KSCGA 2025 Annual Meeting
Join us for our KSCGA Annual Meeting—January 10, 5:00—in-person at the Great Plains Growers Conference in St Joseph, MO—or via Zoom (watch for more info and Zoom access in the days ahead)
Agenda items include:
We’ll be showcasing our work ahead under multiple USDA/KDA grant projects including:
Working with K-State Extension/Growing Growers—supporting new growers in building their cultivation and distribution
Partnering with KS Dept of Education—training and building local/regional produce supply for Kansas schools
and more.
Roll-out of the (yes, long-anticipated) grower/market directory will be taking place in the days leading up to the Annual Meeting. We’ll be going through some orientation to what has turned out to be an extensive Kansas grower directory.
Board position openings
Ideas, needs—planning.
2025 Regional Specialty Crop Training and Networking Workshops—KS Farm-to-Plate Program
The Kansas State Department of Education’s Child Nutrition and Wellness team is working with Kansas Specialty Crop Growers Association and other industry organizations to offer learning, networking and procurement planning with regional producers. The goal is to educate program operators about specialty crops available regionally and to increase market access through producer/buyer conversations.
Workshops are scheduled:
☐ Thursday, January 30,2025—Hutchinson
☐ Thursday, February 6, 2025—Lyons
☐ Friday, February 7, 2025—Caldwell
☐ Thursday, February 13, 2025—Kansas City, MO
Watch for more info and registration ahead.
Untitled Event
Great Plains Growers Conference Set for
January 9-11, 2025
Great Plains Growers Conference offer growers of all sizes to learn, build ideas, and connect with fellow growers from the region. More info and registration at: www.greatplainsgrowersconference.org.
Conference & Trade Show January 10-11th
The Great Plains Growers Conference (GPGC) is an essential annual midwestern event for commercial fruit and vegetable producers, specialty crops and hobbyists across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and other Midwestern states. It offers valuable, research-driven insights from both vegetable research specialists and experienced local growers, designed to help your farm flourish and succeed.
2025 Tracks Include:
Business Development/Marketing
Tree Fruits
Small Fruits
Vegetable Production
Integrated Pest Management
Organic/Regenerative Agriculture
Protected Culture (Tunnels)
Greenhouse/Hydroponics
Cut-flower production
North-Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Farmer Forum
Forest Farming
Pre-Conference Workshops - January 9th
Hard Cider
Nut Orchards
Marketing Boot Camp
Kansas Local Food Summit
Kansas Local Food Summit will offer networking, information, interactive learning sessions, and more opportunities to connect with people from across the state. Join producers, consumers, food policy representatives, government agency staff, non-profit organizations, food and market businesses, and others involved in strengthening local and regional food systems in Kansas.
More info and registration at: https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/local-food-summit.
Kansas Viticulture Summit
Vineyards and wineries are quickly becoming a part of local and state economies—and an opportunity for growers of all sizes to diversify production. Join us Friday July 26 for an informational and networking event held at KSCGA member growers Z and M Twisted Vines.
More info and registration at: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/fzncyvm/lp/652a4536-03a0-48ed-b5e6-cd1612e8d920.
Farmers and Flyers Marketing Webinar Series
Join us for a FREE online marketing webinar series designed specifically for
farmers, ranchers, and growers! Hosted by the Midwest Growers
Collaborative and with presenters from Be More Business and The Toolbox
KC, “Farmers & Flyers” provides the knowledge you need to establish
your brand, promote your products and events, and connect with your
customers.
When: Thursdays, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.: Live Instruction!
7:30 – 8:00 p.m.: Q&A and TA (Technical Assistance)
More info and registration at: https://commongroundpg.com/farmers-training
Kansas Specialty Crop Workshops
K-State and a host of regional partners are putting on a series of specialty crop workshops this summer. Focusing on crop pests, prevention, and impacts on pollinator networks, the workshops offer a great opportunity to learn and apply appropriate control measures in your operations—and network with your fellow Kansas growers.
More info and registration at: https://tinyurl.com/2zzckjph.
