By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Kansas Agriculture Secretary Mike Beam said Friday in Hays he sees further expansion of direct-to-consumer marketing of ag products in Kansas post-pandemic.
"I think there will be a lot of growth opportunity, especially for those who can specialize and know how to market," Beam said.
Beam was in Hays on Friday at a Hays Chamber luncheon to discuss the Kansas Department of Agriculture and trends in agriculture in the state.
Beef cattle is No. 1 for ag value output in the state with animal slaughter and meat processing also being in the top 5.
After COVID shut down and slowed production at the large meet-processing plants in the state, more meat processing businesses both small and large are either looking to expand existing businesses in Kansas or build new plants, Beam said.
In addition, the ag department is seeing more interest in expansion of the dairy industry in Kansas, especially in eastern Kansas. He said smaller diaries are looking at having processing onsite. This would employee people locally and allow smaller operations to market directly to consumers.
Farming contributes about $44 million to the Ellis County economy. Beef cattle ranching, including feedlots is the largest ag economic driver in Ellis County with annual revenue of more than $44.7 million.
Ellis County sits just west of the Smoky Hills, which is one of three of the largest intact grasslands in the state. The other two are Flint Hills in eastern Kansas and the Red Hills in south central Kansas.
Outside of beef cattle production, Ellis County produces more than $31 million in grain annually, about $8.6 million in snack foods, $6.5 million in other wholesale products and about $5.6 million in horticultural and landscape services.
The Department of Agriculture lists 434 workers directly employeed in agriculture in Ellis County.
Beam also discussed the importance of expansion of high-speed broadband in rural areas of the state. He quoted former Kansas Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue who said broadband in rural America will be as transformative in the 21st century as rural electrification was in the 20th century.
"It's the connection to the world," he said. "We found out in the pandemic how important it is to health care, education. It's a big part of the agriculture sector because we need some of that high-speed internet to use some of the latest technologies that we're just scratching the surface on.
"It's going to help us be more profitable. It's going to help us be more sustainable and competitive."