Applications are now being accepted for what organizers say is a refreshed and rebranded program with the purpose of providing a conduit for folks of all occupations and levels of agricultural knowledge to be exposed to the many facets of production ag, rural communities and ag policy.
Kansas Farm Bureau’s Ag Academy runs from October to September. According to the organization, focus areas are advocacy, leadership/service, education, and rural communities/farm families. Seven capsules are framed in a way that centers on a preliminary self-paced component focusing on introductory information followed by an in-person session of tours and speakers. The in-person sessions will be spread across Kansas to allow participants a first-hand view of the many components and faces of production ag across the state.
Program particulars
- Applicant can be members or non-members of Kansas Farm Bureau
- Application deadline is September 10, 2021
- Limited to 20 participants each year.
- Participants will commit to participating in all sessions in the year they are accepted. In the event a participant must miss an in-person session, there is a three-year maximum to finish all sessions to graduate.
- Participation fee is $100 and due before the first in-person session. Meals during the in-person sessions are paid but participants are responsible for travel to and from, any lodging, and meals outside of the in-person meeting. Assistance with carpooling communication will be given.
The capsules are listed below, and more details will be confirmed after the participants for this year’s class are selected. Locations are subject to change. Several in-person dates are to be determined due to the uncertainty within production ag i.e., availability of tour locations/hosts, the yearly differentiation in harvest, etc. Every attempt will be made to choose a date conducive to all. At times, several dates may be available.
- Capsule 1 – Agriculture’s Foundation
- Farm families/rural communities/Kansas Farm Bureau
- October 2021 – virtual component
- October 2021– date and location TBD
- Farm families/rural communities/Kansas Farm Bureau
- Capsule 2 – Advocacy – Ag Issues and Policy Development
- Issues/challenges affecting those in production agriculture
- Kansas Farm Bureau policy development framework
- November 2021 – virtual component
- December 6, 2021 – Kansas Farm Bureau Annual Meeting
- Capsule 3 – Advocacy – Understanding Policy Positions/Advocating for Policy
- Understanding Kansas Farm Bureau policies
- Advocating and implementing developed policy in Topeka and D.C.
- January 2022 – virtual component
- January 26, 2022 – Day at the Statehouse, Topeka
- Capsule 4 – Education – Technology, Commodities, and Rural Communities
- Understanding the need for technology within production ag
- Kansas diverse commodities and growing areas of the state
- Leadership and volunteerism in rural Kansas
- March 2022 – virtual component
- April 2022 – date and location TBD
- Capsule 5 – Education – Water, Markets, and Ag Partners
- The growing conversation around water, advanced water technologies, and water efficiency research
- Regional markets for commodities
- Partners in ag research, improvements in commodity usage, alternate use opportunities, and the innovative space for new ideas and inventions.
- May 2022 – virtual component
- June 2022 – Wichita/McPherson area with date TBD
- Capsule 6 – Education – Worldwide Markets/Transportation and Specialty Crops
- Global market opportunities and associated transportation
- Specialty crop opportunities and niches
- July 2022 – virtual component
- August 2022 – Kansas City area with date TBD
- Capsule 7 – Education/Graduation
- Educational topic to be chosen by the class
- September 2022 – virtual component
- September 15, 2022 – location TBD
- Educational topic to be chosen by the class
The program runs from October to September. Focus areas are advocacy, leadership/service, education and rural communities/farm families. Seven capsules are framed in a way that centers on a preliminary self-paced component focusing on introductory information followed by an in-person session of tours and speakers. The in-person sessions will be spread across Kansas to allow participants a first-hand view of the many components and faces of production ag across our great state.
The application deadline is Sept. 10. For full details and to apply, go here.
