KRC’s Legislative & Policy Watch Weekly E-Updates provides weekly exclusive insider reports from Topeka during the State of Kansas Legislative Session, and provides updates and alerts on the development of federal policy, including the Farm Bill, throughout the year. KRC monitors the state legislature for decisions affecting a diversified agriculture, the environment, our natural resource base, rural communities, and our local and regional food systems. The Weekly E-reports also provide information about upcoming hearings, so constituents can contact legislators or attend.

Topics monitored include:

• state budget and tax issues

• Kansas State University programs

• Kansas Department of Agriculture activities

• programs impacting water conservation and quality

• promotion and regulation of small meat processors

• farmers markets promotions

• state food policy goals.

To receive KRC’s Legislative & Policy Watch Weekly E-Updates in your email inbox each week during the legislative session, please register here.

By signing up you will receive:

* Weekly E-Updates January-June during the State of Kansas Legislative Session

* Federal Farm Bill and farm and food program updates as needed throughout the year.

The Legislative & Policy Watch Project seeks to:

• Educate elected officials on the economic and environmental benefits of building local food systems

• Provide a voice in the debate on food labeling

• Contribute to the discussion on resource issues, conservation and water quality

• Promote access to healthy, locally-raised food to low income families and rural communities

• Ensure that family farmers and small processors are not regulated out of business

• Ensure an alternative voice in the defining of sustainability and policies affecting family farmers, food policy, and consumers

To read past editions of KRC’s Legislative & Policy Watch Weekly E-Updates and select recent articles online, please follow this link.

Partnerships in Policy

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

KRC is a member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) which monitors activity in Washington, D.C. and provides us with an up to date information on developments in farm and food related policy and programs. Topics covered at the federa level include: Conservtion, Rural Development, Local Food and Jobs Programs, Farmers Market Promotion, organic research and organic cost-share  certification, crop insurance and commodity program payment reform, and appropriations for farm and food programs.

Policy Watch Sponsors

The project is possible due to a bequest from Jan Garton, Manhattan, who died in 2009, and left KRC a generous gift.

Additional supporters include: Kansas Natural Resource Council, Audubon of Kansas, Kansas Farmers Union, League of Women Voters of Kansas, Climate + Energy Project, and the Jayhawk Audubon Society.