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Listen to this week's episode: The third week of the Kansas legislative session maintained momentum with committees and floor debate picking up, and several hot-button social policy issues drawing lengthy hearings. Alongside those debates, a few items of direct interest to the agriculture community moved forward. The House passed bills concerning theft of grain, livestock, and agricultural equipment, and a bill clarifying that federal pesticide warning or labeling requirements satisfy any state pesticide warning or labeling requirements. Both measures now head to the Senate for consideration. Lawmakers continued their discussions on other bills touching on taxation, land use, regulatory reform, employer obligations,...

Listen to this week's episode: The second week of the 2026 Kansas legislative session began with a shortened schedule due to the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, with committee activity ramping up later in the week. Lawmakers continued to introduce bills and hold committee hearings across a range of policy areas, including education, taxation, tort reform, public safety, and economic development. The first bill of the session addressing property tax relief - a proposed constitutional amendment to cap annual assessments - was advanced favorably from the Senate Tax Committee. With limited floor action, much...

Listen to this week's episode: The 2026 Kansas legislative session began on Monday, Jan. 12 as members of the House of Representatives and Senate returned to Topeka ahead of fall elections where statewide offices and 125 House seats stand for election. Senate President Ty Masterson (R-Andover) and Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita) gaveled in their respective chambers for what could be the final time as Masterson embarks on a race for governor, while Hawkins is seeking to be elected as the state’s insurance commissioner. Both chambers look to...

Under the recently-restructured Rail Service Improvement Fund Program Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) introduced and led the charge on passing legislation in 2023, Governor Laura Kelly announced $11.2 million toward 10 rail expansion and rehabilitation projects on Jan. 15, 2026. As it has the since the program's inception, KGFA will immediately send the application information for funding to its membership when Kansas Dept. of Transportation opens the application window. “We are grateful to the Legislature and the administration for recognizing strong rail infrastructure is essential to keeping Kansas agriculture competitive,” said KGFA President and CEO Ron Seeber. “This investment delivers...

For many years, Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) has worked with the Property Valuation Division (PVD) of the Kansas Dept. of Revenue to update and amend the division’s grain elevator valuation guide used by local county appraisers. Following up on KGFA's notification to members sent Dec. 10, 2025, PVD has released its 2026 Grain Elevator Appraisal Guide and template worksheet. These documents, in addition to the previously shared summary sales report and depreciation/price per bushel table are available via the buttons to the bottom. Below are some of the notable updates. There have been seven (7) new...

The selection committee for the Tomorrow’s Agribusiness Leaders (TAL) program met in early-December to review applications and select five members of the Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association and five members of the Kansas Grain and Feed Association to comprise the 28th class of agribusiness’ premier leadership development course. The selection committee of TAL alumni chose: Charles Aufdenkamp (ADM); Libby Clark (Farmers Cooperative Association); Logan Cox (Conestoga Energy Partners); Josh Crosby (MKC); Stephen Floyd (Producer Ag, LLC); Paul Hennings (Irsik & Doll Feed Service); Anthony Holmes (Kanza Cooperative Association); Cooper Lancaster (Morrill Elevator); Levi Lehmkuhl (Ag Partners Cooperative) and J.D. Pruitt (ProValue Insurance) to complete the...

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a proposed rule that would establish a definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. The proposal follows the Supreme Court decision in Sackett and is intended to provide regulatory certainty for the nation’s farmers. The agencies developed this proposed rule using input from multiple sources, including a pre-proposal recommendations docket, information from nine public listening sessions, and consultation comments from states, tribes, and local governments. Key proposed revisions include: Defining key terms like “relatively permanent,” “continuous surface connection,” and “tributary”...

Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) submitted comments to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on dicamba products postemergence to dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybean, commonly referred to as "over-the-top" (OTT) use. KGFA's comments centered around new product registration, the benefits of Dicamba in Kansas agricultural production, the environmental and economic benefits of Dicamba, as well as a thorough review of EPA's proposed mitigation strategy. "Dicamba herbicide serves as an important part of modern agriculture in Kansas and throughout the Midwest. Use of pre-emergent and overlapping residual herbicides is critical to controlling...

Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday $25 million for 30 projects to improve intersections and roads across the state. The projects were selected for funding through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP). A news release from Governor Laura Kelly's office is below. “Enhancing the safety and accessibility of our local highways is made possible by grants through this essential program,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “In turn, these roadway improvements help bring in resources and improve connectivity in various regions of the state.”  CCLIP provides funds for cities to make improvements on city...

According to Kansas Wheat, the 2025 wheat growing season in Kansas will go down as one of the most challenging in recent memory, with widespread viral disease pressure affecting crops statewide.  In the latest episode of Wheat’s On Your Mind, host Aaron Harries is joined by Kansas State University experts Dr. Kelsey Andersen Onofre and Dr. Romulo Lollato to explain why and how this viral outbreak took hold. From the biological intricacies of the wheat curl mite to the nuances of symptom onset and misdiagnosis, they break down what really happened and...

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