Kansas Department of Agriculture outlines budget, staffing and dam inspection priorities

Secretary Mike Beam presented the Department of Agriculture’s budget overview to a legislative committee, describing the agency’s mix of state general fund, statutorily appropriated funds and federal grants, and answering member questions about staffing, dam inspections and several enhancement requests.

The agency and scale: Beam said the agency employs 355 people statewide, including 189 field staff working in communities across Kansas. For FY26 the department’s request included about $71.5 million in total spending with roughly $17.3 million coming from state general fund sources, he said. The FY25 adjusted request figure cited in the hearing was approximately $102.5 million, reflecting federal grants and one‑time items.

Key budget items discussed

- Meat and poultry inspections: The governor’s recommendation included $350,000 in FY26 to cover a gap in a longstanding 50/50 state‑federal funding arrangement for state‑inspected meat and poultry plants. Beam said the $350,000 would be lapsed if federal funding materializes; committee members asked for clarification about whether that sum is sufficient to operate the program.

- Dam safety and inspections: The department requested $650,000 (one‑time) to support inspections of dams and other water structures, citing the large number of dams in Kansas. Secretary Beam noted there are 6,154 dams in state records, of which about 2,517 are regulated by the state; 258 are classified as high‑hazard and 170 as significant‑hazard. The request is intended to contract with engineering firms to perform inspections that owners are responsible for but may not be able to finance quickly.

- Sorghum research: The governor recommended a $1 million, one‑time match for a Center for Sorghum Improvement, to be matched by producer checkoff funds, Kansas State University and private funds; Beam described it as a long‑term, 10‑year research program.

- Staffing and vacancies: Beam said the department is operating with fewer employees than in prior years (355 now versus roughly 377–380 in 2016–2020). The agency has filled many previously vacant positions, leading to some fee‑fund expenditure increases rather than newly requested positions. He also flagged three difficult‑to‑fill water engineer vacancies.

Questions from lawmakers and clarifications

Committee members pressed on how the department measures performance and the value of performance‑based budgeting. Beam said program goals and statutory authorities are captured in the budget materials and that program‑level outcomes are tracked, although members asked for clearer, comparable metrics to evaluate funding requests across agencies.

Representative Curtis raised a community concern about loose dogs and spay/neuter programs; Beam said the department has previously designated funds for seizure and shelter needs and has supported spay/neuter activities through Kansas State University in limited circumstances but agreed to discuss options for broader community spay/neuter efforts.

Representative Rogers asked whether the proposed $350,000 for meat and poultry inspections was intended to be a long‑term solution. Beam said the funding would supplant absent federal match dollars and is paired with a proviso: if the federal match is restored, the state appropriation would lapse.

On the fiscal impact of cuts, Beam said a hypothetical 7.5% cut to state general fund support would reduce about $1.3 million in SGF and likely result in the equivalent loss of roughly 15 FTE positions, many of which are field staff conducting inspections and technical work.

Ending

The committee concluded the department’s budget hearing and asked staff to provide additional material, including a program‑level breakdown of how state general funds are spent. Beam and staff said they would provide follow‑up information on requested items and program performance measures.