More than 400 leaders representing a variety of agricultural interests across the state of Kansas met on this week at the seventh annual Kansas Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Growth.
Governor Kelly opened the Summit, acknowledging the challenges Kansas currently faces. “There’s no doubt: Kansas remains a worldwide powerhouse in agriculture,” said Governor Kelly. “But it’s also clear that to keep our ag industry modern and competitive, we have to solve two major challenges facing us: water and workforce shortages.”
In 2022, agriculture contributed over $76 billion to the Kansas economy and fueled over 250,000 jobs – 14% of Kansas’ workforce. Earlier this week, Kelly announced that Kansas exported nearly $5.5 billion of agricultural goods – the most in the state’s history.
This year’s Ag Growth Summit Attendees focused on these issues that have impacted the entire Kansas agriculture industry. Workforce and water were the focus of the morning sessions at this year’s Ag Growth Summit. Governor Kelly shared actions her administration is taking to solve water and workforce shortages, including by making record investments in water-saving infrastructure and expanding registered apprenticeships.
Chuck Conner, President and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, spoke about workforce and labor. Nathan Hendricks, a professor in agricultural economics at K-State, spoke about the economics of land and water. Following those presentations, attendees participated in an interactive work session to discuss those two critical issues.
Marshall Stewart, K-State senior vice president, announced the creation of the new Barry Flinchbaugh Center for Ag Policy. He was joined by K-State president Richard Linton along with members of Dr. Flinchbaugh’s family. This announcement was followed by an update on the Edge Collaboration District by representatives from the KSU Foundation. These projects are examples of K-State’s path forward as a next-generation land-grant university, and will play a role in agricultural growth in the state of Kansas.
For more about the 2023 Kansas Ag Growth Summit and the full Ag Growth Project —including materials shared in the day’s sessions and a full list of the Kansas Ag Heroes — go to www.agriculture.ks.gov/GrowAg .