KSCGA Annual Meeting
The Kansas Specialty Crop Growers Association will hold its 2024 Annual Meeting January 12, 2014, 5-6:00pm CST—in-person and online options. The Annual Meeting is held in conjunction with the Great Plains Growers Conference—so those attending the Conference can join our Annual Meeting in-person. Those wishing to attend online, the Zoom link is: https://ksu.zoom.us/j/3176747968?omn=96617825475.
Zoom access info:
Topic: KSCGA Annual Meeting
Time: Jan 12, 2024 05:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://ksu.zoom.us/j/3176747968?omn=97752231752
Meeting ID: 317 674 7968
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,3176747968# US (Houston)
+16694449171,,3176747968# US
Great Plains Growers Conference
Join us at the premier regional gathering of specialty crop growers, markets, researchers, and friends of our industry in St Joseph, MO—January 11-12-13. This annual event offers opportunities to connect with other growers from across the region and gather ideas and inspiration for your production and sales for the year ahead.
Kansas Specialty Crop Growers Annual Meeting will be held, as it has in the past, in conjunction with the Conference—January 12.
More info and register at: www.greatplainsgrowersconference.org.
Center for Rural Enterprise Insight Summit—Ongoing Course—Social Media Outreach and Marketing
Course begins September 2023—More info and Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/insight-summit-2023-tickets-651073286727. Scholarships available at: https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0rIBsse86MAZz3E?fbclid=IwAR0NZsUtUwNeptLlYXVdYw6n8YpRmRO0NQSOG32Dq-Wkl1vOPPKINpPqrZ8
K-State Extension Olathe Horticulture Center Open House
K-State Research and Extension Olathe Horticulture Open House RESCHEDULED DUE TO HEAT FOR AUGUST 28, 2023. Register at: https://commerce.cashnet.com/KSUOHREC
Tomato Fest Open House
Firefly Farm—Wichita is hosting the 2013 Tomato Fest Sunday July 16. Come explore what’s going in in tomato production innovation big and small—and stop by and see what KSCGA is up to these days.
Online FSMA Produce Safety Training: March 1-2
University of Missouri Extension and Kansas State Research and Extension are partnering to offer the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training remotely. The class will take place on March 1 AND March 2 from 4-8PM CST each day. Registration will close on February 25 at 3pm.
Local Foods Conference—Wichita
Kansas Specialty Crop Growers Association (KSCGA) will be among the presenters at a Local Foods Conference in Wichita, this Saturday Feb 4. We'll be presenting on what our extensive network of Kansas growers and markets is showing as to who's growing what, how they are selling, and more—all toward making connections among those involved in growing and selling and what might be needed in developing strong local foods systems.
KSCGA Annual Meeting
Join us for the KSCGA Annual Meeting—and connect with other Kansas growers and get up-to-date on our work and vision for the next year ahead..
All Kansas growers and interested parties are encouraged to attend. Voting is restricted to those up-to-date on membership dues participating in the meeting. To pay dues, and access membership purchasing discounts and other member benefits, please do so at: www.kscga.org/membership. If you have questions regarding your membership status, please contact us at info@kscga.org.
Zoom Access:
https://ksu.zoom.us/j/3176747968
Meeting ID: 317 674 7968
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,3176747968# US (Houston)
+16694449171,,3176747968# US
Meeting ID: 317 674 7968
KRC Beginning Farmer and Rancher Workshop Series
Kansas Rural Center offering beginner and expanding grower workshops in business planning. More info and registration at: https://kansasruralcenter.org/community-calendar/krc-beginning-farmer-and-rancher-workshop-series
Kansas Agritourism Summit
The Kansas Agritourism Program has partnered with Kansas Farm Bureau to hold a one-day agritourism summit on Jan. 5, 2023, at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center in Manhattan, KS. This summit is for members of the Agritourism Program and agriculture producers interested in finding out more about the Agritourism Program. The goal of the summit is to bring producers together to network, learn, gather resources, and ask questions!
Please register at Kansas Agritourism Summit - Registration (travelks.com) by Dec. 22. Cost is $25.
