For many decades now, Rich Felts has been a tireless advocate for agriculture. He earned his degree in animal sciences and industry from Kansas State University, after which he began his service to Kansas Farm Bureau at the county level, holding leadership and volunteer positions for extension, conservation, rural fire, church, and township boards. One of his earliest and most memorable experiences of ag leadership was meeting with his state senator in 1975 to explain Use Value Appraisal, which eventually passed as an amendment to the Kansas Constitution.
Rich is a partner in Felts Farms – a grain and livestock operation near Liberty Kansas, where he has lived through his fair share of floods, droughts, bad crop years, and fires that killed livestock. He’s been through it all, which has been an asset for him as the President of KFB – he is a leader who can empathize with his constituents. In one of his letters as President, Rich wrote, “Facing hurdle after hurdle, farmers, and ranchers run the race because they love what they do. They chose it. They want their operations to continue so the next generation can carry on the tradition.”
Rich understands the importance of relationships in agriculture. He once said, “our organization is about connectivity. We’re a grassroots county organization – connected with a state organization – connected with a national organization (American Farm Bureau).” Empathizing with your constituents and understanding relational connectivity are two of the hallmarks of a truly great leader.
After serving as president of Kansas Farm Bureau since 2014, Rich has announced that he will retire on December 5th. Back when he was newly elected, Rich wrote, “I take great pride in serving the Farm Bureau members in our Kansas’ 105 counties as president. Just as we want to leave our farming and ranching operations better than we found them for the next generation, I too want Farm Bureau to be in a position of sustainable and efficient growth during my tenure as your president and beyond.”
Congratulations on a job well done Rich. I know that your wife Shirley and your children Cynthia, Darren, Ryan, and Kimberly are so proud of you. Your leadership of empathy and connectivity has been an inspiration and a model for us all.
