Mission Statement

The Kansas Rural Center, Inc. (KRC) is a non-profit organization that promotes the long-term health of the land and its people through research, education, and advocacy. The KRC cultivates grassroots support for public policies that encourage family farming and stewardship of soil and water. KRC is committed to economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially sustainable rural culture.

KRC Staff     KRC Board of Directors     Join us!

Since 1979, the Kansas Rural Center (KRC) has worked to strengthen independent family farms and rural communities. By promoting sustainable farming methods, KRC strives to help farmers and rural communities find information and develop ideas that will lead to an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable agriculture.

KRC envisions a future of family farms, revitalized communities, a healthy environment, a safe regional food system, and people pursuing meaningful livelihoods. For those who want a future in farming, who care about the environment, and who care about the source of their food, KRC offers practical how-to information, and most importantly, hope for a sustainable future.

KRC, a non-profit, private organization, is headquartered in Whiting, Kansas, a small rural community in northeast Kansas. The governing board is currently composed of 17 directors drawn from across the state. Approximately half of the board members are farmers or ranchers. The others are business people, educators or community leaders. The full board meets twice a year. An Executive Committee meets quarterly to develop policy, direct financial decisions and provide staff oversight. Eleven staff members and three contract employees carry out board policy and the work of the Center.

The Kansas Rural Center is supported by grants from private foundations, churches, public agencies and institutions, in addition to individual contributions, subscriptions and sales of publications.

How Do I Get Involved?

Work with the Kansas Rural Center to promote sustainable agriculture,
rural communities, and a healthy environment:

Make a tax-deductible contribution to help continue our work. We are supported by private foundations, public grants, and individual contributions. Your generous support is appreciated.  You may make your donation by dropping us a check in the mail.

Request a free copy of the Rural Papers, our newsletter, published 6 times each year. We will keep you updated on coming events such as farm tours, speakers, and workshops. Regular profiles feature farmers who are successfully integrating a concern for the environment into their farming operations and who are finding new ways to market their products.
Subscriptions are $25 per year, sent to the address above.
Click here to see highlights from our most recent Newsletter
Click here to request a free copy or call us at 785/873-3431

Purchase your own copies of our management guides on a variety of topics including cover crops, marketing pastured poultry products, and management intensive grazing. Check our publications page for prices and ordering information. A number of other publications are also available.
Click here to see a list of our Publications.

Join one of the Heartland Clusters or contact us about starting a cluster with other farmers in your area. Seed money is available for cluster development.
Click here to learn more about the Heartland Network.

Complete an environmental assessment and whole farm plan for your farm or ranch in our Clean Water Farms-River Friendly Farm Project. You may qualify for a $250 incentive payment for completing the RFFP assessment and action plan. And you may be eligible to apply for up to $5000 in cost-share. CWF-RFFP is looking for farmers and ranchers in any high priority watershed and in WRAPS watersheds across the state who are interested in protecting water quality as they adopt sustainable farming practices.  (WRAPS [Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy] is a new state framework for ensuring stakeholder involvement in the assessment and action planning to protect or restore watersheds.)

