Global Agri-Business Center
Located in the heartland of the United States, Kansas is historically known for its agricultural roots. Agri-business is a large part of the Kansas economy with agricultural products accounting for the second most frequently exported category of goods, followed by food and kindred products. As one of the biggest industries in Kansas, the success of the producers, manufacturers, and service providers in agri-business is imperative. One in five Kansans work in jobs related to agriculture and food production.
The Kansas World Trade Center recognizes the importance of the ongoing success and growth of this industry and is dedicated to providing specialized services in agri-business to help facilitate international trade in Kansas. We have partnered with the Agri-Business Council of Wichita in a mission to globally promote Kansas agri-business through education, communication & research through development of a Global Agri-Business Center.
The Global Agri-Business Center serves as a clearinghouse of information and resources to educate, connect, and inform on a global scale. With the expertise and input of the Global Agri-Business Center Task Force – a group of public and private leaders in the agri-business sector, the Kansas World Trade Center offers superior services and events to support and raise global awareness of Kansas agri-business.
Here is a look at a few agri-business companies located in Kansas:
Headquartered in Kansas, Edenspace is an award winning leader in the development and commercial use of living plants for renewable fuels and environmental applications.
Edenspace is responding to growing demand for lower-cost methods to produce cellulosic biofuels by developing optimized cellulosic feedstocks.
Their first energy crop, EnergyCorn, will result in doubling the amount of ethanol per acre by utilizing the stover as well as the grain. Edenspace is also developing other energy-optimized crop feedstocks such as sorghum, switchgrass and poplar trees.
Agriboard specializes in the development of “green” building systems made from compressed wheat or rice straw.
AgriBoard Panels easily substitute for traditional construction materials including blocks, tilt wall, ICFs, poured in place concrete walls, steel and wood construction; offering superior performance and lower costs.
More than 80% of Agriboard’s panels consist of straw left over after the grain has been harvested. In the past, much of this straw was burned, adding to air pollution.
Junction City-based Ventria Bioscience is dedicated to developing revolutionary health and therapeutic products to benefit people around the world. Ventria’s core technology is a rice-based protein production system called ExpressTec™, which manufactures proteins using rice as a factory. The rice is grown predominantly in Kansas, processed at the company’s Junction City facility, and marketed globally.
Ventria’s technology has led to the creation of a unique product aimed at relieving the symptoms of childhood diarrhea. The product contains lysozyme and lactoferrin, two key protective proteins found naturally in mothers’ breast milk. In published clinical studies, Ventria’s oral rehydration solution reduced the duration of acute diarrhea in children, which claims two million lives annually.
Former Kansas Agriculture Secretary Adrian Polansky discusses Ventria’s production in Kansas stating, “Farmers stand to benefit, as those who grow the rice can earn a premium compared to their next most lucrative crop. They also have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping provide affordable healthcare products to children who desperately need it.”
