The New Web Site   Warren Parker

Welcome to the new Kansas Farm Bureau Web Site!  There are a lot of changes, but you should be able to find your way around easily. 

The site now loads much faster.  That’s better for everyone, but especially for those of you with a dial-up connection.  The front of the site is just a little more ‘Aggie.’  It’s also a lot cleaner.  You’ll not notice so much ‘stuff’ on the front page.  Decluttering was one of my first goals (along with faster load times). This is one of the hardest things to accomplish, but if something major is going on, there will still be a place for it on the front page, you just won’t find ‘nearly everything’ there. 

All the links you’re used to are on the left menu, and they’re expanded to give you more options without having to look over a more cluttered page.  Many areas of the site will be restructured as time goes on.  Want a few hints?  Look for federal, state, and local sections of the governmental relations area.  Look for a more streamlined member benefits area.  There will be more along these lines, just come back and check for updates. 

There are a few brand new features as well.  One of the most popular items on a web site these days are blogs (web logs), or opinions, views, educational pieces, etc.  We now will have rotating blogs from various FB’ers, and a few standard weekly and monthly blog updates you will be familiar with.  Some of these will be open to the public, and others may be in the members only area as dedicated messages to members. 

Another new feature is the search engine.  This search tool, found at the right top of the page, will search the KFB web site.  If you’re looking for scholarship information, just type in ‘scholarships’ and you’ll be taken to a list of site pages dealing with the many scholarships offered by the KFB foundations, etc.  It’s simple, easy to use, and can be a real time saver. 

The biggest new feature is one I hope our grower members will appreciate.  It’s the new KFB Market Watch (at the top left of the page).  This is a service to our members we now have in a partnership with DTN.  In addition to seeing weather, futures, ag and market news, etc. you can create your own portfolio and track commodities you choose.  Go to the Market Watch and play with the tools.  I think you’ll like it. 

You’ll see many familiar items on the site as well, like the increasingly popular ‘hay and pasture’ exchange, web versions of KFB publications, audio and video pieces, news from D.C., ag seminars and workshops by KFB, and others, that are important to your farming and ranching operation, and much, much more.   

I asked for a lot of input when I set out to change the site.  Now it’s your turn.  Please surf around, and give me feedback if you want on how you like the site, the most important input will come from you.  After all, it’s YOUR site!   

Thanks, and happy surfing…Warren

Comments? go here.