Growing up in rural Kansas tends to instill a sense of pride for those who have had the opportunity to do so. For me, it was never a question of if I was going to live “rural by choice,” but rather where that would be.

Having spent time living in different communities in Kansas, it has become clear each rural community has its own distinct personality, but they are unified by their pride for their identity. Despite the dignity held in individuality, they may each face similar challenges but when seeking out progress, it can seem like a daunting task. Difference makers are not in short supply, but time, confidence and accessibility tend to become constraints. As we recognize those challenges and opportunities, there becomes value in finding similarly minded individuals to work together toward progress across towns and communities.

When presented with the chance to be part of Leadership KFB Class XII, my goal was not simply for personal growth, but more so to develop skills to become an asset for my home community in order to invoke progress for challenges we and other communities may be facing.

During the first session of Leadership KFB, we had the opportunity to explore the foundations of Kansas Farm Bureau and other agricultural organizations to further our understanding of the work being done on behalf of rural citizens and agricultural producers. It was inspiring to witness the recognition of collaboration across departments and sectors to ensure agricultural producers are being seen and progress is being made toward meeting their needs. This would become a resounding theme throughout the first session.

Through my own personal reflection following the session, I found myself coming back to how frequently the leaders we met with were cognizant of the vitality of community and collaboration. Leaders across commodity groups such as Kansas Corn, Kansas Wheat, Kansas Soybean, Kansas Sorghum and Kansas Livestock Association as well as Kansas Farm Bureau advocated strongly for working together to make progress for their producers, their families and rural Kansans.

In addition to agricultural-focused sessions, Class XII was also joined by Drs. Tamara Bauer and Chance Lee to explore leadership in action and how to leverage our strengths on a team and individually when in leadership-driven scenarios. As we worked to engage with one another and examine these ideas, the essence of collaboration became prevalent once again. While each member of Class XII comes from different backgrounds and has different strengths, we each have recognized a need for equipped leaders and have taken the time to better equip ourselves to become a catalyst for change. We are aware there is not a one-size-fits-all solution that exists for many of the challenges communities of any size may be facing, but we can see the value in collaboration to create progress and momentum.

Editor’s note: This is part one of a series from Hallie to cover an inside look at Leadership KFB, a one-year leadership program by Kansas Farm Bureau that encourages members to seek thoughtful and impactful change, not only in agriculture, but also in communities across Kansas and beyond. To learn more about Leadership KFB, visit www.kfb.org/leadershipkfb.