Kansas AgriTourism News

June 2006 Greetings! Change happens, as they say, and we wanted to share with you a couple of changes that have happened at the Kansas Department of Commerce. First, chronologically, Janna Dunbar, the Agritourism Program Coordinator for the past year, left the department of Commerce to work in the private sector. Becki Rhoades is currently handling the responsibilities of this important position until a replacement is hired. The other change I would share with you is the appointment of Ray Hammarlund as director of Agriculture Marketing and Community Development. Ray's background is farming and ranching in St. Marys, Kansas, where the farm has stayed in his family for 4 generations. Ray is a graduate of Kansas State University with an undergraduate degree in Agriculture Economics and a Masters degree in Agribusiness, plus he holds an MBA from Baker University. Ray came to the Department of Commerce in 2000, working in agriculture development and community development. He replaces Patty Clark, who was promoted to Director of Operations. We also want to call your attention to the announcement made earlier this month in the department's Travel Talk email- newsletter regarding Kansas Educational Scholarships in Tourism. If you want a helping hand taking an important next step in your education, be sure you read the article below! Happy Farming! Becky Walters, Chair for the Kansas AgriTourism Advisory Council

In This Month's Issue: Kansas Educational Scholarship This Month's Featured Destination: Grassland Gardens- Science & Art Equals a Career!

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June 2006 Featured Destination:

Grassland Gardens
Science and Art Equals a Career!

Trish Remley lives in “tall grass country,” that beautiful part of north and central Kansas where the tall grass of the prairie seems to roll endlessly in the wind like ocean waves, undulating to the horizon in all directions, interrupted only by the occasional farm house, tree, or pond.

So you can see why we were a bit intrigued when we first learned about Trish, and her business, Grassland Gardens, where Trish sells-what else-tall grass!

Well, to be fair, Trish sells Ornamental Grass. It’s not like she’s trying to “sell ice in Alaska” just because she sells ornamental grasses in tall grass country; Grassland Gardens features more than 50 varieties of ornamental grasses, most of which are not even native to the United States. She also grows a large variety of flowers selected and grown specifically for dried floral bouquets and arrangements.

The 500-acre farm is located 7 miles west of Miltonvale, Kansas, and about 38 miles north of Salina. Chad and Trish Remley purchased the land approximately 10 years ago when Chad went to work for the Kansas Natural Resource Conservation office in Salina. More than 2.5 acres are planted in ornamental grasses and flowers, with the remainder of the land used for wildlife and rented for cattle pasture.

Trish, who has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in agronomy, became interested in grasses and dried flowers before they moved to Kansas. She was doing soil erosion research at the University of Missouri, and one of her friends in horticulture was showing her the broad range of flowers that can be dried successfully. Another was working with ornamental grass.

“Both seemed like a neat fit,” Trish said. “These special decorative plants appeal to both the scientist and the artist in me. With their simplistic beauty, ornamental grasses add a different dimension, height and movement, to your garden. Particularly here, in Kansas, they are a natural complement to the ecosystem.”

Click here to see More of the Grass and Flowers at Grassland Gardens, and read the rest of this article.

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