The 1st meeting of the Subcommittee to Study Establishment of a Farm Museum of the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources was held on Wednesday, October 9, 2002, at 10:00 AM, in Room 149 of the Capitol Annex. Representative Roger Thomas, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Vernie McGaha, Co-Chair; Representative Roger Thomas, Co-Chair; Senators Joey Pendleton and Elizabeth Tori; Representatives Adrian Arnold, James Bruce, Dwight Butler, Mike Cherry, Thomas McKee, Marie Rader, and Dottie Sims.
Guests: Gary P. West, Bowling Green Area Visitors Bureau; Ken Franks; Mike Hudson and Nancy Glasser, Kentucky Historical Society; Dr. Lane Cowsert, Morehead State University; Mark Farrow, Department of Agriculture; Bruce Harper and John-Mark Hack, Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy; John Brent, Community Farm Alliance; Brian Alvey, Kentucky Farm Bureau; Dr. Danny Britt, Eastern Kentucky University.
LRC Staff: Biff Baker, Jack Jones, and Kelly Blevins.
Representative Roger Thomas, Co-Chair and Senator Vernie McGaha, Co-Chair, both spoke to the members about the merits of a possible agriculture museum being established in Kentucky. Representative Thomas then asked LRC Staff to provide the committee with a review of HCR 10 and an update on information they have gathered so far.
Staff reported that the resolution directed the study to focus on four main areas of interest in determining the feasibility of establishing an agriculture museum in Kentucky: potential sites; potential sources of public and private funding; potential management structure; and public mission statements. Information relating to these four areas is currently being gathered through contacts with several federal and state agencies, agencies mentioned in the resolution, and the internet. In addition, profiles on six successful agricultural museums throughout the United States are being conducted so the members can have an accurate account as to how existing museums are operated. These museums span a broad variety of styles, themes, funding, and management structures. Members were provided with a sample profile that was sent to each of the six chosen museums, a copy of which is on file in the LRC library.
Members were also given a database provided by the Kentucky Historical Society of existing Kentucky organizations containing an agricultural component, also on file in the LRC library.
Representative Thomas then opened the discussion to guests and invited them to comment on their views regarding the establishment of an agriculture museum. Representatives from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy, Community Farm Alliance, Kentucky Farm Bureau, Morehead State University, and Eastern Kentucky University all voiced their support and willingness to help in the process.
Dr. Danny Britt, Eastern Kentucky University, noted that the Kentucky Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives and United Utilities Supply had expressed an interest in providing funding for such a museum.
Representative Marie Rader asked if the profiles could show whether the attendees of the museums were in-state or out-of-state. Senator Tori suggested that more demographic information be included in the profiles, as well as a location map of the museum. Staff responded that they would include that information if it was available.
Senator McGaha asked staff to provide the members with a side-by-side comparison of the six profiled museums at the next meeting.
Committee members requested that a draft of the information gathered so far be sent to them before the next meeting date.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 12:30 p.m.