Farmers and rural residents in western and central Kansas who work with The Kansas Rural Center will soon be seeing a new face at programs and meetings.

Caryl Hale of Norton, Kan., will join KRC as a Field Coordinator for all aspects of KRC's grassroots engagement work such as building relationships with constituents across the state, primarily in western and central Kansas.

She will be involved in KRC's educational activities that advance community or regional dialogue around state, as well as local food and farming systems and related health equity issues, through leadership development, mobilizing communities, and voter registration education. Health equity issues include local food access and availability, access to health care, education funding, state budget and revenue analysis, opportunities in specialty crop or food production and marketing for local economic development, and federal farm bill programs that encourage local food systems and environmentally sound farming practices.

Hale has owned and operated her own business, Hale Storm Press, designing and managing websites since 2015, and has been an active volunteer in northwest Kansas local and regional food circles and community organizations. She serves as the Norton Farmer's Market manager, on the Norton County Arts Council, and as Women's Chair of the Norton County Farm Bureau.

"Caryl brings a variety of skills and talents to KRC, as well as a thoughtful approach to working with a wide political spectrum of people and opinions," says Mary Fund, KRC executive director. "She has been a board member for KRC for three years, and though we lose her from the board, we gain a seasoned spokesperson for KRC and rural issues."

"Kansas Rural Center has been my go-to resource for information and workshops related to everything from butchering chickens and keeping bees, to learning how to engage with restaurants and institutions in sourcing local produce options," Hale says. "It is an honor to work for KRC and help the organization continue with its outreach into the western side of the state where many of these workshops and resources are hard to come by."

KRC is a private, non-profit organization promoting sustainable agriculture and a sustainable food system.

Source: The Kansas Rural Center