FRANKFORT, Ky. – Brandon Hunt, of Christian County, has become the first Kentuckian elected to the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Board of Directors.

If his name sounds familiar, Brandon’s grandfather, Wayne Hunt, served on the Kentucky Agriculture Development Board since its inception more than 25 years ago.

“It’s an honor to represent Kentucky corn farmers on the national stage,” Hunt said. “I’m committed to working collaboratively with growers across the country to protect our long-term profitability, push for smart innovation, and ensure farmers’ perspectives stay at the heart of national policy decisions.”

Ag policy plays a big role not only in the present but also in the future, and Hunt said the policy side of the industry is something he really enjoys.

“Getting to interact at the national level related to corn production, from policy to organizational matters, is something I really enjoy,” he said. “I love ag policy, and I love working on ag policy, and ultimately, it’s all about the people.”

Hunt is a fourth-generation crop producer, tending to corn, wheat, soybeans, dark-fire tobacco and CBD hemp. His goal? To pave the way for future generations on the farm.

“I’m thoughtful of the fact that because our industry is ever-changing, and to continue into the next generation, we’ve just got to try to keep things on the right course,” he said. “My children are at the cornerstone of everything I do, from a thought process about how we set up this industry, from a policy perspective, and in going forward with production agriculture.”

While he has had a fantastic start and an opportunity to participate in the ag industry, Hunt said his generation cannot expect to remain stationary because things change quickly.

“We’re in some difficult times right now, but my generation really needs to do everything we can to set things up for future generations so our industry can continue to move forward,” he said. “I don’t get up any day dreading that I’m going to work. It’s a blessing for me, and I feel sorry for people who don’t have that blessing. But I care so much about ag and about my kids and giving them the opportunity to do it, if they want to.”

Hunt is anxious to reach those outside the ag realm and tell them about an industry they all depend on because, he said, there is a lack of knowledge about the agriculture industry with much of the public.

“I never turn down an opportunity to talk to people who aren’t in our industry,” he said. “The perception of many is that farmers are hurting them, and that’s a very scary place to have reached. And I cannot imagine what’s going to happen for my kids’ generation. So, we should take the opportunity to talk to people outside the industry about things that we take to be so normal as agriculturalists. That’s another reason I wanted to participate in NCGA, because it’s a great platform to tell that story as we go along while also working on real-world problems.”

From an NCGA policy perspective, there are a few real-world issues the 15-member elected board has been working on. The board has been pushing Congress to authorize the year-round sales of E15 (gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol) across the United States. Just last month, the U.S. House passed the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retail Choice Act (H.R. 1346) in a 218-203 bipartisan vote. It now moves to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain. President Donald Trump has signaled he would sign it if it reaches his desk.

Hunt said the goal of the E15 initiative is “to expand a market for U.S.-grown corn, stabilize farm prices and provide consumers with lower-cost fuel.”

Ethanol currently uses about 5.6 billion bushels of corn annually, roughly 33 percent of total U.S. corn production. This E15 initiative will boost corn demand by 2.4 million bushels per year and raise corn prices by about 35 cents per bushel.

Another opportunity recognized by the NCGA is that of bioplastics, which would position corn-based products as sustainable, renewable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.

“Ethanol is going to play a pivotal role in the emerging plastics market,” Hunt said. “At the end of the day, farmers are the biggest conservationists, no matter what state you live in, and to have a product like ethanol used, making for a better environment, it’s just so cool to participate in that market.”

All the work Hunt and his fellow corn producers across the country are involved in will, in the end, come back to preserving an agricultural industry for future generations. And that’s music to Hunt’s ears.

“Ultimately, it all ties in with the next generations, and we have to take care of our assets,” Hunt said. “You go back three generations when a high percentage of people had a tie to a family farm. As ag consolidation has happened and people have retired and different career choices have been made, you lost that closeness to the soil and to the crops and to the animals and everything that it takes to be productive in this country.”

Hunt is in his first of three years in his post.