K-State faculty were among the more than 400 agricultural leaders that attended the second annual Agricultural Growth Summit in Manhattan on August 24. Coordinated by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the summit provided a framework to create connected communities within each of the state’s agricultural sectors.
“While there are disagreements on some subjects, there are no disagreements on agriculture,” said Governor Brownback, who opened the summit and discussed the importance of agriculture to the state, which is the largest industry in Kansas and produces tens of billions of dollars in revenue annually. He called on summit participants to continue working to cultivate the expansion of the Kansas agriculture industry.
The summit represented an opportunity for participants to help shape the direction that the industry will grow in the short- and long-term. Farmers, ranchers, industry leaders, state and local politicians, and others spent the morning in small groups discussing the future of 19 different agricultural sectors, including topics like corn, beef, equipment manufacturing, food processing, unmanned aerial systems and more. The priorities identified in each session will form the basis of a comprehensive Growth Strategy Document, which will include desired outcomes for each sector.
“The summit provides a unique opportunity for researchers from K-State to meet with stakeholders to help shape the future of agriculture across Kansas,” said KCARE Director Dan Devlin.
Kansas Senator Pat Roberts addressed the assembled stakeholders, and applauded the group’s efforts to improve and enhance agriculture in the state.
“We want to make Kansas a template for the rest of the country,” said Roberts.