Sunflower State News

More than 300 individuals, including farmers, ranchers, business owners, educators, and policymakers from Kansas, convened on August 14 for the 10th annual Kansas Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Growth. The event provided a platform for reflection on its decade-long history and aimed to guide the state's agriculture industry through discussions and networking.

Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam highlighted the importance of partnerships across various sectors in achieving success over the past ten years. "The partnerships throughout all sectors of agriculture and across all corners of the state are at the heart of the success we have seen over the last decade," he said. Beam expressed gratitude to participants for focusing on future agricultural growth issues, particularly research needs and value-added opportunities.

Governor Laura Kelly emphasized agriculture's significance to Kansas's economy. "The health of our agricultural sector is crucially important to the health of our economy as a whole," she said. She outlined strategies for emergency response preparedness, promoting agricultural research, water resource management, and supporting business and workforce development.

Tanner Ehmke served as this year's keynote speaker. As CoBank's lead economist for grains and oilseeds and a Kansas native, Ehmke discussed challenges such as demographic changes, labor shortages, and trade policy uncertainties facing Kansas agriculture.

Marshall Stewart from K-State updated attendees on their ag innovation initiative. Jackie McClaskey from American Royal reported on their new project. For more details about upcoming summits or past events, visit www.agriculture.ks.gov/GrowAg.

Information from this article can be found here.