Thank you to The Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Soybean Commission for inviting to Kansas for this amazing Farm Food Tour. All opinions are my own.

Girl on a tractor

Arriving in Kansas for a Farm Food Tour I was sure of three things, I would be visiting different farms to learn about what they do, I would be eating good food throughout that week and that I had no idea about the life of a farmer. After having the pleasure of visiting the various farms and chatting with the farmers, not only did I learn things (which I share with you below) but I also walked away with a new respect for farmers. For them it isn’t just a job, it is their life…it is who they are. I think it is fantastic that they get to do what they love while providing such a valuable resource for us all.

5 Things I learned about farming from my Kansas Farm Food Tour

Girl on a farm

  • Farming isn’t just about planting a seed and harvesting. It is a well thought out process that involves farmers figuring out logistics for what their crops need now and for planning out their future.
  • It is a family affair, for 2 reasons. (1) The farmers I met are working with their family members and passing their farms down to their children and (2) because what they do affects their whole family. They base vacations, celebrations and other plans around their harvesting schedule.

Fun fact: 97% of Farms are family owned

  • Unfortunately, there are less farmers either because big corporations are buying them out or because the farmer’s kids decide to pursue another profession.

Cow selfie

  • They take really good care of their animals, not only because these are good people but also because it would make no sense for them to have something happen to their “investment”

Fun fact: 61,000 Family Farms call Kansas home

  • Farmers don’t give their animals antibiotics unless they really need it (and given how expensive they are, it makes sense that they would only use it as needed) and when they do, there is a withdrawal period before that animal can be harvested for meat.

Cattle Antibiotics

Fun fact: A majority of the corn grown in Kansas is used to feed livestock or used to make fuel called Ethanol.

While I know I walked away with a lot more than this, these are the facts that I wanted to highlight. Like I said before, I definitely have a new respect for farmers. To all of the farmers out there…Thank you for what you do!