The cover photo, featuring the Barn at Schwinn Produce in Leavenworth, was taken by Tom Parker. The timber frame and wood peg structure is the centerpiece of a wedding venue that includes a small cottage for brides, a photo-worthy sunflower patch, and an outdoor ceremony area carpeted with turf. “The barn’s been very good to us from a business standpoint,” Joe Schwinn says, “but it’s kind of hurt us from an agricultural standpoint because we can’t do U-pick as much as we’d like to.” The farm has strawberry and pumpkin U-picks as well as produce production for sales at farmers markets. Schwinn Produce is one of three farms to be toured on August 15.
Photo credit: Tom Parker
View the Spring 2016 Kontact on ISSUU.
Download a PDF of the Spring 2016 Kontact (2.1 MB)
AUGUST 2019
DELEGATE CREDENTIALING Our state convention is rapidly approaching. It’s going to be in Lawrence at the Double Tree by Hilton December 4th and 5th. As the years have gone by, we have gotten very casual about our credentialing of delegates being seated for the business meeting and the creation of the coming year’s policy of the Kansas Farmers Union. The attendees to the state convention have been stable and consistent [...]
STATEHOUSE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 8.2019
By SEAN GATEWOOD This session was a much shorter session. Usually Sine Die is simply a ceremony that half of the members don’t even show up to. This year was different. There were several veto overrides and failed attempts as well as a protest. As always I have enjoyed being your eyes at the statehouse. Thank you. Taxes As you may recall, last year there [...]
‘What size tumbleweed would you like?’ and other tales from the Kansas frontier
By Tom Parker To hear Ron Wilson tell it, Linda Katz’s entry into one of the most improbable and outlandish business schemes in the annals of entrepreneurship started out as a joke.Like many families in rural areas, hers had scattered across the nation in pursuit of more lucrative opportunities. Some lived nearby and some lived far away, and those that lived nearby felt a sort of aggrieved entitlement for more [...]
THE KANSAS AGRABILITY PROJECT
Tawnie Larson Kansas State University Project Coordinator The Kansas AgrAbility Project’s primary purpose is to assist Kansas farmers/ranchers, their employees, and family members who have become injured, have a health condition, or a limitation to remain actively engaged in production agriculture for as long as they choose. It is estimated that more than 9,000 full-time or part-time Kansas farmers, ranchers and their workers have restrictions that interfere with [...]
KFU Policy Advocates: Apply Today
Would you like to be better heard in Topeka or Washington, D.C.? Do you feel as though your voice isn’t heard in Topeka or Washington, D.C.? Maybe you’ve considered visiting with your reps in the past, but felt unsure how to present your perspective clearly and effectively? Kansas Farmers Union’s Policy Advocates Program provides the skills and experiences to help you become a confident voice for Kansas agriculture. With [...]
2020 KFU Policy Drafting
The Policy Committee meets in October! Review the 2019 KFU Policy Statement and contact Donn with your proposed changes or additions. KFU members are welcome to attend the Policy Committee meeting on Friday, October 25, beginning at 10:00 am at the KFU State Office, McPherson. The committee will review suggested policy changes and additions. The proposed policy is then presented to members on December 4 at the 2019 State Convention [...]