wKREDA

western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance

One of the most successful projects organized by Sunflower is the western Kansas Rural Economic Development Alliance (wKREDA) www.discoverwesternkansas.com. This group of nearly 100 western Kansas companies and individuals works together to improve the economic well-being of roughly 300,000 people living in western Kansas. Two of the primary goals of wKREDA are to educate its members about economic opportunities and to work together to formulate legislative positions to influence policy decisions made by our Legislature.

The wKREDA organization focuses its attention on recruitment by annually attending several national trade shows and career fairs to deliver the gospel about life in rural Kansas. wKREDA has been instrumental in the creation of many new "mega" dairies. These new dairies have dramatically increased the size of the Kansas dairy herd and promise to result in the construction of new dairy processing facilities in the near future. wKREDA has also been a leader in workforce recruitment to the region through its branding of western Kansas.

Sunflower, along with many Member distribution cooperatives, maintains active memberships in wKREDA. Sunflower has been dedicated to the success of wKREDA since its inception in 1997 and continues to provide support for the organization.