MANHATTAN, Kan. — In honor of Kansas’ largest industry, employer and economic driver, the Kansas Department of Agriculture observed Kansas Agriculture Day on March 14 with a day at the Capitol. In addition, the entire month of March was proclaimed Kansas Agriculture Month by Governor Laura Kelly. Throughout the month we celebrate the hard-working men and women in agriculture, and recognize that the crops and animals grown on farms and ranches in Kansas are feeding Kansas families as well as families around the world.

To celebrate Kansas Agriculture Day, the Kansas Department of Agriculture was joined on March 14 by our industry partners in sharing information about Kansas agriculture in the Capitol, including demonstrations of the Mobile Dairy Classroom by the Kansas Dairy Association.

Throughout Kansas Ag Month we are honoring the year’s theme — Food for Life — with the annual Neighbor to Neighbor statewide food drive in support of our neighbors in need and to reduce hunger in Kansas communities. The food drive is a collaborative effort by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Dillons Food Stores, Harvesters–The Community Food Network, Kansas Food Bank, and Second Harvest Community Food Bank to ensure the Neighbor to Neighbor food drive reaches every Kansas community.

Kansans can participate in the Neighbor to Neighbor food drive by donating at your local Dillons throughout the month of March, because Dillons is matching donations made at the register. This year youth organizations like 4-H and FFA are supporting the Neighbor to Neighbor food drive with a challenge in communities across the state. The club that collects the most in each of four statewide regions will receive $1,500 in groceries from Dillons for their local food bank.

Find out more about Kansas Ag Day and Kansas Ag Month on the KDA website, agriculture.ks.gov/ksagmonth, or follow along on social media at #KSAgDay, #KSAgMonth, or #neighbor2neighbor, as KDA celebrates the history and tradition of farming and ranching in Kansas that lives on today as agriculture remains at the heart of our state’s health and prosperity.