Projects of the Kansas
Rural Center
Water Quality Projects
The Kansas Rural
Center has a long history of exploring water quality and quantity
issues in Kansas, seeing a clear link between how we farm and
environmental protection and resource sustainability. Nearly all
sustainable agricultural practices benefit water quality and the
environment. From our Sustainable Farming Project in the 1980’s to
the current Clean Water Farms Projects, KRC has sought to
establish good models of low cost, management intensive farming
practices, that protect water quality and the farmer or rancher’s
profitability. Since 1995, with funding from U.S. EPA 319 Nonpoint
Source Funds through the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment, KRC has been able to offer cost-share and planning
assistance to Kansas farmers and ranchers willing to adopt clean
water farming practices in vulnerable watersheds. Other projects
focus on water quality benefits of grazing systems, and on related
research topics such as feedlot management.
Clean Water Farms-River Friendly Farms Project
Coordinator: Mary Fund,
ksrc@rainbowtel.net
In January 2005, the Clean Water
Farms Project launched the third phase of its now 10 year old
effort to promote adoption of clean water farming practices in
high priority watersheds in Kansas as the Clean Water Farms-River
Friendly Farms Project: State WRAPS Focus. Since 1995, (with funding from
U.S. EPA 319 Nonpoint Source Funds through the Kansas Department
of Health and Environment,) the Clean Water Farms Project has
successfully established good models of clean water farming easily
adopted by other producers, putting over 80 demonstration projects
on the ground, and reaching hundreds of other producers with
workshops, farm tours, and presentations.
A key lesson learned early in the
project was that producers must have a clear understanding of the
problem or threat to water quality, and a plan and means of
setting priorities for addressing the problems. In partnership
with Kansas State University, the Kansas Rural Center developed
the River Friendly Farm Plan—an environmental assessment to help
farmers evaluate their farms or ranches and develop a plan for
addressing problems. Phase two of the project (Clean Water Farms-
Whole Farm Planning, 2000-2004) focused on helping producers use
this self-environmental assessment (River Friendly Farm Plan) to
establish priorities. CWFP then helped producers develop whole
farm action plans, and offered cost-share to eligible producers to
implement some part of that plan, as well as helped them to
identify other resources.
Today, the project still assists
farmers in completing the RFFP environmental assessment of their farm
or ranch using the River Friendly Farm Plan notebook. Once the farmer
completes the assessment, he/she is eligible for the $250
incentive payment for its completion. An approved action
plan also allows the farmer to apply for up to $5,000 in
cost-share assistance to implement items in the action plan.
In addition to continuing to work
with individual farmers and ranchers in high priority watersheds
across the state, the new project will focus on helping individual
farmers and ranchers in newly established Watershed Restoration
and Protection Strategy areas (WRAPS). We'll also work with
community leaders in the new WRAPS areas. WRAPS is the
state's new framework for ensuring stakeholder involvement in the
assessment and action planning process to protect or restore
entire watersheds.
Click here for more on CWF-RFF Project
guidelines, producer eligibility, eligible practices, application
details, and participant profiles.
Grazing Management Project
Coordinator: Jerry Jost,
jjost@kansasruralcenter.org
Grazing through the four seasons of the year can improve farm
profitability and protect water quality. This project provides
forage information and a free on-farm consultation using the
Kansas Grazer planning tool, a software program designed by Kansas
State University. This planning tool creates an inventory of the
existing forages and cattle on the farm. The planning tool then
compares forage availability against the nutritional needs of the
beef herd. This analysis identifies periods of forage surplus and
deficit. The farmer then can explore a mix of complementary
forages to extend the grazing season throughout the year.
Experimenting with different calving dates allows the grazer to
better match nutritional needs with available forages. All of
these strategies help reduce feed costs and manure runoff into
streams.
Click the icon to download the brochure about the free on-farm
visit. (179K pdf file)
The “Assisting Small Diversified
Family Farms Implement TMDLs through Forage Use Efficiency” is
funded by an EPA Section 319 grant through the Kansas Department
of Health and Environment.
Sustainable
Food System Projects
The Rural Center supports a number of projects designed to
move agriculture towards local and regional food systems that
emphasize community, nearby markets, and the self-generation of
local economies through farmer and processor livelihoods, all
based on sustainable farming practices.
Farmers
Market Nutrition Programs
Coordinator: Dan Nagengast, nagengast@earthlink.net
KRC has organized a
broad coalition of horticultural producers, churches, social
service agencies, child and nutrition advocates and hunger
advocates to try and establish two different farmers’ market
nutrition projects. The Department on Aging successfully completed
the third year of the Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program in
the summer of 2005, providing seniors with coupons redeemable for
fresh produce at markets. KRC continues to advocate for a similar
WIC program for nutritionally at-risk mothers with infants and
small children..
Grow Your
Farmers’ Market Project
Coordinator: Jerry Jost,
jjost@kansasruralcenter.org
Farmers’
markets have grown dramatically across Kansas. Farmers’ markets
serve many functions including helping farmers’ incubate new
enterprises and value-added products. Farmers’ markets are
businesses. Like any other business, farmers’ markets will benefit
from business planning.
KRC provides a
free facilitation service guiding farmers’ markets in developing a
business plan. The Wallace Genetic Foundation funds the “Grow Your
Farmers’ Market” project.
You may download a descriptive brochure by clicking on this link.
