost the GOP Primary for commissioner of agriculture. This time around, he is campaigning with more of a focus on his experience in both farming and as an agricultural leader in Frankfort.

Enlow, from LaRue County, grew up on a multi-generation family farm. She later attended the University of Kentucky to earn a degree in community and leadership development and agricultural economics. She went on to receive her master’s degree in agricultural economics in 2012.

In her role with Louisville Forward and Greater Louisville Inc., Enlow has developed strategies focused on supporting tech-enabled businesses and co-working spaces as Louisville Metro Government adapted to the new economy of work.

She is currently on the board of directors for the Kentucky Association for Economic Development and serves as an economic development consultant to communities and companies as they evaluate opportunities to grow and expand.

Democratic candidate Malone is set to be on the ballot but was unavailable for comment and does not have a campaign website.