About Kansas Agriculture:
Kansas is often called the "Wheat State." It has earned this title because of a combination of soil and climatic factors along with hard working farmers who have made Kansas a leader in both crops and livestock production. In 1998, for instance, Kansas farmers produced enough wheat to make nearly 34.6 billion loaves of bread, or enough to provide every person on earth with nearly six loaves of bread. Every year in June and early July wheat harvest moves northward across the state. Wheat fields, which were planted the previous fall, have reached a golden ripeness. Huge combines move through these fields making short work of what previously was a labor-consuming job. Tourists, as well as native Kansans, are impressed by this sight. A normal harvest of several hundred million bushels of wheat adds more than a billion dollars to the Kansas economy.
The original seed for the hard red winter wheat grown in Kansas was called Turkey Red wheat and first was experimented with in the 1870's in central Kansas. Mennonite immigrants from southern Russia brought the first seed to the state. Experimentation and research in wheat breeding through the years have improved the original Turkey strain resulting in hard red winter wheat varieties well suited to Kansas. The principle utilization of this hard red winter wheat is commercial bread production.
Kansas has been blessed with sufficient rainfall, plentiful sunshine and generally moderate though changeable temperatures. It has more available cropland, about 31 million acres, than any state except Texas. The state has three different types of climate in the eastern, middle and western thirds. The eastern third of Kansas has the lowest elevation and average annual precipitation of more than 35 inches, higher humidity and less sunshine than other parts of the state. In a normal year, sorghum grain, corn and soybeans are grown in abundance in this area while wheat is less important than in the rest of the state. Many fruits and vegetables are grown here where there are more hills and trees. The eastern third of the state encompasses the beautiful and unique area of native grasses particularly suited for cattle grazing known as the Flint Hills or Bluestem Pastures. This area accounts for one-fourth of the state's total pasture and range land.
The central third of the state has a higher elevation, less rainfall, more wind and less humidity. It is the heart of the wheat belt but sorghum, corn, alfalfa, fruits and vegetables also are grown here.
The highest in elevation and more regular in topography is the western third of the state. This is the driest and sunniest area of the state recieving about 19 inches of rainfall each year. Much wheat, corn and sorghum grain are produced in western Kansas aided by irrigation.
Kansas retained its status as "Wheat King" in 1998 producing a crop of 494.9 million bushels, down 1 percent from 1997 record crop of 501.4 million bushels but 94 percent above the 1996 crop. Kansas was also tops among states in wheat flour milled, wheat flour milling capacity, cattle slaughtered, sorghum grain production, and sorghum silage production. Kansas ranked second in cattle on feed January 1, 1999. Kansas ranked third in the production of red meat by commercial slaughter plants, number of cattle and calves in farms January 1, 1999, commercial grain storage capacity, production of sunflowers, and all hay production.
Kansas can be proud of the dedication of its farmers and agricultural researchers. The earliest explorers thought Kansas was a desert which would never be suitable for agriculture, yet today as much as two-thirds of Kansas' agricultural production goes to feed the world. Through the hard work and perseverance, Kansas farmers have made it possible for food products "From the Land of Kansas" to appear on dinner tables throughout the world.
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