Kansas Agricultural Growth

The Kansas Agricultural Growth Strategy project is a direct result of a 2015 Governor's Economic Council discussion focused on the development of a statewide strategic growth plan for agriculture. These documents have been compiled by the Growth Team in the Kansas Department of Agriculture as part of the Agricultural Growth Strategy project.

Since early 2016, hundreds of meetings have been held among agriculture industry leaders to discuss the opportunities in and the barriers to economic growth, and to identify the outcomes desired for each agricultural sector. In August 2017, the second Kansas Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Growth was held in Manhattan, Kansas, bringing together nearly 400 leaders from across industry sectors under one roof to outline specific action items to achieve those outcomes.

Ag Growth Summit

The Kansas Department of Agriculture annually hosts the Governor's Summit on Agriculture Growth, a gathering of leaders from all corners of Kansas agriculture to develop a strategy for economic growth in the state's agriculture industry. From the first Ag Growth Summit in 2016, it has been known as a catalyst for valuable discussion and networking which produces real results for Kansas agriculture.

The eighth annual Kansas Summit on Agricultural Growth was held on Thursday, August 17, at the Manhattan Conference Center in Manhattan, Kansas. Read more here: 2023 Ag Growth Summit

Read who was recognized as 2023 Kansas Ag Heroes.

Ag Growth Documents

A comprehensive Growth Strategy Document was created following the inaugural Ag Growth Summit to provide background information along with challenges and opportunities in each agricultural sector. The first edition of the document included desired industry growth outcomes, and the updated document added action items to achieve the growth outcomes. Individual documents are also available for each of the 19 industry sectors.

Ag Growth Strategy Documents

Strategic Growth Initiative

To match local Kansas communities and counties with potential growth opportunities, this recruitment program has been developed to enable counties and communities to voluntarily identify the areas of the food, agriculture and unmanned aerial systems (UAS)/small aircraft industry in which they would like to grow. These growth areas are aligned with the state’s existing strategic growth plans for 19 unique food and agriculture sectors across Kansas. These growth plans serve as a guiding resource for strategic growth opportunities across the state. For more information, including how a county/community can participate, go to the Strategic Growth Initiative page.