House Agriculture Committee approves higher audit threshold for conservation districts and lets most Ag Department employees apply for Ag Development loans

The Kentucky House Agriculture Committee on its first 2025 meeting approved two bills affecting local conservation districts and the state’s Ag Development lending processes.

House Bill 24, presented by Representative Dan Pfister, would raise the audit threshold for conservation districts from $750,000 to $1,000,000. “What this bill does is increases the threshold for the audits for the conservation districts. It'll raise it from 750,000 to a million,” Pfister said. Representative Kim King moved the bill; Representative Bivens seconded. A roll call recorded yes votes from members present and the motion passed.

House Bill 216, presented by Representative Myron Dossett with testimony from Brandon Reed, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Ag Policy, removes a prohibition that followed the office’s move into the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and that had prevented many Department of Agriculture employees from applying for loans or grants from the Ag Development Board or Ag Finance. Reed told the committee that the prohibition would remain for employees of the Office of Ag Policy who oversee those loans and grants, but that other Department employees who work in agriculture would be able to apply. “So many of those employees there with the Department of Agriculture are involved in agriculture, and this would make sure that those individuals could apply for these loans or grants,” Reed said. Committee members asked that…