Kansas Department of Agriculture
The Kansas Department of Agriculture is a regulatory agency that serves all Kansans. It is charged by law to ensure: a safe food supply; responsible and judicious use of pesticides and nutrients; the protection of Kansas' natural and cultivated plants; integrity of weighing and measuring devices in commerce; and, that the state's waters are put to beneficial use.
The strong foundation provided by the agency's regulatory programs allows the secretary of agriculture to effectively advocate and educate on behalf of Kansas agriculture. You can learn more about Secretary Adrian Polansky by reading his biography.
Food Safety and Consumer Protection Programs
These programs focus on protecting the health and well-being of all consumers.
The Retail Food Inspection program is responsible for food safety inspections at grocery stores, restaurants in grocery stores, convenience stores, food wholesalers and warehouses, food processors and food manufacturers. Program staff also are responsible for verifying that eggs are properly identified and handled to ensure their safety.
The Meat and Poultry Inspection program licenses and inspects meat and poultry plants in a manner that is equal to federal inspection. It also responds to consumer food safety concerns involving meat or poultry products.
The Dairy Inspection program conducts inspections, collects samples for analysis, and issues permits and licenses to ensure that milk and dairy products are produced, processed and distributed to reach consumers in a safe, wholesome and unadulterated form. They also inspect ice plants, and beer, wine and cider producers and bottlers.
The Agricultural Commodities Assurance Program contributes to food safety by verifying that inputs to agriculture are safe, quality products that are not misrepresented to their consumers. These products include: seeds, which must meet label guarantees and contain no noxious or restricted weed seeds exceeding the quantity allowed; commercial feeding stuffs, including pet foods, which are analyzed and registered to prevent contaminants and adulterants from entering the human and animal food chain; FDA medicated feeds, which are monitored for good manufacturing practices and compliance at feed mills to prevent adulterated, misbranded or unhealthy animal feeds from entering the human food chain; and, FDA tissue residue tests, which are performed on beef and pork products when cases of misuse of federally regulated livestock medications are reported.
The Weights and Measures program protects consumers by inspecting and certifying large and small scales, scanners and gasoline pumps, by testing fuel quality and by calibrating weights. They also are responsible for food safety inspections involving ice cream trucks and food-dispensing vending machines.
The Grain Warehouse Inspection program operates to ensure the quantity of all stored commodities to all producers of grain in Kansas, and to ensure that grain producers have solvent, licensed warehouses in which to store their grain. Staff examine licensed warehouses at least once a year as required by law, and examine warehouses that meet only minimum financial requirements more than once a year, to protect each warehouse's depositors of grain. Staff also are authorized to require grain sampling and testing if the quality of stored grain appears to be in jeopardy
Environmental Protection Programs
These programs focus on protecting the health of the state's natural and cultivated plant resources, and the environment, through preventive actions and activities designed to ensure the safe and proper use of agricultural chemicals.
The Plant Protection and Weed Control program protects Kansas' natural and cultivated plants from the introduction of foreign plant pests. Staff also work with county noxious weed departments to help control or eradicate destructive weeds in Kansas. The program also issues the appropriate certificates for Kansas-grown commodities to be marketed nationally and internationally.
The Pesticide and Fertilizer program protects the public's health by promoting the safe use of pesticides and fertilizers. Regulated under the Pesticide and Fertilizer program are: pesticides, by licensing and certifying pesticides and pesticide applicators; commercial fertilizer, by ensuring fertilizer products are labeled accurately, and by allowing program staff to issue stop sale/stop use orders to prohibit further sale of a fertilizer, or further use of facilities or equipment used in the transport, handling, distribution, dispensing, selling, storage or disposal of fertilizer; soil amendments, for which proof of product efficacy must be provided before products are offered for sale; anhydrous ammonia, the sale of which is monitored, and the storage, handling and transportation of which is inspected, and which staff try to prevent and reduce the impact of accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia through a strong industry training program; and agricultural lime, compounds that contain calcium or magnesium for neutralizing soil, are monitored for effectiveness and accuracy in labeling.
The Agricultural Laboratory establishes, maintains and improves analytical laboratory services for the Meat and Poultry Inspection, Dairy Inspection, ACAP, and the Pesticide and Fertilizer programs. It ensures that submitted samples are subjected to the highest possible testing standards of accuracy and precision. This is done to protect the health and safety of Kansans and to facilitate accuracy in labeling of products offered for sale.
Water Resource Programs
The water resource programs provide a public safety function through inspection of water structures and management of the quantity of the state's scarce water resources.
The Water Appropriation program manages the state's water supplies through a system of permits, reviews and inspections. It issues water rights, maintains data about water use and administers water rights during times of shortage.
The Water Structures program inspects and regulates the safety of dams that could, if they failed, endanger lives and property. The program also monitors activities affecting the flow of rivers and streams to ensure these activities are properly planned, constructed, operated and maintained.
The Water Management Services program administers the four interstate river compacts and the subbasin resource management plan, which is developed in conjunction with local agencies working toward a long-term, statewide water use plan.
The State Water Plan program encompasses activities from other programs, including interstate water, and basin and floodplain management.
Administrative Services and Support
Under the direction of the secretary of agriculture, the administrative services and support section provides the general policy, outreach, coordination and management functions for the department. This includes the office of the secretary, central fiscal and records center, personnel, legal, automation and telecommunications, research, information and education.
Within the administrative services grouping is the statistical services and support program, also known as Kansas Agricultural Statistics, a cooperative federal-state program involving the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture. Kansas Agricultural Statistics collects, analyzes and disseminates a wide array of data about the many varied segments of Kansas agriculture.