Joseph Harkins

Kansas Department of Agriculture

The Kansas Department of Agriculture is the nation's first state department of agriculture. The agency is devoted to the total support of agriculture in Kansas. The department works for the entire Kansas agriculture sector, including farmers, ranchers, food establishments and agribusinesses. The department is dedicated to providing support and assistance to make Kansas businesses successful and encouraging more farms, ranches and other agriculture business to expand in or relocate to Kansas. Within this role, the Kansas Department of Agriculture also fulfills its statutory responsibility of regulating business functions in accordance with state law. The department works to ensure businesses know what laws affect them and how they can ensure they are in compliance with those laws. In this process, the department aims to minimize excessive rules and regulation.