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Kansas Corn Commission reports strong 2024 crop, pushes ethanol and education efforts
Summary
The Kansas Corn Commission briefed the Senate Agriculture Committee on a solid 2024 corn crop, programs to expand ethanol blends and a growing K‑12 education initiative that reached more than 100,000 students last year.
Kent Moore, chair of the Kansas Corn Commission, told the Senate Agriculture Committee Kansas produced about 748 million bushels of corn in 2024 on roughly 5.8 million harvested acres, citing USDA figures.
“About a third goes to ethanol, about a third goes to the feed industry, and a third goes out of the state,” Moore said, outlining the primary market uses for Kansas corn. He said the commission levies a 1‑cent checkoff at the first point of purchase and that the checkoff supports market development, ethanol infrastructure and outreach.
Moore described a multi‑year effort to increase ethanol blend availability in Kansas through station upgrades and grant work to help station owners install equipment for higher blends. He said the commission also collaborates with neighboring states to pursue markets such as California.
On education, Moore said a Kansas Corn K‑12 curriculum launched about nine years ago expanded from 30 teachers and 900 students in its first year to more than 3,814 teachers and over 104,000 students last year. He said the program provides curriculum, teacher training and lab materials.
Commission staff and leaders at the hearing included Josh Rowe (CEO, Kansas Corn), JD Hanna (president, Kansas Corn Growers Association) and Taylor Williamson (policy staff). Moore thanked senators for their service and noted producer participation in the refundable checkoff program; he reported a 2024 refund rate of 3.84 percent.
