Recently, the Kansas Rural Center staff met in Matfield Green to discuss the future of our work in Kansas.

The meeting started with each of us revealing a small object that we could relate somehow to KRC. Some were more bizarre than others, but each person’s object had something in common. They were all related to our experiences with KRC, the compassion for our work and our loyalty to KRC’s mission to protect the health of the land and its people. From the conception of this nonprofit in 1979, the work has been immense, and as we look over KRC’s history, we can’t help but shake our heads at how some issues have persisted. Farmers struggle with high inputs, rural communities seek the revenue that comes with relevance, landowners seek solutions that provide steady income, and the land requires care to deliver abundance.

When you look at these issues closely, you will find that these needs are intertwined. Addressing them all to build a synergistic food system is daunting and complicated, as it has been for the last 45 years of KRC and beyond. But still, we try.

Like those before us, we are driven to continue doing the work that connects our growers to our communities to the land and back. You will see this echoed in our actions, like how we support beginning farmers, providing guidance to those who seek funding, networking to build strength, developing markets, providing education throughout the food system and championing conservation.

Doing good work isn’t always flashy, we don’t focus on gimmicks or creating quick fixes without considering succession. We embrace an abundance mindset and want any change created by Kansas Rural Center to be lasting, community-driven change. We believe that supporting local food systems in Kansas is where we want to continue our efforts. We are happy to work solely, in partnership, or to pass on tasks to other organizations when it makes sense, because there is plenty to go around.

In our meeting we realized that we are constantly exposed to KRC’s involvement around the state. So, we’ve compiled a timeline to highlight some projects influenced by KRC. This list only scratches the surface of our legacy, and we look forward to the future.

46 Years of work for the health of the land and its people

1982 Land and Water Ownership Study
1987 Sustainable Farming Practices Project
1993 Ogallala Aquifer a Challenge to Sustainability hosted 250 Farmers
1994 Rolling Prairie CSA was created
1997 KSU hosts first Sustainable Ag Symposium
1997 Whole Farm Holistic Management Trainings
1998 River Friendly Farm Plan Developed with KSU
2001 KCSAAC
2001 First StatewideFarmers Market Conference
2004 Growing Growers Established
2009 NSAC Established
2019 Farming & Food Town Halls
2023 Food System Film Events with Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
2024 Farm Dreams Training
2025 Development of Central Kansas Farmers Cohort

Help us continue our legacy of excellence in Kansas’ food and farm systems. Visit kansasruralcenter.org to learn more about our initiatives, subscribe to our updates, and to support our work by donating.