Whether it’s corn, wheat or soybean, Kansas grows it. And given the importance of those crops to the United States economy, people who live in cities might be forgiven for thinking the Sunflower State’s farmers have it made. Paul Johnson, an organic farmer in Jefferson County, just northeast of Topeka, and a policy analyst for […]

ANTHONY, Kansas — Few things signal a rural community’s decline more powerfully than the closure of its hospital. Like shuttered schools and empty Main Streets, an abandoned hospital serves as a tangible reminder of the erosive power of decades of population loss and unrelenting economic trends. “Our rural communities are challenged and, because of that, […]

Governor’s Water Conference Focuses on a Sustainable Water Future and Flood Response “Messages of Partnership and Collaboration with a Focus on Water Resources Delivered, Water Legacy Award” presented Wichita, Kan. – Nearly 600 attendees with diverse water interests were encouraged at the Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas to keep pushing forward […]

Lt. Governor Lynn Rogers (left) answers questions from Newman Regional Health’s administrative team as NRH Facilities Director Harold Blits observes Friday.Chuck Samples/KVOE News Newman Regional Health administrators welcomed Lt. Governor Lynn Rogers for a short visit Friday. Rogers leads the Office of Rural Prosperity, which is tasked with developing policies to bolster rural economic development in […]

Lieutenant Governor Lynn Rogers got to see sediment reduction efforts in action during a tour of southeastern Lyon County on Friday.The lieutenant governor stopped at three locations near the John Redmond Reservoir to learn about different approaches to cover crops and overall sediment reduction. He says the tour highlights the state’s two biggest needs when […]

PHILLIPSBURG, Kansas — The opening of a child care center attracts little notice in a city or suburb. In rural Kansas, it’s cause for celebration. The focus on young families, and the hope that represents, is remarkably rare in small towns fighting for survival against forces largely beyond their control. No matter how scarce, said […]

Listen Listening… 24:36 The first episode of this season of the “My Fellow Kansans” podcast. Go here to subscribe to My Fellow Kansans. This season, we look at the prospects of rural places. COURTLAND, Kansas — Rural Kansas has a storied past, but decades of population decline stand poised to turn many once-vibrant places into ghost towns. […]