Governor Laura Kelly today visited Sturdy Farms in Lyndon, Kansas, to celebrate agricultural excellence in our state by signing a proclamation declaring March 23 as Kansas Agriculture Day, and the month of March as Kansas Agriculture Month.
“Agriculture has always been, and will always be the backbone of the Kansas economy,” Governor Kelly said. “Today – and throughout the month of March – I encourage all Kansans to join us in recognize our thriving agriculture industry, which ensures families across our state, nation, and world have access to quality food products.”
Governor Kelly also announced Tuesday that Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses exported over $4 billion in goods in 2020 – up more than $214 million from the previous year.
“This is the first time exports have surpassed $4 billion in our state since 2014,” Governor Kelly said. “That’s a huge accomplishment – our agriculture workers should be proud.”
A majority of the exports included meat products, cereal grains, and oilseeds. These products are being shipped to 89 countries including our top trade partners such as Mexico, Japan, and South Korea.
The theme for this year’s National Agriculture Day celebration is “Food Brings Everyone to the Table” – a reminder that the food we enjoy at our tables exists because of the dedication and hard work of Kansas farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses.
“Agriculture is a critical part of Kansas’ history. Not only is it a key economic driver in our state, but it also holds great potential for future economic growth,” Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam said. “With an increase in exports, it becomes very clear — not even a year of unknown circumstances, such as a global pandemic, can stop agriculture from continuing to feed the world. No matter the setback, farmers and ranchers will find solutions to keep things moving forward.”
View the proclamation here.
About Agriculture in Kansas:
- Agriculture directly contributes over $49 billion to the Kansas economy each year.
- Agriculture supports over 136,000 jobs in Kansas, or 13% of the workforce.
- The average size of a Kansas farm is 781 acres, and there are 58,569 farms in the state.
- Kansas agriculture includes traditional economic contributions from beef cattle ranching, wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, and dairy, but also includes landscape and horticultural services, pet food, farm machinery manufacturing, food processing, and more.
- Increasingly, agricultural resources provide raw materials for a broad range of nonfood products, such as chemicals, fibers, construction materials, lubricants and fuels.
- Kansas is a national leader in agriculture production, ranking:
- 1st in sorghum production with 204 million bushels
- 1st in wheat production with 338 million bushels
- 2nd in cropland with over 29 million acres
- 2nd in sorghum for silage with 1.045 million tons
- 3rd in cattle and calves inventory with 6.455 million head
About the Kansas Department of Agriculture
KDA is dedicated to providing an ideal environment for long-term, sustainable agricultural prosperity and statewide economic growth. KDA asks Kansans to join them as they dedicate Kansas Agriculture Day to the state’s largest industry, employer and economic contributor and to all of the men and women who work 365 days out of the year in order to provide the world with a table full of food, fiber, and fuel.
The below photos of the event are available for media use:
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