Topeka, KANSAS – Gov. Kelly touted the importance of the industry to Kansas: In 2021, agriculture contributed nearly $70 billion to the Kansas economy and fueled nearly 240,000 jobs – 12% of Kansas’ workforce. Earlier this year, she announced that Kansas exported $5.35 billion of agricultural goods – the most in the state’s history.
At the conference, attendees will spend their morning attending breakout sessions focused on specific agricultural sectors including traditional agricultural areas like beef, pork, corn, and wheat, as well as sectors such as specialty livestock, agricultural technology, and cotton. Since the first Ag Growth Summit in 2016, these sectors have worked to identify strategies for driving growth in their sectors.
The afternoon session will include a report on the 2022 Ag Workforce Needs Assessment Survey followed by a panel discussion about how agribusinesses can better recruit and retain employees.
Secretary Beam will close the conference by recognizing the 2022 Kansas Ag Heroes, with a special tribute to the many individuals and organizations who stepped up to help with the wildfires that devastated many parts of the state this year.
Governor Kelly released the following statement:
“The Kansas Ag industry is the life blood of this state, and I’m grateful for the opportunity today to celebrate their accomplishments and the critical goods and services they provide to our communities, our state, and our world. Given we saw record-breaking agricultural exports last year, I’ve never been more confident in the agriculture community’s ability to lead our state toward continued success.”
