A Decade Embracing Change By Anne Brockhoff, photos by Steven Hertzog
The agriculture industry has adapted to many changes during the last decade, including new technologies, labor shortages, rising land prices and new ways to distribute products. Drive any direction from Lawrence, and agriculture looks much the same as it did a decade ago. Cattle grazing pastures, rows of corn and soybeans, tractors pulling implements. Within the city limits, urban farms dot neighborhoods, and farmers’ markets are flourishing. Look closer, though, and signs of change are everywhere. Farmers are embracing new technologies and markets even as they grapple with the pandemic. Consumers are hungrier than ever for local food, while organizations and policymakers tackle issues like food access and waste. Together, they’re all shaping Douglas County’s food system into one of the state’s best. “I still think this is the greatest place to be a farmer in the state of Kansas,” says Jill Elmers, owner of Moon on the 52
Meadow Farm and chair of the Lawrence Farmers’ Market board of directors. She’s not alone. Douglas County had 998 farms in 2017, a 6 percent increase over 2012, according to that year’s Census of Agriculture, which is published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture every five years. It’s hard to predict what the 2022 census will show, but that number is likely to hold steady or decline slightly in keeping with national trends, suggests Tom Buller, the horticulture Extension agent for K-State Research and Extension-Douglas County. What those farms produce and how much it’s worth may also change. Cattle, grain and oilseeds generated the bulk of the county’s $65.9 million in agricultural sales in 2017. Producers here led the state in fruit and vegeta-
