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.

Subscribe to Policy Watch

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

In the News

Kansas advocates plant seeds of new farm bill addressing needs of diverse agricultural economy - By: Tim Carpenter - NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Flipping U.S. Farm Bill right side up will be better for Kansas, farmers and environment - By: Paul Johnson and Zack Pistora - SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Farmers need Congress to chip in on climate-smart agriculture - By: Zack Pistora - OCTOBER 15, 2021

How the federal farm bill hurts Kansas and how to begin fixing it - By: Paul Johnson - NOVEMBER 22, 2020

Partnerships in Policy

Kansas Food and Farm Coalition

KRC is a member of The Kansas Food and Farm Coalition, a group of long-standing Kansas nonprofit organizations concerned about our food system - from farm to fork. In recognition of how interwoven food system issues are, these organizations have come together to support policies that grow Kansas communities’ local food systems. This includes policies that support small and mid-sized farms, increase production and sales of locally grown foods, increase access to healthy food for all, and improve food security in our communities.

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. We also want to express our gratitude for many years of support to the Kansas Natural Resource Council.

Additional supporters include: Audubon of Kansas, Kansas Farmers Union, League of Women Voters of Kansas, Climate + Energy Project, and the Lawrence Bird Alliance.