Richie Farmer

Richie Farmer (born August 25 1969 in Manchester, Kentucky) is a former American basketball shooting guard for the University of Kentucky and current Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture. He was the second of three children born to Richard and Virginia Farmer. He is married with three children.

Basketball career

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.cite news |url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Players/Farmer_Richie.html |publisher=BigBlueHistory.com |title=Richie Famer Career Statistics] Farmer, along with fellow classmen Deron Feldhaus, Sean Woods, and John Pelphrey, became known as 'The Unforgettables.' The jerseys of all four players, including Farmer's number 32, 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.cite news |url=http://www.kyagr.com/commissioner/index.htm |publisher=Kentucky Department of Agriculture |title=Commissioner's Corner] He was elected Commissioner of Agriculture in the state of Kentucky in November 2003, a post he still holds. 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 [cite news|url=http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/NEWS0106/71106053 |title=Farmer re-elected agriculture commissioner |first=Gregory A. |last=Hall |publisher="The Courier-Journal" (Louisville) |date=2007-11-06 |accessdate=2007-11-06] while the incumbent Republican governor Ernie Fletcher lost by 17 percentage points. He 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. [cite news|url=http://kentucky.com/635/story/223514.html |title=What’s next: GOP looks beyond sobering night |first=Ryan |last=Alessi |publisher="Lexington Herald-Leader" |date=2007-11-06 |accessdate=2007-11-06] 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. [cite news|url=http://kentucky.com/635/story/223334.html |title=Farmer easily retains post as ag commissioner |author=Patton, Janet and Brammer, Jack |publisher="Lexington Herald-Leader" |date=2007-11-06 |accessdate=2007-11-06]

References

Persondata
NAME=Farmer, Richie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Kentucky politician
DATE OF BIRTH=August 25 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH=Manchester, Kentucky, United States
DATE OF DEATH=living
PLACE OF DEATH=none