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During his post-war victory tour, President Eisenhower famously said, “The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.” Kansas’ favorite son’s words rang true with many Kansans then and now. Just ask Kevin Harris, a native of Abilene who has shared the magic of his small town with people across the world.
Kevin Harris is the fourth generation to farm the land his great grandfather purchased in the 1800s. Today, he grows wheat, sorghum, corn, and soybeans on the family farm with his son, who manages cattle on their pasture ground. Kevin also grows cover crops and has had his hand in many different spheres of the agricultural ecosystem over the years.
Growing up in Abilene, he was heavily involved in 4-H and FFA. When he graduated high school, there was no question about what he’d do—he wanted to farm. With the backdrop of the farm crisis of the 1980s, his mother encouraged him to go to school. During that time, she opened a family crop insurance business, Harris Crop Insurance. Kevin attended community college and graduated with a degree in agricultural education.
For 14 years, Kevin taught agriculture at local high schools in Mankato and Chapman. There, he helped mold the next generation of agricultural leaders in his community. Teaching was special, but as his parents retired, another opportunity came knocking on his door. The crop insurance business needed a new leader, and Kevin purchased the business from his family in 1998.
The pivot to the insurance business did not change his involvement in agricultural education. Kevin would go on to raise show lambs for 18 years and serve as the superintendent for the sheep department at the Abilene Fair. He remained involved with the local FFA, serving on the Kansas FFA Foundation Board and Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission. His involvement opened even more doors to educate a bigger audience on the opportunity and beauty of Kansas agriculture, especially in Abilene.
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