A few weeks ago, I was invited to Kansas for a Farm Food Tour. Having never been to Kansas, I was excited about scratching another state off my bucket list and learning more about how our food is grown. I will say that besides knowing that food is grown on a farm, I never put much thought into where my food comes from so, it was quite an eye-opening experience. Oh, I have gotten a few questions about as to whether Kansas is flat and while I am not sure why that is a thing, I will put your mind at ease and tell you that Kansas is far from flat.
While on the tour, we visited and learned more about the following Kansas farms located all throughout the state. Here is a recap of what we did on the food tour. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing 5 things I learned about farming from my Kansas Farm Food Tour, so check back in for that.
Good’s Pig Farms (Olsburg, KS)
They raise pure bred heritage hogs, specifically Durocs and Gloucestershire Old Spots. We were able to see just how well taken care of these pigs are, so much so that we even had to put on some stylish booties.
Fun Fact: Pigs eat a diet of soybean meal, corn, vitamins and minerals that is determined by an animal nutritionist at every stage of its life.
Sawyer Land & Cattle Farm (McPherson, KS)
They raise cattle and row crops (soybeans, corn, milo and wheat). I was able to ride in a combine to see how they harvest the corn that is used in cattle feed. As the combine approached, I thought it was so cool that a combine could do what it did and that 3 generations were in there. Like I said, it is a family affair.
France Family Farms (Marienthal, KS)
They grow grain sorghum, soybeans, wheat, corn and Black Angus cattle. They also recently started a pumpkin patch. I am a little biased when it comes to this Farm because Amy France was on the tour with us and I think she is pretty amazing. We even made a stop at her farmhouse where I got to see her pink tractor and feed her chickens.
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Fun Fact: Once harvested, the soybeans are broken down primarily into 2 components: the meal (fed to livestock) and the oil (used for food as vegetable oil, for fuel or for numerous industrial supplies) .
Reeve Cattle Company (Garden City, KS)
It is a feed lot where the cattle transition from eating grass to eating grains that I believe is done to help fatten them up and give them a better taste.
Fun fact: All cattle are grass fed (initially)
Forget-Me-Not Dairy (Cimarron, KS)
It is a family dairy. One of the things that impressed me the most is that they have made it so that the milk goes directly from the milking machine right into a truck, skipping the holding tank, which allows the dairy production to be more efficient.
Fun Fact: Their name comes from the bible verse Deuteronomy 8:11
Dalebanks Angus Ranch (Eureka, KS)
Here we learned how cattle are raise on what they call “Flint Hills”. This ranch has been around for quite some time and has been passed down through the generations.
Juniper Hill Farms (Lawrence, KS)
They grow a variety of mostly organic vegetables along with growing some hay and row crops. What I found interesting is that Scott, the owner, is a first-generation farmer.
Fun Fact: Due to the climate in Kansas, growing vegetables can’t be done year-round which is why some farmers have set up greenhouses.
I had a really great time getting to explore Kansas and learn about where my food comes from. Have you ever been on a farm in Kansas?
What a great post about Kansas farms and so informational! It was such a great tip! I really enjoyed getting to know you!