Support Paul’s Work with Kansas Rural Center
The Kansas Rural Center’s mission is to promote the long-term health of the land and its people through research, education and advocacy that advance an economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just food and farming system. The three tools at the heart of KRC’s mission are research, education, and advocacy. Perhaps no piece of our work more perfectly ties those three tools together than the efforts of our Policy Analyst, Paul Johnson.
For over a decade, during the Kansas Legislative Session, Paul has developed a weekly newsletter, Policy Watch, for the followers of Kansas Rural Center and other non-profit organizations that covers a range of relevant topics that are up for debate in the Kansas Statehouse and at the Federal level. These detailed reports help us keep our finger on the pulse of Kansas politics as they affect our environment, farming, and food systems policies and communities. Paul’s reporting and commentary is informed by an immense depth of knowledge about Kansas State politics and policies and research into the policies that impact the Kansas food and farming system. Beyond the reporting that is publicly visible, Paul is also active behind the scenes working to set up meetings with the leadership of organizations like K-State, the Kansas Department of Commerce and other key players across the state to figure out what can be done to build more sustainable food and farming systems in Kansas. Paul has consistently pushed that Kansas invest more in sustainable agriculture in a wide variety of ways, and that programs that do exist such as the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops at K-State (http://kansassustainableag.org/) or the Beginning Farmer Loan Program at the Kansas Developmental Finance Authority (https://kdfa.org/BeginningFarmer) receive increased funding and public awareness. Paul’s detailed knowledge and understanding of the Kansas state budget and administrative structures is invaluable as we seek to strengthen support for sustainable food and farming systems across the state. Paul’s efforts and advocacy are enriched by the lived experience he brings from his other role, as a vegetable farmer in Northeast Kansas.
To hear the latest example of the great work that Paul Johnson does, you can listen to a recent interview regarding the Farm Bill that Paul did with Nick Levendofsky, of the Kansas Farmer’s Union, and Tim Carpenter, of Kansas Reflector.
While we have partners who underwrite some of the cost to produce Policy Watch and our other policy efforts, we rely heavily on individual donors to keep these going. How can you support Paul’s work in the Statehouse and the other policy efforts of Kansas Rural Center? You can donate to Kansas Rural Center through our year end giving campaign on our website, or via the Douglas County Community Foundation (https://bit.ly/47XJiYU).
As always, we appreciate your ongoing interest, support, and involvement in the work of Kansas Rural Center. Thank you.