Richie Farmer

Richie Farmer
Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky
In office 2004 – January 1, 2012
Governor	Ernie Fletcher Steve Beshear
Preceded by	Billy Ray Smith
Succeeded by	James Comer
Personal details
Born	August 25, 1969 (1969-08-25)
Political party	Republican

Richard Dwight "Richie" Farmer, Jr. (born August 25, 1969), is a former Commissioner of Agriculture for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He is also a former shooting guard for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team and was one of four seniors on the 1991 – 1992 team known as "The Unforgettables".

A Republican, Farmer formerly served as agriculture commissioner and was ineligible for reelection at the expiration of his term in 2012. On September 1, 2010, Farmer announced he would run for lieutenant governor on a ticket with President of the Kentucky Senate David L. Williams in the 2011 gubernatorial election. Williams and Farmer lost the election to incumbent governor Steve Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville mayor Jerry Abramson.

Personal life

Farmer was born August 25, 1969 in Manchester, Kentucky. He is the second of three children born to Richard and Virginia Farmer. He is married to Rebecca Morgan-Farmer of Hyden, Kentucky and has three sons: Richard Dwight III ("Trey"), Thomas, and Tate. Rebecca Farmer filed for dissolution of marriage from Richie Farmer on or about April 5, 2011, in Franklin Circuit Court, Family Division.

Basketball career

A jersey honoring Farmer hangs in Rupp Arena

Farmer was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky in 1988. He played shooting guard for the University of Kentucky from 1988 to 1992, where he posted career averages of 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. Farmer and fellow classmen Deron Feldhaus, Sean Woods, and John Pelphrey, became known as "The Unforgettables." Farmer's No. 32 and the jerseys of the other three players were retired.

Political career

In 1992, Farmer earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Kentucky with a double major in agricultural economics and agribusiness management. He was elected Commissioner of Agriculture in the state of Kentucky in November 2003. In his 2007 reelection bid, he stamped himself as one of the future stars of the state's Republican Party, winning by a nearly 2-to-1 margin while the incumbent Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher lost by 17 percentage points. Farmer and Trey Grayson, who won reelection as Secretary of State, became the first Republicans to win statewide office in an election won by a Democratic gubernatorial candidate since 1915. In his victory speech, Farmer promised to serve out his full term and remain a Republican; it had been widely rumored that he was considering a party switch.

On September 1, 2010, Farmer announced he would run for lieutenant governor on a ticket with President of the Kentucky Senate David L. Williams in the 2011 gubernatorial election.

The Louisville Courier Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader have reported that Farmer declined to participate in furloughs mandated by the Kentucky legislature because of serious budget deficits faced by the commonwealth. Kentucky's constitutional elected officials cannot deviate from their established salary, however, most have taken the lead of Governor Steve Beshear and have written personal checks to the state for the portion of their salary that would have been affected by the furlough. WHAS 11 television in Louisville, Kentucky reported on April 10, 2011, that a spokesperson for Farmer said he "didn't believe in" furloughs, despite the fact that his agency's employees are subject to the legislative mandate.

Farmer has been criticised for attempting to claim unemployment benefits after his term as Agriculture Commissioner ended. As an elected public official, Farmer is not eligible for unemployment benefits.

Further reading

• "Commissioner Farmer Signs Pact to Open Relations Between Equine Industries in Kentucky and Mexico". WNKY. 2008-03-12. http://www.wnky.net/news/local/16623376.html. Retrieved 2010-01-05. 
• Farmer, Richie; Cawood Ledford (1992). Richie. Lexington, Kentucky: Antex Corp.. ISBN 1881079023. 
• Menez, Gene (2007-10-10). "The 1991-92 Season was Unforgettable, as the Four Seniors Still Remember Today". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1115748/index.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-05. 
• Weill, Joshua Lars (2011-08-08). "The Legend of Richie Farmer". The Post Game. http://www.thepostgame.com/node/2297. Retrieved 2011-08-09. 

Party political offices
Preceded by Robbie Rudolph	Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky 2011	Succeeded by Most Recent