Kansas Agriculture
Kansas Guide
Kansas State Agriculture
Information Pertaining to Agriculture in Kansas
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Agriculture and related fields have been and still do provide a significant amount of support to the economy of the state of Kansas. In fact Kansas is rated as one of the few states which have a strong agricultural foundation. Most of the farm produce revolves around selected crops like wheat, grain sorghum etc.
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Kansas is a huge producer of wheat and sorghum grain and the state itself occupies the sixth position in the list of major farm products exporters. The markets for these commodities being exported are valued around $5.9 billion according to a survey carried out in the year 2008.
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Cash receipts regarding farm marketing was pegged at $14 billion in 2008. This in itself shows that the agricultural industryin Kansas is a billion dollar business and is vital to the American economy.
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These numbers are more than enough proof that Kansas is a state with agrarian history. Agriculture has done a lot for the Kansas economy in the time of the great recession and continues to help Kansas develop.
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Most of the agriculture related resources also act as a source of raw materials for other industries which are not related to food such as chemicals, bio-fuels and construction materials etc. A lot of byproducts of agriculturein Kansas are treated and used as bio fuels in order to decrease the dependency on fossil fuels like petroleum.
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Such initiatives have also helped in bringing about a lot of variety when it comes to agriculture in Kansas.
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A lot of regulation checks are carried out by various governmental organizations to ensure the quality of agricultural produce in thestate of Kansas. There are roughly 65,500 farms located in the state of Kansas.
This means that nearly 88% of the land in Kansas is used for agriculture. The average size of a farm in Kansas is an astounding 707 acres. Kansas is also known as the “wheat state” or the “breadbasket of the world” as it produces the largest amount of wheat in the country.
Agriculture Statistics - Kansas
Top Commodities, Exports and Counties
| Top 5 agriculture commodities | |||
| Commodity | Value of Receipts Thousand $ | Percent of State Total Farm Receipts |
Percent of US Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Cattle and calves | 4,915,470 | 60.5 | 12.2 |
| 2. Wheat | 920,343 | 11.3 | 16.1 |
| 3. Corn | 719,874 | 8.9 | 4.2 |
| 4. Sorghum grain | 359,675 | 4.4 | 39.7 |
| 5. Hogs | 322,124 | 4.0 | 2.6 |
| All commodities | 8,121,044 | 4.0 | |
Top 5 Agriculture Exports, Estimates, FY 2001
| Commodity | Rank Among States | Value Million $ |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Live animals and meat | 2 | 822.2 |
| 2. Wheat and products | 2 | 618.5 |
| 3. Feeds and fodders | 1 | 569.9 |
| 4. Feed grains and products | 5 | 465.6 |
| 5. Hides and skins | 1 | 390.0 |
| Overall | 4 | 3,099.3 |
Top 5 Counties in Agricultural Sales
| Counties | Percent of State's Total Receipts | Million $ |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Finney | 5.2 | 479.8 |
| 2. Scott | 4.9 | 451.3 |
| 3. Haskell | 4.7 | 432.4 |
| 4. Gray | 4.1 | 373.7 |
| 5. Ford | 3.3 | 308.3 |
| State total | 9,207.1 |
Kansas Agricultural Products
| Kansas's Top Five Commodities by Cash Receipts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Livestock Products | % State Total | Crop Products | % State Total |
| Cattle and calves | 59.4% | Wheat | 11.7% |
| Hogs | 4.0% | Corn for grain | 8.8% |
| Dairy products | 3.6% | Soybeans | 5.6% |
| Chicken eggs | 0.2% | Sorghum grain | 3.4% |
| Sheep and lambs | 0.1% | Hay | 1.3% |
| Source: USDA:Economic Research Service | |||
Kansas Department of Agriculture
| Great Seal of the State of Kansas | |
| Agency Overview | |
|---|---|
| Kansas Department of Agriculture Headquarters | 109 SW 9th St. Topeka, Kansas |
| Kansas Department of Agriculture Employees | About 240 |
| Kansas Department of Agriculture Annual budget | $10 million |
| Kansas Department of Agriculture Agency executive | Joshua Svaty, Secretary of Agriculture |
