
Community Calendar
Homegrown Happy Hour
The annual Homegrown Happy Hour at Juniper Gardens Training farm is happening July 10th from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM. Farmers will be selling produce, there will be a vegetable & herb tasting table, and we'll also be pouring samples of the Double Shift X New Roots X Border Brewing beer collaboration!
Here's a full list of what they're planning:
Live music from Zydeco Tougeau
A pop-up New Roots farm stand
Yard Games
Complementary hors d'oeuvres, beer, and soda
Tasting of Stout of this World beer that features New Roots produce
Taste tests of some of culturally significant herbs and veggies grown on the farm
Tours of the farm and greenho
Summer Permaculture Design Course 2025
The Summer 2025 Permaculture Design Course will be taught as three 3-day weekend sessions. All 3 sessions must be attended to complete the course. Weekly Zoom calls will be conducted between in-person sessions to facilitate conversation and learning.
BE THE CHANGE: Leadership Strategies for Greener Schools
Late Summer Semester 2025 (Jul 14 - Sep 12 ~ 4.5-5hrs/week) $85
This eeCredential will provide you with the professional development to become a Kansas Green School Leader and successfully lead your school team through the KICK Challenge. The KICK (Keep it Clean Kansas) Challenge guides students (via a Google Classroom) through an investigation of their school's waste stream. Three schools will be chosen to receive a $1,000 award and be eligible to apply for a small waste grant once the Waste & Recycling Investigation is complete.
Tax Education Webinar for Agricultural Enterprises and Small Businesses
Please join the United States Department of Agriculture, Internal Revenue Service and Small Business Administration for the “Tax Education Webinar for Agricultural Enterprises and Small Businesses”. We have partnered to bring tax related matters impacting small and mid-sized businesses, including agricultural enterprises (farms and ranches).
If you have any questions, please contact Jacqueline Davis-Slay at Jacqueline.davis-slay@usda.gov.
Communications, Media and Spokesperson Training
This training will aim to provide our members with the skills necessary to use their stories, statistics, and key messages to make their messages stand out and connect with relevant audiences.

Farm Dreams Course
Join us in July to plan for success and achieve your Farm Dreams!
Are you a beginning farmer or deciding if owning your own farm is right for you? Come join Kansas Rural Center’s virtual class on Thursday evenings in July to talk with experienced farmers and other new and prospective farmers about your farming dreams. We'll focus on clarifying your values and quality-of-life goals, assessing your readiness to start and run your farm business, and work on creating plans to move forward. The class fee is $15 for three sessions. Contact ryangr@kansasruralcenter.org with questions about the program.
Thursday July 17, 6-8pm - Establishing Your Purpose
Thursday July 24, 6-8pm - Assessing Readiness
Thursday July 31, 6-8pm - Creating a Plan
Into to Permaculture
Intro to the ethics-based design science, Permaculture. You will learn what permaculture is, how it can effect climate change, landscaping options, and how the principles can impact your well-being.
Local Food Summit
Anyone working in local food systems or interested in supporting local food system growth is welcome to attend, including producers, consumers, food policy council members, government agency workers, non-profit organizations, food businesses, and more! If you are looking for opportunities to learn how to bolster your local food systems and connect with like-minded Kansans, the Kansas Local Food Summit is a great choice.
Local Food Town Hall
Our quarterly local food town halls are held virtually on Zoom and are open to anyone across the state of Kansas that is interested in learning more about local food projects, organizations, and opportunities across the state. The town halls are held at 11 a.m. on the last Wednesday of January, April, July, and October.
National Farmers Market Week
National Farmers Market Week (NFMW) is August 3-9, 2025! Now in its 26th year, this annual celebration highlights the vital role farmers markets play in our nation’s food system. With fun events, programs, contests, activities, and more, the week helps to boost market attendance and visibility as well as showcase the value markets bring to their communities.
Kansans for Conservation Draft Conservation Funding Bill and All Coalition Meeting
As part of ongoing efforts to advocate for conservation funding in Kansas, you’re invited to a special meeting to prepare the Kansans for Conservation Coalition.
Agenda Highlights Include:
Overview of our draft conservation bill and group discussion
Storytelling workshop and talking points development
Tips for building relationships with legislators
Mock legislative meetings to practice your pitch
Fall outreach action planning (email, phone, in-person visits)
Optional social time to build connections within the coalition
Food Business Start-Up Summit
The Food Business Start-Up Summit, happening September 11–13, 2025, in Lawrence, Kansas, is not your typical conference — it's a hands-on, working retreat designed to move your business forward.
