Kansas Farm Bureau’s (KFB) mission — to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service — sounds simple enough, but achieving it requires expertise, dedication and determination. Meeting the needs of its members is at the heart of everything they do, and Manhattan has been central to this effort for more than 100 years.
KFB, which traces its roots to an agricultural club formed in Leavenworth, Kan., in 1912, has close ties to Manhattan in large part because of Kansas State University’s status as a land-grant university.
“In the early 1900s, a partnership was formed between land-grant universities with research and extension services and local groups of farmers and ranchers who were interested in learning about new and better ways to farm,” said Terry Holdren, KFB CEO and general counsel.
That partnership laid the groundwork for the Farm Bureau system. After the initial Leavenworth group cropped up, other counties followed suit, forming county Farm Bureaus. In 1919, 38 county representatives met in Manhattan and decided to join forces in a statewide organization, officially forming the Kansas Farm Bureau.
“They met and located here because of the connection to K-State and the College of Agriculture,” Holdren said. “We were so intimately connected that from 1919 to the mid-1950s, county research and extension agents and Farm Bureau assistants were often the same person.”
During that time, KFB grew from having bureaus in the original 38 counties to all 105 counties in the state. As KFB evolved to serve the needs of its members, it started pursuing initiatives that were more political in nature. To uphold the integrity of both organizations, KFB and K-State mutually agreed to disband the dual role, but their unofficial collaboration remained strong and continues to this day.
The most recent example of their joint enduring commitment to agriculture was a landmark donation on behalf of KFB to support K-State’s College of Agriculture’s new Innovation Centers for grain, food, animal and agronomy research. The $5 million gift — the largest in KFB history —will be given over five years and will go toward building new facilities, renovating existing buildings and outfitting them with technology and equipment to help fuel interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research.
“We’re very excited about that opportunity on campus and believe it has the potential to transform the way the university meets the needs not only of students, but also helps the university solve challenges our members and other ag producers are facing,” Holdren said.
KFB was joined by many other organizations, individuals and corporations in support of the Innovation Centers.
“It’s evidence that the timing was right for the agriculture industry to say, ‘We need this,’” Holdren said. “Seeing the opportunities for additional research and collaboration with our partners who are developing technology related to farm machinery and equipment was compelling to our board, and they wanted to support that vision and mission.”
Holdren is excited to see how the collaborative approach will help address issues facing the agricultural industry in areas such as weather, water, plant science and more.
“We believe there’s a huge opportunity in the work the university is doing on agricultural innovation — and even the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility’s work on foreign animal disease — that links back to our roots,” Holdren said. “There’s a huge economic opportunity for the region to do great things and be a player in strengthening agriculture in Kansas.”
Another reason Manhattan has been an ideal location for KFB headquarters is because its regional amenities help with recruitment and retention.
“The ability to be connected to the university and to recruit students to come work in the organization — on both the agricultural and insurance sides — has always been a compelling case for us to be in Manhattan,” Holdren said. “When we hire folks, they tend to stick around for a long time.”
With easy access to arts, culture, great restaurants, nature and sporting events, Holdren said the Manhattan region enjoys all the perks of larger cities without the headaches of traffic, crowds and the like. Plus, he said the people are friendly and willing to help their fellow community members.
“If you live here for any length of time at all, you come to realize this part of the state and this part of the country is pretty dadgum special,” Holdren said. “We’ve always felt like the presence here was the right presence, and have been committed to the community, the university and all the things that go with that.”
Since its inception, KFB has responded to the changing landscape by developing products and resources to best support its members. When many insurance companies were leery of covering farms and ranches due to the high risk, KFB stepped up to provide a variety of insurance offerings to its members, such as casualty and life insurance and, most recently, health plans. As farming technology and methodologies have changed, KFB has offered training and networking opportunities for established and newer members through various events and conferences. But ripple effects of the organization’s advocacy, investment and initiatives impact Kansans across the state and many others beyond.
One of the more visible, public-facing initiatives has been Shop Kansas Farms, a passion project started by Rick McNary, ag communicator and longtime friend of KFB. During the pandemic, Rick watched his non-ag friends struggle to find food at the grocery store while his ag friends struggled to find a market for their food. He knew many people were facing the same issue and wanted to create a platform to connect consumers and producers. He started a Facebook group and within hours, hundreds of people joined. Within days, that number grew to thousands. KFB team members helped McNary along the way, but the group was growing beyond what he could manage. When he approached KFB about helping him in a more official capacity, it was a no-brainer.
Under KFB’s guidance, Shop Kansas Farms has launched a website with a more robust marketplace, including mapping features and the ability to filter by food type. Shop Kansas Farms also hosts several in-person events that have drawn ag producers from across the state and buyers from across the region. Lastly, the platform has been a catalyst for a much-needed dialogue about regional food systems.
“During the pandemic we learned that, as great as we think our American supply chain is, there are things that can disrupt it fairly quickly, and that’s not a fun lesson to learn,” Holdren said. “We’re working to start conversations through Shop Kansas Farms about collaborative regional food systems. These involve production, processing and development of distribution models for ag products on a more local or regional scale than what we currently have.”
KFB joined with other statewide organizations to help boost civic engagement. The program, Engaged Kansas, is designed to help people understand what it takes to serve in elected positions, such as on school boards or city or county commissions. By showing Kansans various aspects of elected office, the program aims to increase civic participation and set potential candidates up for success.
“The goal is to make sure folks who want to serve in local elective office don’t find barriers to that service,” Holdren said. “We want to make sure they’re encouraged and equipped to serve.”
To help the state address needs in the labor market, KFB launched the Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program (RKAP), which creates dual training and employment opportunities in agricultural and rural communities. RKAP’s goal is to connect employers looking for skilled laborers with workers looking for gainful employment.
“It’s designed to help folks who want to get into an industry but don’t have the training or certification needed and connect them with employers to acquire those skills through an apprenticeship,” Holdren explained. “They’re gainfully employed while learning. At the end of the apprenticeship, they’re equipped to work in that trade.”
Agriculture is a key area, but the program is broader, covering many other industries. Holdren mentioned a potential scenario of a small business owner who runs a tire repair shop — perhaps the only one in the area — who is planning to retire but doesn’t have a legacy plan. The owner could hire an apprentice who might be interested in taking over the business.
“It’s another way we’re trying to make sure the workforce is ready to meet the needs of folks in Manhattan and beyond,” Holdren said.
As a major employer with a strong base in Manhattan, KFB is more than a regional powerhouse. It’s improving prospects for all Kansans.
To learn more about Kansas Farm Bureau, please visit kfb.org.
To learn more about establishing your business in the Greater Manhattan region, please reach out to Daryn Soldan at daryn@manhattan.org.