KDA Marketing Master Academy for Specialty Crop Growers
Kansas Department of Agriculture—From the Land of Kansas—is hosting Marketing Mastery Academy for Specialty Crop Growers. The program is designed to bring marketing skills and strategies to specialty crop growers to expand the sale of specialty crop products in Kansas.
The marketing training academy will be hosted online for up to 40 specialty crop grower applicants geographically distributed throughout Kansas and will consist of seven training sessions on a variety of marketing topics. The sessions will take place in January, February, and March of 2023 and will be primarily virtual.
For more information, visit the event website at: https://ksspecialtycropsmarketingacademy.com or contact Sammy Gleason, KDA’s From the Land of Kansas marketing manager, at 785-564-6759 or FromtheLandofKansas@ks.gov. This program is made possible by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant. The SCBG makes funds available to state departments of agriculture solely to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. According to USDA, specialty crops are defined as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.”
Kansas Rural Center Annual Food to Farm Conference
KRC prides itself on promoting the health of the land and its people, which is reflected in the agenda. The Food and Farm Conference will cover topics including climate change, veterans in farming, the Farm Bill, indigenous wisdom, women landowners, farm-to-school, Kansas communities practicing sustainability, crop insurance for specialty growers, small livestock for your farm, and many more.
More at: https://kansasruralcenter.org/community-calendar/2022-krc-annual-conference
We want everyone to be included in the Food and Farm Conference! If you require financial assistance, scholarships are available. Please send inquiries to events@kansasruralcenter.org.
Planning Your Food Safety Practices in Your Vision for Growth
Kansas Specialty Crop Growers Association, in collaboration with Kansas Farmers Union, is offering a virtual workshop and in-person tour program highlighting two Kansas growers’ evolution from small-scale, word-of-mouth production and sales to building operations and reach as leaders in evolving regional food systems. Participants may register and attend any or all of the April 9 events depending on their interest and availability. The events will give growers opportunities to see the real-life planning, practices, equipment, and infrastructure development that’s gone into their expansion and the food safety considerations faced at each step of their growth—and point them in the right direction in their own planning processes.
The April 9 workshop and tours feature both online and in-person opportunities for participation. Participants may register and attend the entire day’s activities or individual activities fitting their interest.
10:00-11:30am: Online workshop featuring grower partners (Zoom access info distributed prior to events)
1:00-2:30pm: In-person tour of RISE Farm-Wichita (see more info and map below)
4:00-5:30pm: In-person tour of Teck Farms-Hutchinson (see more info and map below)
RISE-Firefly Farm: Located in the heart of downtown Wichita, RISE Farms is an exciting rooftop urban ag development in partnership with Firefly Farm and Fidelity Bank.
15,000-square-foot outdoor and indoor cultivation area
204-panel solar farm
Innovative, efficient, and interconnected cultivation, irrigation, and processing features
moving toward supplying on-site restaurants and integration in a regional food system.
Teck Farms: Teck’s Hutchinson operations include:
an array of regenerative (and certified organic) practices
high tunnel and outdoor production
taking a proactive role in building supply and distribution channels for local schools and other venues—integrating safety practices and licenses into their vision for strengthening their regional food system
a 501(c)(3) offshoot organization dedicated to educating consumers and growers in healthy local foods.
Please register for event(s)—but if you find yourself wanting to particpate at the last minute, here’s the Zoom access info:
Meeting ID: 840 0378 1675
Passcode: 226629
RISE Rooftop Farm is located on the top floor of the Fidelity Bank RISE parking garage at 320 S Market St in downtown Wichita. Public parking is on the ground floor, accessible from both S Market St and E Waterman St. Additional parking will be provided as needed.
Teck Farms is located at 1241 Hendricks St in Hutchinson, KS—an app 1-hour drive from the Wichita tour site—with the schedule allowing for travel time for those wishing to participate in both in-person tours.
(Note: Some map app’s may place you off-course with this address. Teck Farms is located on the NW quadrant/corner of N Hendricks Street and W 12th Avenue—on the north side of Hutchinson.)
This event is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $25,000 received from National Farmers Union with 100 percent funded by FDA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by FDA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit FDA.gov.