HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Bruce in Hopkinsville was packed with hundreds of agriculture workers and supporters for the 2025 Salute to Agriculture Eye Opener Breakfast. The Christian County Chamber of Commerce hosted the breakfast the morning of March 18 with U.S. Congressman James Comer as the keynote speaker for the packed event. Several awards were also distributed to celebrate achievements in agriculture, including a new lifetime achievement award, and a ham auction.
“The farmers are the most important people in America,” said Rep. Comer while addressing the crowd. He continued to touch on several national topics and answered a few questions from attendees, also acknowledging the potentially negative impact that tariffs have on agriculture workers.
“It’s going to take a little pain to get to where we have our objective met of fair trade,” he continued. “I don’t like the tariffs either…but I understand that we’ve got to bring production back to the United States, we can’t have all of our products made in China. I don’t trust anything China does.”
Award presentation and ham auction
Alan Watts presented the Agri-Business of the Year award to Higgins Insurance, which has three locations in Cadiz, Hopkinsville, and Clarksville, Tennessee. For over 25 years, this agency has been a trusted partner for the community, according to Watts.
The Farmer of the Year Award was presented to Dixon Farms, a family farm that has been established in Christian County for over 50 years, with other 2,000 acres of crops including wheat and tobacco. Presenter Josh Ryan said, “Working as a father son duo hasn’t always been easy especially with the two Dixon tempers. They made it work and together they have grown Dixon farms to where it is now.”
This year a new award was distributed, with the Inaugural Kentucky Agriculture Lifetime Achievement Award going to Wayne Hunt with H&R Agri-Power. Brandon Garnett presented this award to Hunt due to his impressive career spanning over decades and his continued involvement and commitment to the community.
“This individual (Hunt) has elevated and worked tirelessly to make sure Kentucky is always represented,” said Garnett. “He’s meant so much to me personally, and to a lot of you in this room as well. His contributions will always go noticed and remembered, and he does it each day without asking anything in return.”
A ham auction was held to conclude the program, with all of the funds going toward the Troy Goode Memorial Scholarship, the local 4-H Club, and to FFA students. During a fast-paced auction, the ham ultimately sold for $12,000 to a member of the crowd.
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