Find Rick's writings in your local newspaper. He writes a weekly column that can be found in many newspapers across Kansas. Find out where and how you can receive Rick's writings.
Processing Kansas grown meat in Alta Vista
by Shop Kansas Farms
Running any business takes relentless effort and determination to pursue a vision for making things work out. Amie Brunkow invested countless hours into a business plan for a meat…
Alta Vista Meat Co. continues to grow and provide great service to customers
How we maintain civility in social media on Shop Kansas Farms
by Rick McNary
When I launched the Shop Kansas Farms (SKF) Facebook group during the pandemic, I had one purpose: To connect you to the wonderful farm and ranch families of Kansas so you can…
Creating a locally sourced food chain in Kansas
by Rick McNary
When Katie Carothers accepted the challenge to write and speak her dreams at a small business retreat, she knew exactly what she wanted: to expand her direct-to-consumer sales of…
Katie Carothers grows, processes and distributes chickens in southcentral Kansas
Hope for the small family farm
by Rick McNary
One unique quality of farmers and ranchers is they work together as a family. Taking care of livestock and crops requires everyone in the family — even small children doing chores…
10 tips to teach your grandchildren where food comes from
by Rick McNary
Are you looking for fun, educational and outdoorsy ways to spend time with your grandkids? Although you might have grown up on or around a farm and have your own garden,…
The launch of the Border Queen Harvest Hub
by Rick McNary
Thanks to a generous Thriving Rural Grant from the Patterson Family Foundation, Vision Caldwell and Shop Kansas Farms are partnering together to launch the Border Queen Harvest…
Building a supply chain for local foods
by Rick McNary
I have been fascinated by the direct-to-consumer model of selling products from the farm since 2011. I learned the concept after asking a person at an agricultural conference to…
Shop Kansas Farms: A growing community
by Rick McNary
“Dad, you need to build some kind of a community,” my son, Caleb, told me when the pandemic hit in 2020. “Building community is what you do best.” He’s right. I do love a…
What farmers and ranchers can teach us about community
by Rick McNary
I learned a powerful idea about community in an African refugee camp near Somalia. As thousands of refugees streamed into the camp, I was surprised at how quickly they shared…
10 ways to become friends with farmers and ranchers
by Rick McNary
The best award I’ve ever received was the "Friend of Agriculture" from Kansas Farm Bureau. Being considered a friend from people whom I admire, especially since I'm not a farmer,…