You can
also download a publication written by the Kansas Rural Center on
"Starting a Seasonal Open-Air Market in Kansas" at
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/s140.pdf (678K file)
Kansas State
University maintains a directory of Kansas Farmers' Markets at:
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/farmersmarkets/
The Kansas Food Policy Council
Coordinator: Dan
Nagengast,
nagengast@earthlink.net
http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/kfpc.html
The primary objective of the Kansas
Food Policy Council (KFPC) is to bring together a diverse group of
public and private sector stake holders to examine food systems in
the state. The KFPC makes policy recommendations regarding ways in
which the food system and related practices can be improved to
enhance the health of the Kansas population, strengthen local
economies and market opportunities, improve coordination and
efficiency, protect the environment, and reduce hunger and food
insecurity.
The KFPC operates throughout Kansas
under the sponsorship of the Governor and her administration.
Membership on the KFPC includes both governmental and
private-sector representatives from all aspects of the Kansas food
system (production, distribution, markets, and consumers). The
KFPC serves as a venue for coordinating governmental and
private-sector interests and activities, with efforts to be
focused primarily in three areas: 1) Regional Food Systems; 2)
Food Security; and 3) Human Health and the Environment. All
activities are undertaken through a combination of pilot projects,
broad governmental initiatives, and policy recommendations to the
Governor.
Research and Education Partnerships
KRC works in partnership with a
range of institutions as well as state and federal agencies to
bring the best information to family farmers and ranchers, and
consumers. Projects include:
Heartland Sustainable
Agriculture Network
Coordinator: Jerry Jost,
jjost@kansasruralcenter.org
Since
1994, the Heartland Network has worked in partnership with KSU
Extension to provide seed money for farmers to organize learning
clusters that explore options such as controlled grazing, pasture
finishing, pasture farrowing, cover crops, organic farming,
complementary on-farm and on-station research, direct marketing,
and cooperative marketing. These clusters use field trips,
workshops, demonstrations, consultants, whole-farm planning and
alternative marketing to redesign their family businesses and
improve quality of life, profitability, and land stewardship.
For information about current cluster groups, go to the KRC page
on the
Heartland Network.
Horticultural Production Systems - High Tunnels
Coordinator: Dan
Nagengast,
nagengast@earthlink.net
KRC is cooperating with the
University of Missouri, KSU and the University of Nebraska to
pursue research using low-cost, plastic covered hoop houses in
order to help horticultural farmers extend the growing season and
increase the amount of seasonally available food in the region.
Research projects are on-going as funding is found. An active web
site is maintained at
www.hightunnels.org
Family Farm Strategic Planning
Coordinator: Jerry Jost,
jjost@kansasruralcenter.org
KRC facilitates a strategic planning service
to help farm families create alignment between current actions and
their desired future. This strategic planning process helps you
set the future direction for your farm and then chart a path to
get there. This planning process allows you to adjust the farm’s
direction in response to a changing environment, enables you to
better focus your energy and ensures you all are working toward
the same goals. The planning process involves discussion about
your farm’s future; an assessment of the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats to your business; setting goals in
response to the fundamental decisions you face; and making a
commitment to planned action steps that move you toward your
goals. This service is funded by the Wallace Genetic Foundation.
The Kansas Rural Center offers this free strategic planning
service. You may download a descriptive brochure by clicking on
the link.
Public Policy Advocacy
Coordinator: Mary Fund,
ksrc@rainbowtel.net
KRC works for public policies that
enhance sustainable farming practices as well as a sustainable
local and regional food system. Farm bill and other related
federal issues are covered in KRC’s regular
newsletter, Rural Papers, and an
Action Alert email information service is available. KRC monitors
state legislation on an issue by issue basis as determined by its
board of directors and monitors federal farm policy though its
membership in the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working
Group/Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (MSAWG/SAC).
Completed Projects
Salina Community Food System Project
The Salina Community Food System Project promoted a
regional food system by coordinating area farmers to provide
fresh, local food for institutional meal programs. Project
activities were focused on the Meals on Wheels program at the
Saline County Commission on Aging. This community food system
project also worked with at-risk youth to provide training in food
production, preparation and marketing.
Guided Exploration of Value Added Enterprises Project
KRC assisted individual farmers and
groups of farmers in all aspects of developing successful
value-added enterprises. Workshops on such topics as setting up
a low cost, certified processing kitchen, and tours of KSU
facilities and existing operations, were supplemented with
business planning courses and outreach to farmers markets.
Antibiotic Detection and Resistance in Feedlot Management:
A
Demonstration and Education Project
Working with researchers at Kansas State
University and the University of Kansas, this project's strategy
was to compare the antibiotic levels and resistance in lagoons
associated with different livestock management strategies: those
that administer antibiotics subtherapeutically in feed as a matter
of course, and those which never administer antibiotics except for
the treatment of disease. The results of the comparison will be
used to help prepare new material for the River Friendly Farm
Environmental Assessment Tool, allowing farmers to determine the
impact of their management decisions on water quality.
Topeka
Common Ground Project
The Topeka Common Ground Project was a collaboration of organizations
that shared a vision of creating a local, sustainable food system
in the Topeka area. Common Ground initiatives included several
community and school gardens, production of organic bedding plants
for farmers in an urban greenhouse, assistance with an urban-rural
subscription vegetable service, provision of food to local food
banks, and the development of commercial and social links between
urban people and nearby farmers.
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