Miss Kentucky 2021 visits Breathitt County Farmer’s Market to continue her quest in promoting KY Agriculture
Miss Kentucky 2021, Haley Wheeler, discusses a key aspect of her job as Miss Kentucky, which is to promote agriculture in Kentucky.
JACKSON, Ky. (WYMT) - Miss Kentucky 2021, Haley Wheeler, visited the Breathitt County Farmer’s Market to read some agricultural-themed stories and to support those who make farmer’s markets possible.
Many do not know that once a young woman wins the crown of Miss Kentucky, they are employed by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Miss Kentucky then becomes the official spokesperson of the Kentucky Proud program, in which she travels across the Commonwealth to inform people of all ages on the importance of agriculture.
“What this means to me is promoting all these people I grew up around,” said Wheeler, a Powell County native. “I had a farm in my back yard, people who took care of chickens and honeybees next to me... I realized at a very young age, the value of agriculture, what it means to this state and to the world around it.”
Wheeler adds that the shiny hat she wears as a part of the job is more than just a crown:
”The crown and the sash does a really good job of attracting attention because it’s like, ‘oh, now you’re looking at me, pay attention to this message that I have that’s really important because there are people who feed 5 million people, almost every single day,’ and that’s the farmer. That’s the blue collar worker who works so hard for you and me, without being asked and without being thanked often.”
Wheeler will continue promoting Kentucky agriculture alongside her personal platform, ending Alzheimers, on the Miss America stage later this year.
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