Meet the Kansas Rural Center Staff
Dan Nagengast - Executive Director - Lawrence nagengast@earthlink.net	Dan Nagengast’s interests are horticulture, local and regional food systems, food safety and human nutrition, renewable energy - especially wind and biomass, and world trade and industrialization as it impacts rural places and society. He has farmed in one fashion or another most of his life. At present he works with his wife, Lynn Byczynski and their two children on their cut flower farm south of Lawrence. He Co-Chairs the Governor's Rural Life Task Force and Heads the Kansas Food Policy Council.
As Administrator, Diane Dysart manages KRC’s financial resources, budgets and bookkeeping files. She also tracks mailing lists and contribution records. Diane and her husband, Fred have three children, eight horses, and three dogs and live in rural Netawaka.	Diane Dysart - Administrator - Whiting ddysart@rainbowtel.net
Mary Fund is the Project Director for KRC's Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project, which provides planning assistance and limited cost-share to farmers and ranchers wanting to improve water quality on their farms. She also is the editor of KRC's newsletter, Rural Papers, and handles KRC's communications about farm and rural policy issues. Mary represents KRC in the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group and serves on the Coordinating Council for this national group. She is one of three KRC staff members who work in the Whiting office, and therefore answers general questions and inquiries to KRC and points callers to the right "expert" on or off staff. She and her husband, Ed Reznicek, and their two children, own and operate a 400 acre certified organic farm in Nemaha County as 4th generation family farmers. Mary's personal interests include vegetable gardening, as well as raising flowers, and reading and writing.	Mary Fund - Communications Director/ Clean Water Farms Project Coordinator, Whiting ksrc@rainbowtel.net
Connie Pantle - Clean Water Farms Information & Education Coordinator cpantle@rainbowtel.net	Connie Pantle provides public relations support to the Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project through news releases and profiles of RFF-CWFP farmers. She is interested in livestock, environmental and water quality issues, especially as they relate to the survival of the small, family farm. Connie and her husband, Jason, live on a small acreage just outside Effingham where they garden and raise their three children, John, Lainey and Franklin. The children enjoy their horse and mule, as well as the family’s blue tick coondogs, barn cats, chickens and an occasional hog or two.
Dale Kirkham assists farmers and ranchers in SE and SC Kansas with the Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project self-assessment and projects that improve water quality and related natural resources on their land. His special interests include livestock and grazing management, protection of native prairies, and wildflower identification. He and his wife Nancy operate a small ranch in the southern Flint Hills where they raise registered Brangus cattle.	Dale Kirkham - Clean Water Farms Field Organizer Eureka dalekirkham@msn.com
Troy Schroeder - Clean Water Farms Field Organizer, Albert troyas@gbta.net	Troy Schroeder works with the Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project, helping farmers identify potential environmental problems and find cost-share programs to address them. He is interested in helping small farmers find ways to be more successful. His specialty is incorporating wildlife habitat into farming operations in ways that are compatible with production. He is also interested in Federal Farm Policy and assists the KRC in that arena. Troy and his son Steve operate a no-till farming operation on the Barton/Rush County line.
Ed Reznicek is a half-time field organizer for the Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project with emphasis on relocating and redesigning livestock wintering facilities and in planning resource conserving crop rotations. He also operates an organic field crop and beef cattle farm in Nemaha County. Ed enjoys coaching youth soccer as a hobby.	Ed Reznicek - Clean Water Farms Field Organizer, Goff amerugi@jbntelco.com
Mary Howell - Clean Water Farms Field Organizer, Frankfort marshallcofair@networksplus.net	Mary Howell works is a field organizer for the Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project. Mary and her husband, Dan, raise cattle. They were early cooperators with this project. Finding this project useful to their own farm, Mary now helps other farmers complete the River Friendly Farm assessment and make plans to improve the water quality on their farms. Mary is very active with the Kansas Graziers Association, 4-H and her local county fair. Mary and Dan have one daughter, Ashley.
Pete Garfinkel - Local Foods Liaison, Manhattan pga6969@ksu.edu	Pete Garfinkel works with local producers, institutions, educators and the public to provide information on the benefits of local food production on the health and economic well being of our communities. Pete also works to increase tangible marketing opportunities for locally produced foods.

KRC Board of Directors and Staff

Photo taken August 18, 2007

Kansas Rural Center Board
Robert Mulch, President, Scott City
Harry Bennett, Vice-President, Marion, & Margie Bennett
Jackie Keller, Secretary/Treasurer, Topeka
Herb Bartel, Executive Committee Member, Hillsboro
Tom Brenneman, Solomon
Julie Elfving, Olathe
Laura Fortmeyer, Fairview
Paul Ingle, Topeka
Paul Johnson, Perry
Gary Kilgore, Chanute
Bob and Joy Lominska, Lawrence
Sherrie Mahoney, Salina
Mark Nightengale, Marienthal
Roger Schneider, Executive Committee Member, Smolan
Donn Teske, Executive Committee Member, Wheaton
Marjorie Van Buren, Topeka
Nancy Vogelsberg-Busch, Home

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