Ron Brown is a farmer in Bourbon County near Fort Scott, Kansas. He has been producing for the Fort Scott Farmers Market for 15 years and has farmed his entire life. His production includes strawberries, blackberries, potatoes, tomatoes, and many other vegetables. His primary crop is pumpkins and fall decorations. He was appointed chairman [...]
Tom Giessel is a farmer in Pawnee County near Larned, Kansas. He raises wheat, corn, milo, and alfalfa in partnership with his brother, Jay. Tom has been active in Farmers Union all of his life, serving as vice president of the Kansas Farmers Union for nearly two decades. He has also served Farmers Union on [...]
Cody Holmes left home in 1975 at age 17 with his high school 4-H project of seven cows. That project has grown into what the Rockin H Ranch is today: a 1,000-acre cow/calf operation, on-farm market, cowsmilk and goatsmilk dairy, and cheesemaking operation. Cody and his wife Dawnnell operate an agri-tourism business on top of [...]
Jim Richardson, a Kansas native, is a photographer of global issues and landscapes for National Geographic Magazine and a documentarian recognized for his explorations of life in remote places. Richardson’s first story for National Geographic was published in 1985. Every year since, he has been shooting for the magazine. He has 29 stories to his [...]
Larry Mitchell was appointed Administrator of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) on June 3, 2012. He is responsible for a variety of programs that facilitate the marketing of livestock, poultry, meat, cereals, oilseeds, and related agricultural products, and to promote fair and competitive trading practices for [...]
Larry Biles is a husband, father, grandfather and a forester. His formal education includes a BS in Forestry from the University of Missouri and a MS in Ornamental Horticulture from Kansas State University. Following two years with the US Army, Larry spent 8 years as a District Forester, Kansas State University; 7 years as the [...]
Patty Clark currently serves as USDA Rural Development State Director in Kansas. She oversees five field offices and the state office located in Topeka, Kansas. Rural Development administers and manages more than 40 housing, business, and community infrastructure and community facility programs designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities. Prior to her current appointment, Clark served [...]
Kerri Ebert is coordinator for the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops at Kansas State University. The Center was established in 2001 to emphasize research, education, outreach and marketing for sustainable agriculture and alternative food, fiber, and medicinal crops in Kansas. The Center is based in K-State’s Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Division [...]
Cody Holmes left home in 1975 at age 17 with his high school 4-H project of seven cows. That project has grown into what the Rockin H Ranch is today: a 1,000-acre cow/calf operation, on-farm market, cowsmilk and goatsmilk dairy, and cheesemaking operation. Cody and his wife Dawnnell operate an agri-tourism business on top of [...]
James Sperman is the owner of GreenFin Gardens, a pioneering aquaponic hatchery & farm in its fourth season in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, specializing in pure blue tilapia, figs, and bananas. For the past several years, GreenFin has been strictly a wholesaler, supplying some of the leading retailers in the industry with blue tilapia fry and [...]
