News Release

March 17, 2010

Contact:
Chelsea Good
Communications Director
Kansas Department of Agriculture
(785) 296-2653 phone
(913) 735-9065 cell
Chelsea.Good@kda.ks.gov

Lawmakers celebrate Kansas Agriculture Day with Kansas foods lunch

TOPEK—State lawmakers will celebrate Kansas Agriculture Day on Thursday by feasting on a lunch of Kansas foods compliments of the agricultural organizations sponsoring the event. 

Governor Mark Parkinson recently signed a proclamation declaring March 14-20 Kansas Agriculture Week and March 18 Kansas Agriculture Day in honor of the state's founding industry. 

The by-invitation lunch will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the historic Dillon House, 404 SW 9th Street, just west of the Statehouse.

Attendees will be greeted by Secretary of Agriculture Josh Svaty and Secretary of Commerce Bill Thornton, whose agencies organized the lunch on behalf of the agriculture groups. 

Senator Mark Taddiken, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Representative Larry Powell, chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, are scheduled to speak. 

The lunch menu features a wide array of Kansas foods, including:

• Chipotle sloppy joes with crunchy cole slaw featuring beef from Fairview Farms of Topeka
• Pulled pork in hickory sauce featuring pulled pork from Fairview Farms of Topeka and hickory sauce from Little Audrey’s Saus Haus in Colby
• Fresh baked rolls from Wheat Fields Bakery Café in Lawrence
• Fresh spinach salad with poppy seed dressing featuring spinach grown by the Depot Market of Courtland and dressing prepared by Our Daily Bread Bake Shoppe of Barnes
• Spinach and artichoke dip with tortilla chips produced by Original Juan’s in Kansas City
• Assorted summer sausages from New Grass Bison of Shawnee and Farmer’s Fallow Deer of Viola
• Assorted cheeses from Alma Creamery of Alma and from Jason Wiebe Dairy of Durham
• Fresh baked cupcakes baked by Daddy Cakes in Topeka
• Homemade ice cream from Kansas State University’s Call Hall.  
• Freshly brewed coffee from beans roasted and ground by Blacksmith Coffee of Lindsborg

Lunch sponsors are the Kansas Beef Council, Kansas Cotton Association, Kansas Corn Commission, Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas Farmers Union, Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, Kansas Pork Association, Kansas Soybean Commission and Kansas Wheat.