Creating the culture of success . . . in value-added agriculture

Achieving and sustaining competitive advantage in the new economic order, where the rate of change is increasing and competition from both traditional and non-traditional competitors is deepening, requires a commitment to innovation in all aspects of the business: products, processes and relationships. Agricultural producers have to seriously participate in the innovation effort if they are going to maintain and enhance their competitive advantage and maintain their lifestyles.

Kansas Ag Innovation Center has the mandate is to work closely with producer-entrepreneurs in their search for and execution of innovative solutions.  This mandate is important and critical to the long-run sustainability of agricultural producers and the viability of rural communities.  The Center is focusing on helping producer-entrepreneurs innovate their processes, products and relationships with the view to extending the value producer-entrepreneurs extract from the marketplace. Thus, we are focusing on innovation activities that increase the producer-entrepreneurs' wealth creation potential.

Our overall strategy is to surround our clients with all the resources they need to succeed.  The most fundamental of these resources is strategic thinking, which allows producer-entrepreneurs to ask and answer the most important questions that define the success of their businesses.  We provide the operation support services that allow new producer-owned businesses to navigate the rapids of the marketplace even as as we bring technical and engineering services to support proof of concept and production feasibility assessment. We also provide education programs that help producer-entrepreneurs and rural entrepreneurs build the skills and develop the competences they need to effectively manage their value-added businesses.

Kansas Ag Innovation Center is a collaborative effort involving Kansas Department of Commerce's Agricultural Marketing Division, Kansas State University's College of Agriculture, Advanced Manufacturing Institute, Kansas Polymer Research Center and 21st Century Producers. Each of these partners brings a well-defined set of knowledge and resources to the Center to help it achieve its mandate.  The Center also received grant funding from USDA.

Our people

Board of Directors