Once a piece of the Wild West, Harvey County, Kan., today thrives as a forward-thinking agricultural epicenter with strong community pride and staunch support for its youth programs.
The south-central county is home to traditional row-crop and cattle farms, and ag industry; AGCO makes its home in Hesston. "People can live in our community and still be able to work here," says Extension agent Jonie James.
The county works hard to preserve agriculture by maintaining roads, farmland and water quality. Another valuable resource is the youth programs. "It's a county with Midwest rural values where people are still putting families first and trying to give the next generation a spring start," says Nute Rucker, who lives on a farm in the area and teaches vocational ag at Newton High School.
|
|
|
|
Programs like FFA and 4-H are a huge boon to the county's youth. Walton 21st Century Rural Life Elementary teaches students about livestock, technology, conservation and business.
Statistics provided by
