Kansas farmers can shape the future of the state’s ag industry by taking a few 15-minute surveys this spring.

The Land Use Survey Office at Kansas State University, the Kansas Department of Revenue and the Kansas Department of Agriculture have several online surveys open for farmers and ranchers to provide their input.

2022 Kansas Custom Rates Survey. The Kansas Department of Agriculture, with the Land Use Survey Office at Kansas State University, seeks responses to the 2022 Kansas Custom Rates Survey. This survey collects data on charges for input costs, custom work, feed preparation and machinery rental from individuals, cooperatives, local agribusinesses and other service providers and employers. Whether you provide custom services, or you hire custom services, knowing accurate, competitive prices is crucial for the sustainability of agricultural operations.

To complete the survey, visit tinyurl.com/kscustom2022.

Response to this survey is voluntary, and your response will be kept confidential. It should take less than 15 minutes to complete. If you have any questions or prefer to complete a paper copy of the survey, email [email protected] or call 785-532-3509. This survey will be open until April 30.

2022 Input Costs Survey. The Land Use Survey Office at K-State, in collaboration with the Kansas Department of Revenue, seeks responses to the 2022 Kansas Input Costs Survey.

The survey asks individuals, cooperatives and local agribusinesses their best estimates of their average costs for fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide and seed in their area. The survey should take less than five minutes to complete. If you have provided input cost information in the 2022 Kansas Custom Rates Survey, there is no need to complete this survey.

To complete the survey, visit tinyurl.com/ksinput2022.

Response to this survey is voluntary, and your response will be kept confidential. If you have any questions or prefer to complete a paper copy of the survey, email [email protected] or call 785-532-3509. This survey will be open until April 30.

Kansas Agriculture Workforce Needs Assessment Survey. KDA is calling on industry partners to help identify workforce needs among agricultural employers in the state by conducting the second Kansas Agriculture Workforce Needs Assessment Survey. The survey will help KDA steer future discussions and identify solutions for positive changes for our state’s leading economic driver: agriculture.

Kansas farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, manufacturers and producers of agricultural products are all being asked to complete the survey to help KDA identify the number and types of jobs in the state’s agriculture industry, and the specific skills required for those jobs. A similar survey was conducted in 2015, with results released in 2016.

“We continue to hear from our stakeholders that workforce is their No. 1 issue,” said Mike Beam, Kansas Secretary of Agriculture. “KDA has partnered with several agriculture sectors to begin to mitigate the issue, but we know more needs to be done. This survey will help us better understand the employment needs of all employers in agriculture and help promote long-term workforce solutions for Kansas agriculture.”

The survey is currently being offered online at agriculture.ks.gov/workforce but can also be mailed to those who request a paper version. The survey will be open until April 8.

For more information contact Russell Plaschka, KDA agribusiness development director, at 785-564-7466 or [email protected].

The Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Department of Revenue, and the Land Use Survey Office at Kansas State University contributed to this article.