Rural Life

Center pivot irrigation systems like this one in Finney County pump water up from the Ogallala aquifer to spray on crops. This part of southwest Kansas experienced some of the state's worst aquifer declines last year as drought pushed farmers to pump more water from underground.

How Kansas Could Lose Billions in Land Values as its Underground Water Runs Dry

The water in the Ogallala aquifer is worth billions of dollars to western Kansas, but it’s rapidly disappearing. And it’s been a challenge to find ways to slow the depletion.

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Man smiles in front of a small vintage propeller plane.

Cleared for Takeoff: How Small Town Airports Elevate Communities

Small general aviation airports can drastically improve the growth and development of rural communities.

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Sign on a mirror reads: hemp engineered manufactured products

‘Highway to Hemp’: Building, Making and Dreaming Big with Hemp Fiber

Manufacturers are finding new ways to make sustainable products using hemp fiber.

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Refrigerated trucks serve as mobile food pantries and help food banks like Second Harvest get fresh food to more communities in Kansas and Missouri.

Hunger Pains Hitting Hard in Rural America

Rural counties account for 87% of the counties with the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation. About 2.2 million rural households face hunger.

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A man drips CBD extract into a bucket.

Highway to Hemp: ‘Wild West’ of the CBD Market

Prices for CBD plummeted in 2019 as producers flooded the market, but those who stayed in the game are hopeful that FDA approval will blossom the industry.

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