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Lindsey Wilson University, Ag Community Celebrate Inaugural LWU Farmer Appreciation Luncheon

'We want our students to learn from the very best in the industry.'

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (10/30/2026) — Lindsey Wilson University and area agriculture leaders celebrated the beginning of a beautiful friendship at the inaugural LWU Farmer Appreciation Luncheon, held on Thursday, Oct. 29.

More than 100 area agriculture leaders joined university and high school students and educators at the university's Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center to underscore the critical role agriculture plays in Southcentral Kentucky's economy.

"This luncheon is about recognizing you," Lindsey Wilson Agribusiness Program Director Paisley Bolin '26 told the guests. "Agriculture plays such an important role in our communities and our everyday lives, and the people who work in this industry deserve to know how much they are appreciated."

Lindsey Wilson launched a bachelor of arts degree in agribusiness this school year, and a key element of the new academic program is that it is deeply rooted in the region.

"Agriculture isn't just part of our heritage here in Kentucky -- it's part of who we are, and it defines us," said Lindsey Wilson School of Business and Communication Dean Benson Sexton '04.

Keeping it local

A big reason for the early successes of LWU's new major is because it is being integrated into local farm communities.

"When we began developing the agribusiness program last fall, this is exactly what I envisioned," said Sexton. "It's not just a degree where the students come and take classes, graduate and find a job -- but a real partnership, a meaningful partnership between the university, the farming and the agribusiness community, and our local and state governments.

"We want our students to learn from the very best in the industry, and you are sitting in the room. We are building on generations of knowledge, experience, resilience and hard work that's already present in this room. Our job at Lindsey is to help carry that knowledge forward to the next generation."

In his keynote remarks, Kentucky Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Warren Beeler told the audience that "what we see here today is amazing to me."

Known throughout the commonwealth as "Mr. Agriculture," Beeler said that Lindsey Wilson's new agribusiness major helps meet a critical need in Kentucky agriculture.

"The biggest need we have in agriculture is people," said Beeler.

Intrigued by the unknown

Beeler noted that agriculture plays an important role in many communities' economic development.

"We believe the secret for rural Kentucky is middle-infrastructure processing," he said.

Beeler said that the "Food is Medicine" is another emerging area of agriculture in Kentucky. With 180 farmers markets in 114 of Kentucky's 120 counties, Beeler said that more people are learning "the difference between eating out of the can and eating out the garden."

Because agriculture is predicted to face a myriad of challenges over the coming decades -- such as feeding more people with a diminishing amount of agricultural land -- Beeler said the industry needs "smart, smart people."

"I am so intrigued by what we don't know," he said. "It's what we don't know that makes things so intriguing."

Sexton noted that while today's agribusiness graduates may face uncertain times, they will be able to help meet challenges by thinking with a local focus.

"They're going to enter into a world of evolving technology, changing markets, new supply chains and economic uncertainty," said Sexton. "They're going to need to adapt, they're going to need to innovate, but they'll also need to understand the values that have sustained agriculture for generations -- and that's hard work, stewardship, resilience and that's commitment to community."

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 30 undergraduate majors, six graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

Kentucky Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Warren Beeler delivers the keynote remarks at the inaugural Lindsey Wilson University Farmer Appreciation Luncheon, held Thursday, Oct. 29, at the university’s Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.

Kentucky Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Warren Beeler delivers the keynote remarks at the inaugural Lindsey Wilson University Farmer Appreciation Luncheon, held Thursday, Oct. 29, at the university’s Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.

Lindsey Wilson University Agribusiness Program Director Paisley Bolin ’26 welcomes guests to the inaugural Lindsey Wilson Farmer Appreciation Luncheon, held Thursday, Oct. 29, at the university’s Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.

Lindsey Wilson University and state officials gather at the inaugural Lindsey Wilson Farmer Appreciation Luncheon, held Thursday, Oct. 29, at the university’s Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center. Pictured, from left: LWU trustee David Perry of Austin, Texas; LWU President William T. Luckey Jr.; State Rep. Amy Neighbors of Edmonton; Kentucky Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Warren Beeler; LWU Agribusiness Program Director Paisley Bolin ’26; LWU School of Business and Communication Dean Benson Sexton ’04; State Sen. Max Wise of Campbellsville; and LWU Executive Vice President Dean Adams ’78.

Lindsey Wilson University President William T. Luckey Jr., left, confers with Kentucky Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Warren Beeler at the inaugural Lindsey Wilson Farmer Appreciation Luncheon, held Thursday, Oct. 29, at the university’s Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.

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