Jennifer Poole Honored as Kentucky Farm Woman of the Year

By Blake Jackson

Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) has named Jennifer Poole of Daviess County its 2026 Farm Woman of the Year, recognizing her contributions to agriculture, conservation, and community service.

Poole will receive the honor at the organization’s Gold Star Luncheon during its annual meeting in December.

Poole and her husband, Wes, operate Poole Farms in Lewisport as first-generation farmers. Their diversified operation includes six large turkey-growing houses, approximately 1,500 acres of corn and soybeans, and 115 cow-calf pairs supported by about 600 acres of forage.

“Kentucky Farm Bureau is proud to honor Jennifer Poole,” said KFB President Eddie Melton. “Jennifer’s hard work and dedication are essential to the success of her family farm. She brings that same commitment and leadership to her community and to Farm Bureau. Women like Jennifer are a driving force in Kentucky agriculture and play a vital role in keeping our rural communities strong.”

After leaving her public-sector career in 2013, Poole began working full time on the farm and helped transition the operation from tobacco to turkey production.

Poole responsibilities include bookkeeping, payroll, federal agricultural paperwork, crop and livestock records, and marketing hay, beef, and sweet corn. She also assists with turkey production, calf processing, and hay hauling.

Poole Farms has prioritized conservation practices. In 2025, Poole received an Accelerating Appalachia grant recognizing the farm’s conservation efforts. Through a USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program contract, the operation installed more than five miles of fencing and 18 waterers to support prescribed grazing. Poole personally helped install some of the fencing.

Poole community involvement includes Farm Bureau programs, agricultural education, and several industry and conservation boards. During the 2025-26 school year, she visited more than a dozen classrooms through Daviess County Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program.

Poole also helped establish KY Team Poultry, a Kentucky Poultry Federation health initiative, and organized food for more than 1,000 participants at the Wendell Foster Half Marathon while running the race herself.

“This award means so much to me, and I’m grateful to Kentucky Farm Bureau and my Daviess County Farm Bureau family for this recognition,” Poole said.

“I hope farm families will make time for the tough conversations about succession before it’s too late. I want to see the work we’re doing now live on past our time.”

The award runners-up are Ashley DeBord of Pulaski County and Tess Caudill of Mercer County. DeBord operates Glory Gardens & Greenhouse, which has expanded from one acre of vegetables to four greenhouses and eight acres of produce.

Caudill farms approximately 800 acres with her fiancé, raising cattle and Katahdin sheep. She previously worked in agricultural marketing for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and serves as Mercer County Farm Bureau president.

Photo Credit: kentucky-farm-bureau