You just heard ad Commissioner Jonathan Schell talk about one of the youth programs spotlighted at the Kentucky State Fair.

Well, Schell also spoke with us last week about two other programs.

He says are giving young people the opportunity to explore a future in agriculture.

And as you'll hear, one of the programs led him to the job he has now.

Our youth organizations across the state in Kentucky are extremely important for agriculture, for age, and FFA are embedded in every community in the state of Kentucky.

We also have the AG tag program that we have in the state to where that if you have a commercial license for agriculture and you get that ag tag put on your vehicle, you can donate $10 to the AG tag fund.

A third of it goes to forage, a third of it goes to FFA and a third of it to Kentucky.

Brown and the Department of Agriculture to work on ag education for children.

It's something we're really proud of.

We actually broke a record this year.

We had the highest increase from year to year and the most money ever raised in that fund.

And we're really excited to be able to push that out.

They will continue to forage and FFA is the greatest recruitment that we have in agriculture for a next generation that's out.

Those are our legacy organizations to where that we know that the next generation is being educated and understanding where their food comes from and how agriculture works.

And those are the next leaders in your community, whether it's them being a part of a bank or whether they're part of the hospital or whether they're on the local Farm Bureau board or they're a teacher or farmer.

We're we are graduating out of the FFA and forage programs.

Being a member of the FFA was extremely important in the development of leadership for me.

I mean, it was some for most kids, it wasn't for me, you know, speaking never really was a fear of mine.

But for a lot of kids, public speaking, getting in front of people, getting out of their comfort zone is is an issue.

And you can't not do that in FFA.

They push you to the front line, get you out in front, let you speak, get you comfortable with those things.

And beyond that, it helps you learn how to work in a group setting, getting consensus and working on issues.

Whenever you have a difference of opinion and really teaches leadership qualities that are going to impact them regardless if they go on agriculture or not.

FFA is one of the greatest leadership building organizations in America and in Kentucky.

Before becoming AG commissioner, Michel was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019 and served as House Majority Leader.