Dan Nagengast's Letter to KRC Constituents

Read Dan Nagengast's departure letter to KRC Constituents here.

Julie Mettenburg is the Executive Director of the Kansas Rural Center.  Julie was raised on a small farm near Princeton, Kansas, in Franklin County, where she is still active in the day-to-day operations of grass-finishing and direct marketing beef and other meats with her parents and siblings. She brings to KRC a background in small business and nonprofit marketing communications and management, plus time spent in ag journalism. She began working with KRC as Kaw River Valley coordinator for Our Local Food in April 2011, taking on the role of KRC executive director December 1.

Julie has a master of arts degree in politics from the City University of New York with a specialty in public policy, and a bachelor of science degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. She lives in Lawrence with her husband, Peter Burns, and their two children, who are already involved in projects as fifth-generation farmers.

Julie Mettenburg - Executive Director - Lawrence
785-393-9996, juliemettenburg@gmail.com

Mary Fund - Communications Director/
Clean Water Farms Project Coordinator, Whiting
Work: 785-873-3431 or Home: 785-939-2032
ksrc@rainbowtel.net

Mary Fund is the Project Director for KRC's Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project, which provides planning assistance and limited cost-share to farmers and ranchers wanting to improve water quality on their farms. She also is the editor of KRC's newsletter, Rural Papers, and handles KRC's communications about farm and rural policy issues.

Mary represents KRC on the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and monitors federal farm policy for KRC. She is one of two staff in the Whiting office, and therefore answers general questions and inquiries to KRC and points callers to the right "expert" on or off staff. She and her husband, Ed Reznicek, and their two children, own and operate a 400 acre certified organic farm in Nemaha County as 4th generation family farmers. Mary's personal interests include vegetable gardening, as well as raising flowers, and reading and writing.

As Administrator, Diane Dysart manages KRC’s financial resources, budgets and bookkeeping files. She also tracks mailing lists and contribution records. Diane and her husband, Fred have three children, eight horses, and three dogs and live in rural Netawaka.

Diane Dysart - Administrator - Whiting
Work: 785-873-3431
ddysart@rainbowtel.net

Dale Kirkham - Clean Water Farms Field Organizer
Eureka
Work/Home: 620-583-5247 or Cell: 620-344-0202
dalekirkham@msn.com

Dale Kirkham assists farmers and ranchers in SE and SC Kansas with the Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project self-assessment and projects that improve water quality and related natural resources on their land. His special interests include livestock and grazing management, protection of native prairies, and wildflower identification. He and his wife Nancy operate a small ranch in the southern Flint Hills where they raise registered Brangus cattle.

Ed Reznicek is a half-time field organizer for the Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project with emphasis on relocating and redesigning livestock wintering facilities and in planning resource conserving crop rotations. He also operates an organic field crop and beef cattle farm in Nemaha County.

Ed is part-time General Manager of Kansas Organic Producers Marketing Cooperative, and also serves on the local school board.

Ed Reznicek - Clean Water Farms Field Organizer, Goff
Work/Home: 785-939-2032 - amerugi@jbntelco.com

As a KRC field organizer, Lyle provides assistance to individual landowners to develop a whole farm plan of action to help address their long term goals. His interests include grazing lands and cropland management systems.

Jason Schmidt came to KRC in 2009 from graduate school at Clemson University in South Carolina where he was researching forage finished beef production. Jason’s area of expertise is grass and forage based systems. Jason grew up on a family dairy farm near Newton, Kansas, and graduated from Bethel College where he studied international rural development, which exposed him to concepts of environmental and economic sustainability in agriculture. Jason worked as a Field Organizer in the Clean Water Farms Project from 2008 through spring 2011.

Jason and his wife Carol moved to the Newton area in the spring of 2011 to farm with Jason’s parents and start their own operation. Jason continues to work on a limited basis with KRC.

Jason Schmidt - Clean Water Farms Field Organizer, Topeka
Cell: 316-461-3243
Jason_schmidt20@hotmail.com

Mercedes Taylor-Puckett is the Project Coordinator for KRC's Farmers Market Project, which supports the 75+ markets in Kansas through conferences, workshops and the www.ksfarmersmarkets.com  website. Mercedes also coordinates KRC's Farmer Educators, master farmers offering mentorships and field days; the Kansas Farmers Market EBT Program, enabling markets to accept food stamps; KRC's Farmers Market Promotion Program, workshops and mini-grant opportunities; and the Rural Center's Kaw River Valley local foods program.

Mercedes involvement with local food dates back to the mid '90s when she sold heirloom tomatoes at the Downtown Lawrence Farmers Market. In 2004, she became the DLFM coordinator and maintained that position until joining the Kansas Rural Center in October 2008.

Mercedes lives in the hills of southern Jefferson County with her husband and two daughters.

Mercedes Taylor-Puckett -
Farmers Market Project Coordinator, McLouth
Cell: 785-840-6202
mercedes.taylorpuckett@gmail.com