Apply as a Business Project Team with up to 2 of your key partners — whether they’re your funder, marketer, spouse, or farm manager — to tackle the real challenges and barriers your business is facing. You'll join a dynamic community of food and farm entrepreneurs from across Kansas and engage in practical problem-solving alongside seasoned Key Informants in areas like finance, operations, and more.
Food Business Start-Up Summit
Apply as a Business Project Team with up to 2 of your key partners — whether they’re your funder, marketer, spouse, or farm manager — to tackle the real challenges and barriers your business is facing. You'll join a dynamic community of food and farm entrepreneurs from across Kansas andengage in practical problem-solving alongside seasoned Key Informants in areas like finance, operations, and more.
Local Food Town Hall
Our quarterly local food town halls are held virtually on Zoom and are open to anyone across the state of Kansas that is interested in learning more about local food projects, organizations, and opportunities across the state. The town halls are held at 11 a.m. on the last Wednesday of January, April, July, and October.
Food Preservation
In this workshop, participants will be making fruit into jam, pickling vegetables, and fermenting kombucha.
In addition to the live demonstrations and hands-on experience, you get to leave with preserved food, recipes and a resource list.
Food Preservation
Make jams, pickles and kombucha in this 3-hour workshop. $48 per participant.
Sustainable Diets Webinar Series
This will also be an opportunity to build connections with others who are interested in fostering sustainable diets - including researchers, policymakers, advocates, nonprofits, and others. All are critical to a healthy and just future.
Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities
Entrepreneurial communities are those cities, neighborhoods, or townships that are continuously working to develop an environment that fosters entrepreneurship to promote community economic development. They have created networks, cultures, resources, and policies enabling invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Farmer's Footprint | Collective Impact Call
Tune in to this month’s Collective Impact Call with Farmers Footprint where they’ll share a behind-the-scenes look of our newest storytelling initiative, NANA, blending ancestral wisdom with modern science, celebrating the deep connections between food, health, and culture.
Culture: With Jena Simms
Jena Sims shares her approach to sustainability and STEM education. Learn how she helped her school earn the Green School of the Year title and get practical tips to spark similar change in your school!
Update on Beginning Farmer Resources in a Changing World
This free webinar from NCAT and partners will highlight current resources, opportunities, and support systems available to beginning farmers navigating today's evolving agricultural landscape.
Timing and Logistics in a Crop-Poultry Integrated System
NCAT is a co-sponsor for this free webinar that will explore how to successfully time and manage vegetable and cover crops within integrated crop-poultry systems.
Farm to Market: Mushroom Production and Marketing for Small Growers
Join NCAT Agriculture Specialist Audrey Kolde for a hands-on mushroom cultivation and marketing workshop, hosted by Florida Organic Growers (FOG) and the SE TOPP project. Whether you’re a backyard grower, community gardener, or beginning farmer, this workshop will guide you through the fundamentals of growing gourmet mushrooms—and how to turn them into a profitable part of your farm or homestead. This event is made possible with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP).
Summer Permaculture Design Course 2025
The Summer 2025 Permaculture Design Course will be taught as three 3-day weekend sessions. All 3 sessions must be attended to complete the course. Weekly Zoom calls will be conducted between in-person sessions to facilitate conversation and learning.
Flint Hills Feast
The Flint Hills Feast, a culinary pop-up, will be a unique foodie experience featuring authentic tastings from the Flint Hills region of Kansas, libations, and local artisan tastings.
Weaved into the event will be live music, food, cocktail sampling, and cooking demonstrations by event vendors. $110
From Scarcity to Sustainability: A Vision for The Southern Great Plains
Llearn how adopting regenerative agroecological practices can conserve groundwater resources, enhance wildlife habitat, increase soil health, and improve long-term sustainability of ag operations and rural communities.
2025 Annual Fundraiser & Awards Ceremony
The “Embracing Kansas Values: Building Resilience Through Community" Annual Fundraiser and Awards Celebration will take place on June 10, 2025, at Fields & Ivy Brewery in Lawrence, KS, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Join CEP as they highlight the efforts of outstanding climate advocates and learn how your support contributes to climate action in 2025!
Range Youth Camp
Learn range plant identification, plant growth, stocking rate determinations, livestock nutrition, rangeland wildlife management, and much more!
