“Home-grown.”  That’s a description of our favorite products from the garden. It also describes a produce business which serves southwest Kansas and developed, quite literally, from the ground up. This remarkable family is still building on the family tradition of produce-growing and customer service.  It’s today’s Kansas Profile.

Who is considered the father of round barns in Indiana? That distinction belongs to a barn builder and architect of yesteryear, who helped lead the movement that brought about construction of the remarkable round barns which can still be found occasionally across the heartland. This barn builder's name was Benton Steele, and he lived in rural Kansas. This Kansas Profile is the latest in our series about historic barns.

Now that's rural: Kansas Profile

A device rolls across the field, with giant flotation tires and metal wings reaching 70 feet across.  Is this something out of science fiction? A landing from outer space? No, this device is the newest in fertilizer applicator systems. It’s being utilized by an innovative agribusiness firm in rural Kansas. Now the general manager of this company is playing a national leadership role for his industry.

Let’s go to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s historic estate near Washington, D.C. The historic farm there needed rye berries for processing. When the curator of the Mount Vernon estate was seeking this special grain, would you believe that the request was taken by a woman halfway across the continent in rural Kansas?

Now that's rural: Kansas Profile

The results are in. The final scores are tabulated at the national
intercollegiate meats judging contest, and Kansas State University
has the winning team. One member of that team is Aaron Higbie. Now
fast forward to the present. Aaron´s expertise in meats selection has
continued to the point that he is operating his own meat processing
business in rural Kansas.

Kansas Profile - Now That´s Rural

The NBA is coming to Kansas! No, not a National Basketball
Association franchise, but is something that is much more deeply
rooted in Kansas heritage: Barns. The NBA, or National Barn Alliance,
will be having its national conference in Kansas, thanks to the work
of the barn alliance here in our state. Some 100 barn enthusiasts
will be coming to Kansas from across the nation. It´s the subject of
today´s Kansas Profile.
   

Kansas Profile - Now That´s Rural

A special community meeting was held in western Reno County. People
wondered how many folks would attend. Someone said, "You´ll have
twenty there, maybe ten."

Now that's rural

The call came from Illinois. The caller said, "I´m tired of the big
city, tired of the rat race. Would you send me some information about
the small towns you have on your web site?" It made Nicole Godek´s
day, for this was the first call she had in response to her brand new
site on the World Wide Web which promotes small town America. That´s
the subject of today´s Kansas Profile.

Now That´s Rural

"The envelope, please." A hush falls over the audience at the
People´s Choice Awards as the emcee breaks the wax seal on the
envelope containing the names of the winners. Where do you suppose
that wax seal came from? Would you believe, from a small town in the
middle of Kansas?

Now That´s Rural

"There´s a new kid in town."  That may have been the feeling when an
entirely new breed of beef cattle from around the globe showed up on
the plains of Kansas. Clearly, something new had come into the mix.

Today in Kansas Profile, we´ll learn about a pioneer settler who
imported these cattle into rural Kansas and ultimately transformed
the cattle industry.

Blogspot. That sounds to me like a stain you would try to wash out of your shirt, but instead it refers to a way of having a kind of virtual conversation online. A blogspot is a website where a person can post his or her comments in a web log, or blog for short. Now imagine combining the high-tech blogging process with something as classic as your great-grandmother´s quilt. It combines high tech and soft touch.

That´s a formula for the success of this quilt shop in rural Kansas.

Now That's Rural

 Fiber. It´s not just something that is healthy in your breakfast

cereal. Natural fibers grown on alpacas have many benefits when used

in fabrics. Today we´ll learn about an innovative alpaca breeder

located in rural Kansas.

What do a 65-piece orchestra, three horses, and a one-room schoolhouse have in common? The answer is, they represent the intersection of interests of the remarkable couple we will meet today. This couple´s project, called Cedar Vista, will combine equestrian and music education in a beautiful, rural setting.