Kansas commodity commissions report 2024 production, checkoff funding and education efforts to Ag committee

Kansas commodity-checkoff leaders told the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources on a series of 2024 updates covering production, checkoff revenue and program spending for corn, wheat, soybeans and grain sorghum.

The reports, delivered by representatives of the Kansas Corn Commission, Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Soybean Commission and Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, detailed acreage and yield figures, the per‑bushel or percentage assessments that fund their work, outreach to students and overseas buyers, investments in university research and local programs to expand ethanol and industrial uses.

Kansas Corn Commission representative Kent Moore told the committee that “Kansas corn crop in 2024 was [a] good crop,” and that the commission’s checkoff is assessed at 1¢ per bushel at first sale. Moore said the state harvested about 5,800,000 acres of corn in 2024 and produced about 748,000,000 bushels, citing the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report. He described the commission’s primary demand-building work as focused on ethanol and feed, and said about one‑third of Kansas corn typically goes to ethanol, one‑third to feed and one‑third is shipped out of state. Moore also described an in‑state cost‑share effort to increase retailers’ ability to sell higher ethanol blends and a K–12 education curriculum the commission began in 2015 that grew from about 30 teachers and 900 students to more than 3,800 teachers and 104,000 students last year.

The Kansas Wheat Commission’s Ron Supas told the panel that the commission was created by the Kansas Legislature in 1957 and is funded by a 2¢ per bushel assessment at point of sale. Supas said Kansas exported roughly 130,000,000 bushels of wheat in the most recent year he cited and described producer investments in variety development and an innovation fund at Kansas State University. He said Kansas wheat producers committed $1,500,000 over five years to support signature research and innovation centers at Kansas State, noting the state match leveraged additional funds. Supas highlighted rotation benefits of winter wheat and research findings that wheat rotations can boost yields of following soybeans and corn compared with continuous soybean systems.

Raylan Phelan, speaking for the Kansas Soybean Commission, summarized the soybean checkoff structure and spending. He said the soybean checkoff assessment is one‑half of 1 percent at first sale, with half kept for state programs and the other half sent to the national United Soybean Board. Phelan reported 2024 collections of roughly $3.5 million and expenditures of about $5.8 million (the commission had used reserves to fund multi‑year commitments). He described state and national investments in biodiesel and renewable diesel research, soy‑based industrial products (paints, insulation, carpet materials), university projects and a Kansas State Ag Innovation Center commitment. Caleb Little, identified as an administrator with the soybean program staff, told the committee: “About half of the soybean oil in the U.S. of this U.S. soybean crop still goes into the food human consumption. The other half goes into industrial products.”

Kevin Kneebel, vice chair of the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, told the committee Kansas produces a majority of the nation’s sorghum and described research and outreach through the Collaborative Sorghum Improvement Program (CSIP). Kneebel said the sorghum commission’s assessment is collected at the elevator as a percentage (he described it as 0.6 percent) and that the commodity’s water‑conserving and soil‑health attributes are key selling points for growers and buyers. He said staff hosted trade teams from China and India to show sorghum’s value in ethanol and poultry feed markets. Dr. Sarah Sexton Bowser, identified as managing director for CSIP, accompanied Kneebel in the meeting.

Across the presentations committee members asked about water and nitrogen efficiency, heavy metals testing and market access. On water and nitrogen, corn presenter Kent Moore said he uses climate data, soil‑moisture probes and plant sensors to increase water‑use efficiency on his irrigated farm. On heavy metals, Ron Supas said some states are testing grain for metal concentrations and that Kansas producers perform soil testing and have considered phosphorus-management changes.

No formal committee actions or votes were taken during the presentations. Committee members announced no meeting on the following day and a short bill‑introduction session scheduled for Thursday.

The presentations supplied the committee with audit and annual reports from each commission and materials the committee members were told are posted online for further review.