TOPEKA – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback will host the 2011 Governor’s Economic Summit on Animal Agriculture from 9 a-m to 3 p-m, on Wednesday, September 28th at the St. Dominic Parish in Garden City. The summit will be the eighth in a series of economic summits focused on creating jobs and growing the Kansas economy.

At the summit, farmers, ranchers and agribusiness leaders will join Governor Brownback and his administration to discuss on how Kansas can continue to be a global leader in animal agriculture. Three overarching questions will guide the day:

How does Kansas retain current farms, ranches and agribusinesses?
How does Kansas assist current farms, ranches and agribusinesses expand within Kansas?
How does Kansas recruit out-of-state/out-of-country farms, ranches and agribusinesses to expand into or relocate to Kansas?

The summit will feature Dr. Giovanni Gasperoni of Novus International as the keynote speaker, setting the stage for participants to look at key areas that will affect Kansas’ number one industry – agriculture. Novus is a global leader in animal nutrition and health.

Attendees will break into small groups to discuss specific topics on growing animal agriculture, including workforce, Kansas’ advantages and disadvantages for business, food safety, animal health and animal welfare. The small groups will be followed by a large group discussion facilitated by Governor Brownback.

The summit is open to all stakeholders and media. However, pre-registration is requested. For more information, or to register for the Summit, visit https://ksagriculture.kda.ks.gov.