Kansas Farm Bureau News: History, Kansas Living, Columns and Readers
Profile updated November 2026
Kansas Farm Bureau News has carried the Kansas Farm Bureau's voice to members since its first edition in 1946, building on a state bulletin that dates to the federation's earliest years. Today KFB news reaches members through Kansas Living magazine, weekly columns and online stories from the Manhattan headquarters.
| Publisher | Kansas Farm Bureau |
|---|---|
| Kansas Farm Bureau News | First edition 1946 |
| Earlier title | Kansas State Farm Bureau Bulletin, 1920s |
| Current magazine | Kansas Living, since Summer 1990 |
| Federation founded | October 21, 1919, in Manhattan |
| County Farm Bureaus | 105, one in every Kansas county |
| Official website | Kansas Historical Society: Kansas Farm Bureau |
History of Kansas Farm Bureau News
Kansas Farm Bureau's roots reach to 1912, when Leavenworth County formed the state's first county Farm Bureau, and to 1915, when Governor Arthur Capper signed the Farm Bureau Bill. On October 21, 1919, delegates from 38 counties met in Manhattan to create the state organization, and Ralph Snyder became its first president.
The federation's first periodical was the Kansas State Farm Bureau Bulletin, published in Manhattan in the early 1920s. The first edition of Kansas Farm Bureau News followed in 1946, as membership grew past 30,000 in 103 counties; all 105 counties had Farm Bureaus by 1952. A 1951 flood damaged KFB's publishing materials and records and forced a move to a new building.
In Summer 1990 KFB launched Kansas Living magazine, which the Kansas Historical Society holds from 1996 to 2023 as the federation's current publication.
Kansas Farm Bureau News Today
KFB's news operation now combines Kansas Living, press releases and a steady run of short weekly columns syndicated to Kansas newspapers. Recent pieces in fall 2026 included Greg Doering on steel grain bins and water rights, farmer Kim Baldwin on trading grain and memories, and a column on the value of extension expertise.
The publications follow KFB's policy work, which a 2019 Kansas Senate resolution credited with use-value appraisal of farmland, eminent domain reform in 2006 and challenges to the lesser prairie chicken listing, and with recent pushes for rural broadband and affordable health care.
What Kansas Farm Bureau News Is Publishing Now
Policy and taxes
Property tax, water, broadband, health care and regulatory news from Topeka and Washington.
Weekly columns
Short essays from KFB staff and farmer contributors about harvest, family history and rural life.
Leadership and members
Leadership KFB classes, Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters and county annual meetings.
Kansas Farm Bureau News Editors and Staff
Recent KFB bylines and editorial contacts include:
- Sheridan Wimmer - Editorial contact
- Greg Doering - Writer and columnist
- Kim Baldwin - Contributing columnist
- Hallie Means - Writer
- Ralph Snyder - First President (1919)
Kansas Farm Bureau's state office is in Manhattan, Kansas.
Who Reads Kansas Farm Bureau News
Kansas Farm Bureau News and Kansas Living reach member families in all 105 Kansas counties, where wheat, cattle, corn, sorghum and soybeans dominate the landscape. Kansas county-level crop and livestock data are available in USDA's Quick Stats.
Nationally, ERS reports cattle and calves were the largest animal product at $72.9 billion, 37% of 2021 animal receipts, a sector at the heart of Kansas agriculture.
Kansas Farm Bureau News readers measure the year in wheat harvests, county fair weeks and how many times the wind took the hat off. For a laugh between storms, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor about life on the plains, with ranch humor for the Flint Hills cattle country. Its farm jokes cover all 105 counties, give or take a few.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
Kansas Farm Bureau News Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Kansas Historical Society: Kansas Farm Bureau, 1919-2023 - history and publications.
- Kansas State Farm Bureau Bulletin archive - the 1920-1922 bulletin.
- Kansas Senate Resolution 1708 - KFB's centennial and policy record.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - Kansas crop and livestock statistics.
- USDA ERS: Animal product receipts - cattle and livestock sales nationally.
Kansas Farm Bureau News FAQ
When did Kansas Farm Bureau News start?
Its first edition appeared in 1946, following the earlier Kansas State Farm Bureau Bulletin.
What is Kansas Living?
Kansas Farm Bureau's magazine, launched in Summer 1990 and still its current publication.
Where is Kansas Farm Bureau based?
Manhattan, Kansas, where the federation was founded on October 21, 1919.
How many county Farm Bureaus are in Kansas?
105, one in every county since 1952.
Eight decades after its first edition, Kansas Farm Bureau News lives on in the magazine and columns that keep Kansas farm families informed.