Kansas City Recognizes Ag Day - March 22

Council Board Member JJ Jones and Executive Director Bob Petersen attended the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council meeting on March 10, 2022, where they officially recognized March 22, 2022 as Kansas City Ag Day, and the month of March 2022 as Kansas City Ag Month.

Council Vice Chair Ron Seeber joined the meeting virtually sharing the following remarks to highlight the work of the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City.

Thank you, Councilwoman Bough. Thank you to your colleagues on the Council and to Mayor Lucas.

My name is Ron Seeber and I serve as the elected vice chair of the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City. In my paying job, I am president of Kansas Grain and Feed Association, Kansas Ag Retailers, and Renew Kansas. The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City brings together businesses on both sides of the state line in this region and we are grateful for the recognition you bestow on us today.

Agriculture and agribusiness in this region continue to be a dynamic and exciting sector. Just three weeks ago we hosted a forum on ag innovation and technology. Some of the topics included GPS applications, auto-steer tractors, drones, remote sensing, and robotics. We are seeing a wonderful wave of innovation fueled by entrepreneurs and existing technology companies.

It is a very exciting time to be part of agribusiness and Kansas City continues to be one of the nation’s leading agricultural hubs. It is up to all of us to look for ways to nurture and foster an ecosystem that encourages innovation.

It is also an exciting time to be part of Kansas City and we welcome the Big 12 Basketball tournament and the thousands of guests it brings to our rejuvenated downtown. What a difference 20 years makes.

We thank you and your predecessors for their vision that brought us the Power and Light District, T-Mobile Center and all of the economic activity that this has stimulated. We are thankful for the re-investment in infrastructure, even if a drive down Main Street takes a few extra minutes. We look forward to a new KCI that will further enhance our position as a key national hub.

Let me close with two points:

1. Agriculture continues to be a really big deal in Kansas City.

2. We are proud to be part of a City with a vision and the great renaissance it is creating.