National Agriculture Center & Hall of Fame honors agriculture pioneers

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The first and only federally chartered National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is located in Bonner Springs, Kansas.

It was chartered by Congress in 1960 and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Al Miller

“We’re the only ones that have gotten that piece of paper from Congress that says, 'You’re it,"' said Dave Hurrelbrink, president of the board of directors at the hall. “We have more farm equipment here than the Smithsonian. Period.”

Al Miller

For 64 years, the museum has collected over 10,000 artifacts and the hall of fame has honored about 60 inductees.

On the floor and along the walls are decades of history on agriculture innovation and stories of agriculture industry innovators.

“We’re only about two, maybe three generations, removed from the farm and everybody’s got that story" Hurrelbrink said. "And that’s what I love to hear is people tell me what used to be.”

Al Miller

It's the mission of decades-long supporters like Hurrelbrink to keep history alive for the next generation.

Through educational programs in an old school house and cultural immersions of the 1900s, children learn where there food comes from and how it gets to their dinner tables.

Mandy Pennebaker brought her two kids to the center so those lessons are not lost on them.

“I think it’s important to know just where we’ve come in agriculture today, too,” said Pennebaker. “That’s how we used to do it and this is how we do it now. So the evolution of farming in general.”

Al Miller

As agriculture continues to evolve, Hurrelbrink says one thing is certain.

In order to greet the future, we must tip our hats to the past.

“After all, we still do feed the world and that's the good part about it. We need to share that knowledge. I think so many kids don't realize just how big agriculture really is," said Hurrelbrink.

The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is open from 10am to 2pm, Thursday through Saturday.

The annual Show ’n Shine Car Show & Potato Festival is planned for July 27 from 8am 3pm.