Governor Laura Kelly has kicked off the eighth annual Kansas Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Growth; it's a meeting in Manhattan, Kansas, of more than 400 leaders representing various agricultural interests across the state.
Gov. Kelly touted the importance of the industry to Kansas: last year, agriculture contributed more than $76 billion to the Kansas economy and fueled a quarter-million jobs – 14% of Kansas’ workforce. Earlier this week, she announced that Kansas exported nearly $5.5 billion of agricultural goods – the most in the state’s history.
“Despite the many hurdles thrown our way – including the ongoing drought, which has devastated this summer’s wheat harvest – the Kansas ag industry remains strong,” said Governor Kelly. “There’s no doubt: Kansas remains a worldwide powerhouse in agriculture. But it’s also clear that to keep our ag industry modern and competitive, we have to solve two major challenges facing us: water and workforce shortages.”
Workforce and water were the focus of the morning sessions at this year’s Ag Growth Summit. Governor Kelly says the state is making record investments in water-saving infrastructure and expanding registered apprenticeships. Guest speakers provided insight, and then attendees will break up into groups for an interactive discussion on how we can work together toward solutions for these critical challenges.
“Many of the initiatives that have contributed to Kansas agriculture were the result of discussions here at the Ag Growth Summit,” said Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam. “We appreciate the commitment of leaders and producers who take time to engage in active discussion about what can be done to drive growth and how we can collaborate to move agriculture forward to benefit the state of Kansas.”