Released: March 04, 2005

Five Kansas Enterprises Receive Awards

Manhattan, Kansas – A weaving and wool artisan business, a family-owned creamery, a regional economic development organization, an internationally-known bird habitat and tourism attraction, and a grass-roots community newspaper were among those recognized as "Leaders of the Year" for 2005 by the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

The Shepherd’s Mill, founded and owned by Sally and Jay Brandon in Phillipsburg, was the winner in the Business and Entrepreneurship category. Shepherd’s Mill processes and weaves wool into yarn and finished goods. Sally also founded Great Plains Artisans, which sells weaving equipment. Shepherd’s Mill and GPA sponsors an annual fiber festival with seminars, fashion shows, and contests on the use of wool. More information can be found at www.kansasfiber.com .

Emrich Family Creamery, founded and owned by Kay and Hugh Emrich and family, won in the Value-Added Agribusiness category. Emrich Family Creamery processes milk in Wheaton and distributes soft cheese, ice cream, and white and chocolate milk in the Manhattan area. Emrichs became the first contemporary business in Kansas to do home delivery of bottled milk, according to the company. More information can be found by calling 785-396-4347.

The western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance (wKREDA) and its past president, Gary Gore, received the Community Leadership award. Gore, who is also president of the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce, served as president of wKREDA in 2004. WKREDA strives to be a unifying voice for 53 western Kansas counties in recruiting dairy farms and providing policy education, and maintains a website at www.discoverwesternkansas.com .

The community of Great Bend won in the Tourism Development category for its partnership with Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area. A Kansas Wetlands Interpretive Center is scheduled to be built at the area as a result of these partnering efforts. Nearly one-third of all North American shorebirds migrating east of the Rocky Mountains visit Cheyenne Bottoms each year, along with up to one-quarter million waterfowl. The Great Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes this attraction with marketing materials and an annual Wings and Wetlands Weekend. More information can be found at www.cheyennebottoms.net  and www.visitgreatbend.com .

Prairie Dog Press in Almena, Kansas won in the Community Journalism category. The Prairie Dog Press was created in 1994 by the local PRIDE committee after the local publisher retired and discontinued the previous newspaper. Prairie Dog Press is produced entirely by volunteers, including editor Laura Craig, and distributes the paper to 40 states and overseas. More information can be found at http://skyways.lib.ks.us/kansas/towns/Almena/index.html.

Each year the Huck Boyd Institute selects the Leaders of the Year from among those featured on its weekly radio program Kansas Profile during the previous 12 months. Kansas Profile is distributed by the K-State Radio Network to radio stations state-wide.

The Huck Boyd Institute is a public/private partnership between K-State Research and Extension and the Huck Boyd Foundation. The foundation office is at the Huck Boyd Community Center in Phillipsburg. The Institute office is at Kansas State University in Manhattan.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Ron Wilson
rwilson@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News