By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Each year, Kansas Farm Bureau recognizes 105 farm families at the county level and 10 families at the state level. KFB got three businesses in one when, in September, it selected Aaron, Richard, and Melissa Baldwin as its winners for the region that includes Barton County. Melissa Baldwin said it was an honor to be recognized.
"You have to be nominated by your local county farm bureau to fill this application out," she said. "From there, you basically write down what you do on your operation, how you focus on the three pillars of Farm Bureau, which are advocacy, education, and awareness."
Aaron and Richard are fourth-generation farmers who own and operate Circle K Farms just south of Great Bend. Melissa is the research scientist and owner of Performance Crop Research, a firm that works with developmental products to help collect data that can be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency for commercial approval. The Baldwins also own and operate South Bend Industrial Hemp, which grows industrial hemp for fiber production and also processes the material for farmers throughout the Midwest.
"The boys are fourth-generation farmers, so they've been here their whole lives," Melissa said. "We were looking for a way to diversify our farming operation in 2018. Hemp was being legalized, and 2019 was the first year we could grow it. We knew that hemp for fiber production really had an opportunity to shine in this area due to the large-scale land and equipment. It was really focusing on how hemp for fiber production can be used as a tool in the toolbox to help farmers diversify their operation and give them another cash crop."
The variety of industry covered by the businesses, and the Baldwin's ability to promote agriculture on social media helped secure the honor. Melissa said all three components of the family farm are equally important.
"Everything we do is so integrated within each other," she said. "We really need the success of each company to help with success overall. There wasn't any one part or another that outshined."
Hemp and marijuana both belong to the same species of plant, but hemp may legally contain less than 0.3 percent THC. South Bend Industrial Hemp focuses on hemp hurd, the inside of the plant, and ships its products across the United States and beyond.
"There are a lot of bioplastic companies that are asking for the product, as well as hempcrete builders. They are natural builders. Hempcrete is a substance that is mold-proof, fireproof, and bug-proof, and with a very high 'R' value. That is a demand consumers are calling for. Animal bedding is another avenue that we send our hurd to."
As a KFB Farm Family of the Year, the Baldwins will have the opportunity to tour agricultural operations in another region of the country in August.