“The Business Builder grant opportunity will inject much needed capital for building and strengthening local food systems in the Heartland,” said Katie Nixon, Heartland Center Co-Director and leader of the Food Systems Program at New Growth. “We are excited and ready to provide technical assistance to applicants on their ideas and applications. We are here to support our food and farm businesses in their efforts to feed their communities.”

Why work for KRC? At KRC, we take pride in work that directly benefits our the health and sustainability of our region. With a flexible, remote, 36-hour work week, ample vacation days, parental leave, and paid holidays, we support work-life balance. We wholeheartedly believe in the strength of diversity and inclusion in both society and farming. At KRC, we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on non-merit factors.

The newest edition of the Rural Papers features articles to encourage action. From permanently protecting your land to native yards and running for office, it's time to get busy. Get inspired by our change-makers through our articles.

The Bringing the Farm to School” curriculum developed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and the National Farm to School Network. Gives Kansas farmers the resources necessary to expand their sales by developing relationship with schools. This benefits the farmer, the school, and greater community.

Program Coordinator, Jackie Keller, fills us in on what she’s been up-to around Kansas. There is a lot of good to share on the local food systems front!

Join other women land owners in a circle of learning and sharing. What barriers do you face? Are you familiar with programs that may be available to you? Are you interested in tips on managing your land and tenants? What impacts the fertility of your soil, are there practices that may help save you from inputs down the road? These are the types of questions that will be addressed at this years Learning Circle, taking place at Kansas Rural Center’s Food and Farm Conference November 11th.

This introductory workshop covered various aspects of finding and securing farmland for new and beginning farmers including: some land access options, assessing the quality of land, as well as the basics of leasing and purchasing land. The workshop will include an online component and then an in-person tour of the City of Lawrence’s Common Ground Incubator Farm.

I’ll never forget calling Kansas Rural Center, about twenty-two years ago, while living in San Francisco, to ask about organic, sustainable agriculture in Kansas. As I planned the organic transition of my parents’ 200-acre crop farm southwest of Topeka along Mission Creek, where I grew up on the back of a horse. Shortly thereafter, I moved back to KS and worked for The Land Institute when I attended my first KRC board meeting in Minneapolis Jan. 2001.

On Friday, March 4th Kansas Rural Center held a free virtual conference covering farm finance, physical and mental health on the farm, and land access and marketing opportunities for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in Kansas!

Participation of this survey is important to KRC and the implementation of future events! As an incentive we will be giving away two $25 Gift Cards to participants.

The Kansas Rural Center(KRC) is looking for farmers and other food system partners interested in exploring the development of a new cooperative food hub as a marketing channel for producers in South-Central Kansas.

On Wednesday, March 2022, The House Ag Committee continued their informational hearing…

The Kansas Rural Center (KRC) is seeking a program coordinator for our Sunflower Stories project and other efforts to empower Kansans around issues of food and farming systems. The program coordinator will focus on building sustainable relationships with four Kansas communities and elevating the lived experiences of Kansans to help shape stronger local and regional food systems. The program coordinator will facilitate civic dialogue centered around issues that impact the local food and farm systems, community health and resiliency.

I am thrilled to be taking on the position of Communications Coordinator for Kansas Rural Center. Some of you may already know me from various KRC events and …

On Monday, February 7, 2022, The Kansas Food and Farm Coalition participated in an informational hearing to discuss food security and agricultural opportunities in Kansas.

I’m thankful to work for an organization that has been a statewide leader in sustainable farming, local food systems and supporting thriving Kansas communities for over 40 years.