MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Agriculture will host a business development workshop in Hays on Wednesday, March 20. Jon Schallert, internationally recognized speaker and business expert, will present a workshop titled: “Transform Your Business into a Consumer Destination.” The workshop will provide Kansas agribusinesses and communities with the business principles and tools needed to reinvent their business or community into a consumer destination.
The KDA Division of Agriculture Marketing received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development Grant to help fund this workshop. The schedule for the day will include:
- Keynote Session: 8:00 a.m.–11:15 a.m.
- Lunch: 11:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
- Marketing Roundtable: 12:30 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
“We are pleased to offer this workshop as a great opportunity for communities and small businesses to continue to grow and build upon rural prosperity across state of Kansas,” said Kansas Acting Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam. “Agriculture growth plays a big role in rural revitalization as well as health of the Kansas economy, as agriculture accounts for over 40 percent of the state’s economy and 13 percent of the state’s workforce.” Beam added that with more information and education, Kansas’ small and rural agribusinesses will be better able to serve as economic engines for their communities.
The workshop will be held at the Fort Hays State Memorial Union at 700 College Drive in Hays. The workshop is provided at no cost to attendees. Registration for this workshop is now open. Registration includes lunch; however, lunch will only be guaranteed to those participants who register by March 15. Register at https://bit.ly/2St1X7t.
Established in the 2014 Farm Bill, USDA’s Rural Business Development Grant program is a program intended to help with technical assistance, training and other activities to allow small businesses in rural areas to expand.
For additional information, contact Abby Works, KDA agribusiness development coordinator, at 785-564-6757 or Abby.Works@ks.gov. For more information about business development opportunities at KDA, go to agriculture.ks.gov/BusinessDevelopment.
KDA is committed to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy. This workshop will provide support and assistance to help make Kansas businesses more successful.