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Legislators May Consider Changing Corporate Farming Rules

Gov. Sam Brownback's administration may ask state legislators to repeal laws that restrict corporate involvement in farming. 
 
State Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman told freshmen legislators Tuesday that the state's anti-corporate farming laws need to be repealed. He added later that the state can't expand agriculture as much as it could because of those restrictions. 

Also, Attorney General Derek Schmidt recently told Secretary Rodman that some of the restrictions are likely unconstitutional.

Kansas has restricted corporate involvement in agriculture since 1931, during the Great Depression.

Current law generally limits corporate ownership of agricultural land to family farm corporations or partnerships or small corporations formed by Kansas residents. It makes exceptions for feedlots, poultry operations, dairies and hog farms. 

When she's not out making lattes in her mobile coffee bus Sunflower Espresso, Kate Hutchens is a fill-in host for KMUW. She has worked in broadcast journalism at KFDI, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and at KMUW as Morning Edition host, which she did until March 2017.