Op-ed: Kentucky Farmers Can Power Aviation’s Future

The following is an op-ed piece authored by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell and Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Ashli Watts

For generations, Kentucky has stood at the crossroads of American agriculture and transportation, growing the nation’s food and moving it around the world. From the crops grown across our rural communities to the cargo that lifts off from our airports each day, those industries power our economy and shape our future.

Now, there is an opportunity to bring them together. If we move boldly, we can turn alternative aviation fuel into a once-in-a-generation economic development opportunity for our farmers, our communities, and our workforce.

Here is the reality: Airlines are searching for reliable, scalable domestic fuel sources, and Kentucky is uniquely positioned to meet that demand. We grow the feedstocks. We have the infrastructure. We have the workforce. And we have the geographic advantage of being within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population.

But we’re not the only state looking to garner investments from the alternative aviation fuels industry. Other states are moving aggressively with incentives, partnerships, and clear strategies. If Kentucky hesitates, we risk losing projects to states that recognize the urgency of this moment.

Kentucky should seize this opportunity.

We’ve seen this kind of opportunity before. Targeted incentives helped establish Kentucky’s biodiesel and ethanol industries. Those efforts created new buyers for farmers and brought processing facilities and jobs to communities across the Commonwealth. Alternative aviation fuel builds on that foundation. It connects industries we already have in a way that strengthens both.

For farmers, that means more buyers and more stability through a new domestic market for crops we are already growing. It also keeps more of the value from Kentucky crops here at home. Corn and soybeans can serve as feedstock, but the opportunity goes further. Materials that currently have limited value — crop residues, vegetable oils, and other agricultural byproducts — can generate additional revenue from every acre.

But it’s not all farm gate impact. When we talk about alternative aviation fuel, we are talking about new crushing facilities, new biorefineries, and new logistics networks. These are not temporary projects. These are long-term anchors for regional economies.

Kentucky’s manufacturing base stands to benefit as well. From steel and fabrication to engineering and maintenance, alternative aviation fuel development strengthens the entire supply chain. A single alternative aviation fuel facility can create hundreds of construction jobs, dozens of permanent high-wage positions, and other lasting ripple effects.

House Bill 545 is structured to encourage that kind of investment. The bill would incentivize both fuel production and feedstock supply by offering enhanced tax credits for Kentucky-grown feedstocks and in-state refineries.

This is not about choosing between the agricultural and energy industries. Kentucky’s strength has always been our ability to produce both. Alternative aviation fuel is simply the next chapter in that story, building on our heritage while preparing us for the future.

We want to thank Speaker Pro Tempore David Meade for his leadership on this issue to strengthen our farms and producers, support manufacturing growth, and expand Kentucky’s supply chain role.

Kentucky agriculture has powered America before. With the right vision and commitment, we can do it again — this time by fueling the future of flight.