Message from Kansas Corn CEO Greg Krissek

Kansas Corn Growers and Members,

Our concerns are for growers, staff and partners in these uncertain times – please practice healthy and safe behaviors to help delay contain the spread of COVID-19. Like many other organizations across the nation, the Kansas Corn team is working from home but will be responsive to requests and questions thanks to technology keeping us all connected. In the short-term, much of the focus is on protecting the health and safety of our neighbors, but I fully realize that this pandemic will have long-term impacts and are poised to assist our members. The resiliency of rural America is amazing, and I am confident that we will rise out of this pandemic with outcomes that will make our sector even stronger than it was before.

Kansas Corn is looking for opportunities to help in our communities. Our Kansas Corn STEM education team is rapidly adapting and creating lessons and resources that teachers can use with students remotely, and we’re investigating ways to help distilleries and ethanol plants in the state produce hand sanitizers. Refer to the policy article in this newsletter to learn about the short, medium and long-term help and solutions we are seeking from our policy makers. To combat the limitations on in-person interacton we’re also working with farmers to see if we can provide virtual field trip experiences through our social media pages, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram if you don’t already.

I understand that these continue to be troubled times for the ag economy and promise we are continuing to do all we can to represent Kansas corn growers and build market demand. But, no matter how dark the future may seem, we all need to find those positives in everyday life that provide us hope. You need not look further than your own community to see friends, families, neighbors and even strangers looking out for one another and offering assistance to see the light shining on us all.

While our physical health is of high concern right now, we also need to remember our mental health. The anticipation and preparation leading up to any planting season brings about anxiety, without the added weight of the markets and a spreading virus. Douglas County farmer and Kansas Corn young leader, Lowell Neitzel was recently featured in a video produced by his local extension office about farmer mental health. Follow this link to read about Lowell’s own mental health story and the tips he provides to his colleges in the ag world. Never forget, no matter how much social distancing we practice, you are never alone.

Stay healthy and good luck in this new growing season,

Greg Krissek

Kansas Corn CEO