Driving through Kansas, you’ll see signs that say, “One Kansas farmer feeds 155 people and you,” indicating the importance of agriculture in Kansas. Kansans can support the number one industry in the state while providing funds to help educate Kansas youth just by purchasing a specialty license plate for their vehicle.
 The Agri-Tag specialty tag program is an effort by the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC) to promote agriculture in Kansas and to support the statewide K-12 agriculture literacy programs KFAC delivers.
“Agri-Tags allow farmers, teachers and consumers to cheer for agriculture and agriculture education as they drive many miles of roadways,” said Cathy Musick, KFAC executive director. “Dollars collected by these tax-exempt donations fund teacher workshops, educator guides and lesson plan creation for Kansas elementary teachers and their students. We are proud to offer this visual reminder of the importance of agriculture to our state residents and to the economy.”
Previously, the procedure to get an Agri-Tag was more time consuming and complicated. Interested patrons had to fill out a form and send in a $25 check to the Foundation to receive a green official document. The document had to be presented to their county treasurer in order to receive or renew their Agri-Tag. That system changed earlier in 2013 when the state created a system to track and record all new and renewed Agri-Tags. There’s no need for the green certificate anymore so current and new Agri-Tag owners can simply visit their county treasurer.
“We are so appreciative of the state’s county treasurers for taking on the issuing of our specialty tags,” Sheridan Wimmer, KFAC program assistant said. “The process to receive and renew Agri-Tags is so much simpler and efficient now. KFAC hopes the increased efficiency will result in an increased number of Agri-Tags on highways, country roads and city roads.”
The Agri-Tag program has more than 400 license plates on the road and several companies feature the Agri-Tag on their fleet of vehicles.
“KanEquip, Inc. is proud to support KFAC’s Agri-Tag program by displaying the license plates on our fleet of vehicles,” said Jaimee Hoobler, Human Resource Manager at KanEquip. “The process is simple and it’s a win-win; we support KFAC and promote agriculture at the same time.”
If you’re interested in supporting KFAC’s mission to connect classrooms to Kansas agriculture, simply visit your county treasurer and ask for an Agri-Tag. A $25 donation will reach the Foundation. There is a one-time specialty tag fee of $48.50, plus your applicable fees. The $25 donation is tax deductible. The vehicle weight limit is 20,000 pounds. For additional questions, contact the KFAC office at 785-320-4350.