Permanently Protecting Land in Kansas
To date, KLT has conserved more than 40,000 acres in 22 counties, across 80 properties in Kansas, with more than 1,300 of those acres being open to the public. The Kansas Land Trust is one of thousands of land trusts across the U.S. and one of a handful in the state of Kansas.
Urban and Suburban Native Yards
A friend recently was reported to the city by her neighbor for not complying with the 12-inch rule on grass. The front yard was mowed, but the back/side yard was “messy” and tall. She had bought a prairie seed mix and successfully cultivated it. A city official agreed that not only were they glad she had installed her native mix, but she could keep her newly installed prairie if she made it look like it was “on purpose”.
Grace Heritage Farm
Today, Grace Heritage Dairy provides raw milk and handmade goat cheese from the farm. Kansas laws require we sell raw products directly off of the farm as opposed to providing meet-up or delivery options, which has provided challenges of its own.
Sunflower Stories Community Update
Keith queried inquisitive faces on types of plants/seedlings. He demonstrated mechanical arugula harvesting, washing, drying, and bagging. The pupils got to munch on freshly picked radishes after much mud was washed off.
Board Member Spotlight - Fred Iutzi
The North Star of my career is perennial and continuous living cover agriculture – the idea that everything we know about the world tells us that for real long-term sustainability, we need to keep most of the ground covered with vegetation most of the time, and most of that needs to actually be in perennials.
What is a Food Value Chain? And what will the Coordinator do?
As the Food Value Chain Coordinator, I will wear many hats to coordinate this effort. I will work to cultivate and build lasting relationships across the diverse stakeholder community by providing engagement opportunities for open dialog.
Tom Buller on Overshoot Day
Overshoot Day is a direct challenge to Kansans and everyone across our planet. Your support and contributions to the Kansas Rural Center will allow us to continue doing the necessary work that’s been our mission for over 40 years. Join us in working toward meaningful and sustainable change for the betterment of our state and our world.
Farming is a Journey - What’s Your Plan?
This 80 acres was 4 times the size I thought our homestead farm would be. This space would feed a lot more than our family. We would be able to feed the world one tomato at a time! It was clear, we needed a strategic plan and an order of operations. The farm would need to become a BUSINESS.
Wildland Fire Risks and Prevention Strategies
Landowners should also manage their shelterbelts and windbreaks. Utilize mechanical, chemical, or prescribed fire to manage the vegetation on your property to ensure that no woody encroachment has crept into adjacent pastures.
The Co-opportunity of Rural Grocery in Kansas
The group talked through the basic characteristics of a purchasing cooperative, shared reflections on the group purchasing model and identified individual strengths and common challenges among stores in the room.
Tom’s KRC Update 2023
Executive Director, Tom Buller, shares KRC Updates
Rural Cinema Partnership with Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
At the end of the training and through individualized consultation, community leaders will organize multiple screening events over the course of the year.
Board Member Spotlight - Troy Schroeder
First, I planted my yard, then other small public and private areas. We enrolled in CSP, which allowed us to take 60+ acres out of production and plant to monarch-beneficial plants
Sunflower Stories - Arkenberg Farms and Central Topeka Grocery Oasis
Expanding beyond YouTube, Briana dreams of starting an on-site classroom where people of all ages can visit, learn about the farm and develop their skills.
A Study Between Heirloom and Hybrid Vegetable Varieties
These teachings came from my parents and grandparents and were taught in the farm fields, at home and in ceremonies. The teachings were more than just learning how to respect nature and more than just offerings. They were the way of life and how we can take care of one another.
Community Snapshots: An Overview of the KRC Conference Session
At this year’s Food and Farm Conference, I hosted the Community Snapshots session inviting local food providers to highlight their operations. Representing the KS Specialty Crops Growers Ass. (KSCGA), Pete Pierson kicked off the session with snapshots of production, sales, reach, impact and potential impact.
Selling Local Food Product to Schools
There are opportunities for districts to buy smaller quantities through micro and small purchase programs. These could include one-time purchases for a locally focused meal or smaller quantities for things like a school salad bar. Finally, sometimes people think Farm to School only covers local vegetables. While there are specific nutritional standards that might make it easier for farmers to sell certain products, like orange vegetables, schools can source any part of a
school meal locally.
What Will Hemp Do For Kansas?
The “lowest hanging fruit” for hemp is food for humans and animal feed. This is because established research and protocols have been developed, and are ongoing for full marketability approval at the federal level.
How the Holistic Management testing questions can help align actions with your “true north.”
This question often reveals which options provide the win-win-win outcomes, and which fall short. Or, does one action significantly shorten the path to your desired outcome? That’s getting big bang for your buck.
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Workshop Series
Throughout 2022 half of my job has been to work toward developing a beginning farmer and rancher training curriculum that the Kansas Rural Center can use to provide education to annual cohorts of new farmers who desire further education about farming but may not want to or be able to enroll in an agriculture program at a Kansas community college or state university.