Now That's Rural

Setting up a virtual business meeting isn’t too hard, but a virtual livestock show takes lots of work, technology and collaboration. When the Haskell County spring livestock show was canceled due to the pandemic, the county 4-H youth livestock ambassadors conducted the show entirely virtually.

Moving out of the city so the kids could grow up in a small town environment led to growing a garden, raising some chickens – and because two of the kids are lactose intolerant – dairy goats. The goats produced more milk than the family could consume. After researching what to do with the excess milk, they discovered that it’s good for the skin. Now they produce an entire line of hand-made goat milk products.

The idea to make a candle for his wife instead of buying one ended up being so much fun that he and his wife turned it into a business that uses natural fragrances that relate to their life in Kansas.

Making pottery started out as a hobby between two friends – who also happen to be related. Their pottery was so well-received by others that it became a pottery and boutique business that ships products made in rural Kansas all across the nation.

Kids not only say the darndest things, they often make us say the darndest things. For a rural Kansas woman who started selling purses and jewelry to help her mom after her mother was diagnosed with cancer, what she kiddingly said to her daughters became the name of her boutique business.

From selling new pianos for someone else to starting his own business to sell new and used pianos, a rural Kansas man has built a remarkable company that sells across the nation and beyond from its 11,000 square-foot building. The company – which started in a little hole-in-the-wall place – might also have the finest collection of art case pianos in the world.

Nike receives thousands of applications each month from graphic designers who want to work for them. However, a designer from rural Kansas was surprised when Nike reached out to him. He’s been with the company since 2015 and his latest project was designing the logo and uniforms for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several disruptions, including the food supply. A rural Kansas man, who saw a disconnect between the people raising beef and the consumers looking for it in the store, had an idea. That idea, to use social media to connect producers and consumers, now has more than 100,000 followers and is enabling people to purchase food locally.

The Meinhardt Farm Museum collection spans thousands of sq feet indoors and out, displaying more than 50 different types of equipment.