Last June, Barton County Farm Bureau created “Country Connections,” inviting a couple from the greater Kansas City area to share an immersive experience in an agricultural community. This week, Farm Bureau introduced the next participants, Wichitans Joy Eakins, a candidate for Governor, and her campaign manager, Benn Davis.
They spent Wednesday touring agriculture-related businesses BTI, Tony’s Aerial Spraying, Performance Crop Research, Kansas Ethanol in Lyons and Long Pumpkin Patch, then spent the night at Ellinwood’s Wolf Hotel.
“It’s such a great idea, building bridges between rural and urban communities,” Eakins said.
Eakins owns Cornerstone Data Inc., a data analytics firm, and has had limited experience with farming communities. Davis comes from a family of cattle ranchers in southwest Kansas and Texas.
They started Wednesday morning by visiting with crop consultant Michael Bahr, learning that this is a year of decision for corn growers as high production costs and low commodity prices are squeezing profit margins.
Barton County Farm Bureau member Roger Long said Thursday would include a visit to the ILS feedlot south of Larned. “Maybe if someone is picking corn we’ll try to get on a combine,” he said.
The first Country Connections couple, Shannon and Paul Holder, spent several days in and around Barton County in June and returned home to share what they learned with their friends, civic groups and environmental groups. They returned in August for the Barton County Farm Bureau annual meeting to talk about what they learned about our food and the producers who supply it. Long said Barton County Farm Bureau now hopes it can offer the Country Connections experience twice a year, in the summer and fall.
Long planned to travel to Topeka on Friday to meet with Governor Laura Kelly and talk about Kansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry. The group donated 400 elk sticks to Great Bend USD 428. Meanwhile, Gov. Kelly is turning her “People’s Budget” listening tour into a food drive for the Kansas Food Bank and Harvesters.
About Joy Eakins
Eakins and Davis joined Barton County Farm Bureau Board members for dinner on Wednesday and shared her vision for “a Kansas comeback” with the right tax and regulation structure. Other candidates for governor might make moderate change, but she would do more. According to her campaign website, Kansas is at a crossroads and the determining factor of its trajectory will be leadership. “Like President Trump, Joy is an outspoken outsider and successful business owner who has spent her life confronting the establishment, solving problems, fighting for what she believes in, and leading people to success with a fresh, bold vision. Joy is confident she can do the same for the people of Kansas.” She said her number one priority is education.
