Seventeen Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) members from across the state participated in the KLA Leadership Conference Jan. 26-28 in Topeka, KS. Participants represented various parts of the beef industry, from cow-calf to stocker/backgrounding to cattle feeding. The three-day educational seminar exposed attendees to services provided by KLA, the legislative process, advocacy training and consumer engagement.
While at the capitol, the group attended a Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee meeting and heard from KLA lobbyists about how they protect member interests during the legislative process. In addition, conference attendees had a chance to meet with their respective legislators to discuss important beef and dairy industry issues.
Participants also took part in an interactive advocacy training session led by KLA staff and WIBW-Topeka farm broadcaster Greg Akagi. Members were given an overview of the importance of being an industry advocate, the various media outlets available to help them reach consumers who want to know more about how and where their food is produced. They participated in exercises to become more comfortable with different forms of advocacy.
The Kansas Beef Council (KBC) provided information on how checkoff dollars are used to promote beef, support important industry research and educate consumers about the benefits of including beef in a healthy diet. KBC also assisted the group in a consumer outreach activity where the producers prepared and served steak samples for shoppers at the local Hy-Vee grocery store.
On the final day, attendees toured the Topeka U.S. Foods facility where they learned about the logistics of storing and moving large quantities of retail and hospitality foods, including animal proteins. To conclude the conference, participants visited Texas Roadhouse to hear about the company’s approach to serving high-quality beef at an affordable price point that keeps consumers coming back.
This year’s class brings the total number of graduates of the program to 745 since its initiation in 1981. Sponsors of the biennial event included the Farm Credit Associations of Kansas, Pinion, the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas-Bill House Legacy Fund and the Kansas Livestock Foundation.
KLA is a trade organization representing the state’s livestock business on legislative, regulatory and industry issues at both the state and federal levels. The association’s work is funded through voluntary dues dollars paid by its more than 5,500 members. — KLA
