Barry L. Flinchbaugh, the Kansas State ag economist who died Monday Nov. 2, recently said in an interview, “All I want on my headstone is, ‘He cared.’” Judging by the enormous outpouring of grief since the professor passed, there is no doubt his legacy is secure. In the week following his death, thousands of former students, farmers and ag policy influencers have shared stories and reminisced about the impact the professor had on their lives.

“Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh was an icon of agricultural policy in Kansas and throughout the nation,” says U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)

“Dr. Flinchbaugh helped craft farm bills for nearly five decades, and his authority on agriculture issues made him a trusted advisor to me and many prominent federal officials of both parties throughout his lifetime.”

Click through the photos for more nuggets from Flinchbaugh’s life.

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Barry Flinchbaugh’s take on farm policy, good and bad