Kansas agriculture thrives under Gov. Kelly’s leadership. Stay the course | Commentary

Kansans know how important agriculture is to our state, both to our economy and our local communities — and yet still, somehow it feels all too easy for our local family farms to be forgotten by politicians.

These past few years, however, we’ve seen how our agriculture industry can flourish under a governor who truly understands and appreciates the contributions that Kansas farmers make to our state.

Under Gov. Laura Kelly’s leadership, our agriculture industry has soared.

For the first time in state history, Kansas agricultural exports exceeded $5 billion. Gov. Kelly has put us back on track, with billions of dollars in business investment, and nearly 48,000 jobs created and retained.

As more farmers bring their goods directly to market through farmers markets and co-ops, when the rest of our economy is doing well, farmers are doing well.

For the first time in far too long, we have a governor who is focused on investing in our future, not on spending time waging partisan political battles.

Gov. Kelly is not only investing in the future of Kansas as a whole through her record-breaking investment in our state’s rainy-day fund and historic levels of economic development, she’s specifically focused on the future of agriculture in Kansas.

Agriculture is one of the largest industries in Kansas.

Agriculture makes up nearly 14% of all Kansas jobs and over 40% of the Kansas economy. But for years politicians weren’t interested in investing in the future of agriculture and simply acted as if our local farms will always be there to bolster the economy.

And trust me, I know better than most how resilient farmers are, but we still need support to continue providing food for the state, the nation, and the world.

▪ Gov. Kelly has made sure that farmers have that support and those resources and is making sure that we are prepared for the challenges of the future. It was Gov. Kelly who fully funded the State Water Plan for the first time in 15 years, to ensure that farmers across the state will have continued access to water for years to come.

▪ It was Gov. Kelly who created the Wildfire Task Force to develop plans on how to better prevent, respond to, and recover from wildfires. It was Gov. Kelly who cut taxes for Kansas farmers impacted by wildfires.

▪ And it was Gov. Kelly who created www.KansasAgStress.org, a mental health resource that can support Kansas farmers and ranchers dealing with the unique stressors of agricultural life.

Kansas is a leader in agriculture, providing food for the rest of the country and the world. Kansas produces nearly 11% of the nation’s beef alone.

Gov. Kelly is investing in railroad projects that ensure Kansas farmers can move their products most cost effectively and more efficiently.

The future of agriculture is getting the dedication it deserves under Gov. Kelly’s leadership.

Kansas has been a leader in agriculture for decades, imagine what we can do with a governor who invests in our industry.

I know Gov. Kelly is looking forward and her leadership is bringing Kansas as a whole into the future, and she’s not leaving anyone behind. I’m proud to stand by her to protect the future of Kansas agriculture. She is the governor we need to bring our family farms into the next generation.

Jim French has been a farmer in Partridge, Kansas for more than 43 years, operating J&L Farms with his wife Lisa.