by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer
Dozens of Kentucky Proud businesses will display their products at the Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show on Saturday at The Lexington Center. Then next week I will join U.S. Department of Agriculture officials in honoring three Montgomery County schools for their Gold awards in the USDA National HealthierUS School Challenge.
These events emphasize two priorities of my administration: local food and healthy lifestyles. The two go hand-in-hand.
A healthy lifestyle reduces the risk of preventable diseases. If you eat right, exercise and get plenty of rest, chances are you’ll feel better and live longer. Local food is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Kentucky Proud farm-fresh fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than produce that’s been on a truck for days or even weeks before it reaches your community. Many Kentucky Proud producers make value-added food products that are good-tasting but also good for you.
When you buy local, you also promote a healthier local economy as a greater share of your food dollar goes to the farmer who raised the apples or the producer who made the cheese.
The three Montgomery County elementary schools that are being honored next week – Camargo, Mapleton and Mt. Sterling – are among 76 Kentucky schools that have achieved Gold status in the USDA National HealthierUS School Challenge. That brings up a third priority of my administration: Kentucky’s youth. The earlier we can teach them the value of a healthy lifestyle, the better chance they have of living long, healthy, happy lives. I congratulate all the Gold Award-winning schools in Kentucky, and I pledge that the Kentucky Department of Agriculture will continue to spread the word that Kentucky Proud foods are an important part of a healthy lifestyle.
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