By Jackie Mundt, Pratt County farmer and rancher
“I am so glad that I live in a world where there are Octobers.” That beloved line from “Anne of Green Gables” has always captured how I feel about this season. Growing up in Wisconsin, October meant crisp mornings that hinted at winter’s approach and warm afternoons that illuminated a canvas of orange, yellow and red across the countryside. It was the month of cranberry harvests, football games and the simple beauty of small-town fall.
Now that I call Kansas home, October feels a little different. The fall colors aren’t quite as bold, and sweater weather arrives fashionably late. But the season still carries its own charm. Combines hum steadily through fields, tractors plant wheat and grain trucks crisscross the highways. The landscape may look different, but the same spirit of productivity and community fills the air.
In my role as director of communications for our local cooperative, October has taken on additional meaning: it’s National Co-op Month. Across the country, cooperatives celebrate this time by recognizing the strength of the cooperative business model and the values that drive it — member ownership, local leadership and shared success.
One of my favorite ways to mark the month is by visiting agriculture classrooms in high schools across our trade territory. It’s an opportunity to talk with students about how cooperatives work and why they play such an important role in rural communities.
During these visits, I lead an activity that illustrates how co-ops differ from other business structures. Students “shop” at various types of businesses — corporations, sole proprietors and cooperatives — and then we discuss where the profits go. The students representing cooperative members are the only ones who end up with money back in their pockets at the end of the exercise. It’s a lighthearted demonstration, but it effectively shows how cooperative members share in both the risk and the reward of their organization’s success.
Before our merger last year, I typically visited three or four schools each October. This year, I plan to visit 10. That growth is encouraging on its own, but what’s even more remarkable is eight of those schools didn’t have agriculture programs when I moved to Kansas 15 years ago.
This expansion of agricultural education reflects the dedication of teachers, administrators and community leaders who understand its importance. In many of these communities, agriculture isn’t just an elective — it’s the foundation of local life and livelihoods. These programs provide students with hands-on learning, leadership development and real-world skills that open doors to meaningful careers.
This year, I also joined the Kansas FFA Foundation Board, an organization that has been instrumental in supporting and expanding these programs across the state. Through grants, scholarships and teacher support, the foundation helps ensure that students and educators have the resources they need to thrive. Seeing this momentum firsthand gives me immense optimism for the future of agriculture.
While Kansas may not offer the vibrant autumn palette I remember from Wisconsin, October here holds its own kind of beauty. It’s a season of harvest, of education and of community connection. Anne Shirley’s words still ring true for me — not because of the changing leaves, but because of what the month represents.
October reminds me to be grateful: for the cooperative spirit that strengthens our rural towns, for the educators shaping the next generation and for the farmers whose hard work sustains us all. I am, indeed, glad to live in a world where there are Octobers.
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.Â