LAMP Grants Overview
The Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) supports the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing; local and regional food markets and enterprises; and value-added agricultural products. The primary goals of LAMP are to:
-Connect and cultivate regional food economies through public-private partnerships.
-Support the development of business plans, feasibility studies, and strategies for value-added agricultural production and local and regional food system infrastructure.
-Strengthen capacity and regional food system development through community collaboration and expansion of mid-tier value chains.
-Improve income and economic opportunities for producers and food businesses through job creation; and
-Simplify the application processes and the reporting processes for the program.
Views From the Fields
Join Teresa Kelly as she discusses the Central Food Corridor Cohort, what they hope to build and how their efforts will benefit the farms and their communities. She will also explore the different sales channels available to our Kansas farmers and highlight successes from around the state.
Summer Permaculture Design Course 2025
The Summer 2025 Permaculture Design Course will be taught as three 3-day weekend sessions. All 3 sessions must be attended to complete the course. Weekly Zoom calls will be conducted between in-person sessions to facilitate conversation and learning.
The Fourth Annual Kansas Lek Treks Prairie-Chicken Festival
The Kansas Lek Treks Prairie-Chicken Festival, a premier birding event offering the rare opportunity to witness the breathtaking displays of both Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens. During this unforgettable experience, you’ll observe male prairie-chickens engaging in competitive battles and elaborate courtship displays to attract females. The festival’s timing aligns perfectly with the peak of prairie-chicken breeding season, ensuring maximum female activity at the lek.
Wells Farm Celebration & Walk
Join the Wells Farm owners and the Kansas Land Trust for the inaugural Wells Farm Celebration for an afternoon of history, conservation, and inspiration! Participants will experience the rich history and vibrant landscape of this remarkable KLT-protected land.
Free Tools for Small Growers: From Excel Calculators to Open-Source Software
Small-scale growers require practical and accessible tools for help with farm planning, financial management and sustainable growing solutions. Various free research-based tools, from Excel calculators to open-source farm management software, can help streamline operations while enhancing profitability and environmental sustainability.
Local Food Town Hall
Our quarterly local food town halls are held virtually on Zoom and are open to anyone across the state of Kansas that is interested in learning more about local food projects, organizations, and opportunities across the state. The town halls are held at 11 a.m. on the last Wednesday of January, April, July, and October.
Listening to Place: Spring Ephemerals in the Earles Woodlands
Join Megan Kaminski, author, and professor, for a nature walk and writing workshop inspired by the ephemeral nature of spring at the Earles Woodlands, a KLT protected property.
Prairie Prophecy Premier
The Prairie Prophecy film is a tribute to Wes Jackson's enduring legacy and a call to action for the next generation of scientists, farmers, and environmental stewards. As climate change accelerates, Jackson's ideas remain a beacon of hope, demonstrating that sustainable solutions are not only possible but essential for the survival of life on Earth.
Rainwater Catchment
Participants will tour a local residence and learn about different techniques for utilizing rainwater that falls on a rooftop - captured in containers, or diverted into rain gardens, swales and trenches.
Rural Living Douglas County
"Rural" doesn't have to mean "rough"! Join the Rural Living in Douglas County Resource fair! Break free of the uncertainty and confusion when it comes to Zoning & Codes, wells, ponds, prairie establishment, forest management and more! The event is free and open to the public and is funded by the Douglas County Natural and Cultural Grant Program. Save the date and follow along on Facebook to learn about updates as we get closer to this awesome resource fair!
Welcome to KS Leks Treks
The highlight of this birding festival will include opportunities to view both Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens. No birdwatcher should miss seeing this yearly ritual unfold as males fight among themselves and display to females. The timing of the festival coincides with the peak of prairie-chicken breeding and female visitation to the lek.
Spring Agroforestry Work & Learn
Learn from local experts about forest farming plants, soil health and seasonal management while gaining practical experience in planting and caring for spring crops and mushroom inoculation.
Big Rural Brainstorm
Brainstorming is about participating, about helping others think. If you register, we will need your input to put meat on the bones for our plan.
Those who register will be asked this question: “What would it look like if our downtown (or community) was known for ________________.”
How & Why’s of Biochar
In this workshop, we will complete a full biochar burn using an in-ground trench. You will learn what biochar is and how it is used to build soil health. Every participant will go home with a gallon of biochar.