Thanks to KSCGA member grower Steve Michel—Prairie Wind Aquatics/Farm of Garden City—for sharing preliminary 2020 Census data presented by the Finney County Economic Development Corporation. While parts of rural Kansas may be seeing a continued trend in population decline, Finney County in SW Kansas stands out as one of the fastest growing—and increasingly diverse and potentially undercounted—areas in the state.
KSCGA is working with growers and officials in the Garden City area in pursuing opportunities to expand production, visibility, and market reach for local/regionally produced fruits and vegetables. With its increasingly diverse and growing population—compounded with the likely undercount of some of the diverse demographic groups—putting remarkable strains on the predominant food distribution systems, work in Finney County may offer models for others in the coming year.
Watch for more on our work with Finney County and other Kansas growers in specialty crop production and distribution addressing changing needs and demographics. Please, if you have not already done so, become a new member or renew your KSCGA membership and help support the work ahead.
