Food Systems Voter Guide- General Election 2026

Agricultural Opportunity & Land Use

Strong food systems start with farmers. KFAN supports equitable land access, fair markets, and responsible land use policies that sustain producers and protect working lands for future generations.

What specific policies have you/would you support to help beginning, small, and mid-sized farmers access land and remain economically viable in Kansas?

“Land access for beginning and small farmers is mostly blocked by federal policy that favors scale: crop insurance and subsidy programs skewed toward large operations, an estate tax that forces family farms to sell or take on debt just to pass land to the next generation, and federal regulatory overreach that raises the cost of entry. I'd support eliminating or substantially raising the estate tax exemption for working farmland, ending subsidy structures that reward consolidation over viability, and returning land-use and agricultural policy decisions to states and localities under the Tenth Amendment rather than one-size-fits-all federal mandates. I'd also oppose eminent domain abuse that takes working land for private development under a "public use" pretext. Real land access comes from removing the barriers Washington created, not from new federal programs.”

Food Access & Security

Every Kansan deserves reliable access to affordable, healthy food. KFAN advances policies that reduce hunger, strengthen nutrition programs, and invest in local food systems so all communities can thrive.

What actions would you/have you take(en) to reduce food insecurity and improve access to affordable, healthy food in both rural and urban Kansas communities?

“Food insecurity in Kansas is as much a supply problem as an affordability problem. Federal and state regulation makes it needlessly hard for small producers to sell direct to their communities. I'd support expanding cottage food and raw milk laws, cutting occupational licensing barriers that keep small farmers, ranchers, and food entrepreneurs out of local markets, and removing regulatory hurdles that discourage grocery and retail investment in underserved rural and urban areas alike. On federal nutrition programs like SNAP, I favor block-granting funding to states so Kansas can tailor administration to its own rural and urban needs rather than complying with rigid federal rules designed for other states' problems. The goal is a food system with more local producers and more points of access, not more federal bureaucracy standing between Kansans and their food.”

Water Stewardship

Water is essential to Kansas agriculture and community well-being. KFAN promotes policies that conserve water, protect water quality, and ensure long-term sustainability for our farms, ecosystems, and communities.

What policies or investments would you/have you support(ed) to help Kansas farmers, ranchers, and local communities adapt to drought, declining aquifers, and other water-related challenges?

“Water management in Kansas, especially the Ogallala Aquifer decline, is a problem best solved locally, by the farmers and Groundwater Management Districts who understand their basins, not by federal mandate. I'd oppose federal overreach like expansive WOTUS rules that extend regulatory control over farm ponds, ditches, and dry land, and support keeping water rights administration where it belongs: with Kansas and its local GMDs. Where federal dollars are involved, I'd favor targeted, technology-neutral support (e.g., tax incentives for conservation infrastructure like drip irrigation and soil-moisture monitoring) over top-down federal water policy. Kansans managing the Ogallala have been adapting for decades; the most useful thing Washington can do is get out of the way and let local knowledge and local control drive the solutions.”

Bonus Question

How will you/Have you ensure(d) that the voices of farmers, food producers, and community members are included in decisions about agriculture, food access, and water resources?

“The best way to include farmers and community voices is to keep decisions as close to them as possible: county commissions, Groundwater Management Districts, and state legislature, not federal agencies in Washington drafting one-size-fits-all rules for a district they've never farmed in. As a candidate without an agribusiness or lobbyist background, I'm approaching this the way I approach every issue on this platform — by talking directly with the people affected (farmers, ranchers, and local officials) rather than deferring to national trade associations or federal bureaucrats who claim to speak for them. In Congress, that means opposing federal rules that override local and state agricultural authority, and treating farmers and producers as the experts on their own land and water, not as stakeholders to be managed from Washington.“