Fun Facts

Did you know Kansas has an official state soil? It's called Harney silt loam and it covers about 4 million acres of land in our state. 

Output from Kansas agriculture has a direct economic impact of $22.5 billion per year.

There are 7 different breeds of dairy cattle. Farmers choose their breeds based on milk production, size and even personality.

Compared with 50 years ago, pig farmers are using 41% less water to produce a pound of pork, with a 35% smaller carbon footprint.

In pre-refrigeration days, hogs were harvested in the fall and cured for six to seven months, just in time for Easter dinner. That’s how ham came to be the traditional Easter favorite.

One dairy cow can produce more than 3,000 gallons of milk in a year. There are about 160,000 dairy cows in Kansas. That's a lot of milk!

Cotton can be found in much more than clothes and other fabrics! Cotton by-products can be used to make paper currency, cosmetics and feed for dairy cattle and livestock.

The cotton gin first came to Kansas in 1854 when a Polish immigrant wanted to gin local cotton near Valley Falls.

Grain sorghum is one of the oldest known grains. Its origins can be traced back to ancient Africa and India.

Farmers in Kansas grow more than 650 million bushels of corn each year. 

One Kansas farmer raises enough food to feed about 155 people!

Drink local with milk! It takes about 48 hours for milk to travel from dairy farms to the grocery store.

The largest market for field corn is to provide feed for animals like cattle, pigs, chicken, and even catfish. 

Kansas is the top state for growing and storing wheat.

About two-thirds of the Kansas corn crop is used in-state as livestock feed or in food production. 

A bushel of soybeans weighs 60 pounds and produces 11 pounds of oil and 48 pounds of soybean meal.

Did you know that in Kansas cows outnumber people 2-to1? There are almost 3 million people and more than 6 million cattle!

Kansas grows winter wheat that is planted and sprouts in the fall, becomes dormant in the winter, grows again in the spring and is harvested in early summer.

One bushel of corn fed to livestock produces 5.6 pounds of retail beef, 13 pounds of retail pork, 19.6 pounds of chicken or 28 pounds of catfish.

Wheat flour is a good source of complex carbohydrates and contains protein. Plus, it’s low in fat and sodium.

Sorghum can be used to make environmentally-friendly packing peanuts, fencing materials, floral arrangements, brooms and more!