Center Of Modern Agriculture

The Greater Wichita region is home to a high concentration of food processing applications, including wet milling, oilseed crushing, vegetable oil refining and blending, and meat processing. While over 40 percent of the sectors’ employment is concentrated in food manufacturing, the expertise and experience necessary to succeed in agriculture translates to innovative cross-sector applications. 

• Koch Industries and Cargill Protein, two of the largest privately held companies in the U.S. are located in Wichita, Kansas. 
• In 2019 Cargill Protein made downtown Wichita its North American headquarters with an all-new $70 million, 188,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art destination facility, designed to retain and recruit top talent and immerse customers in innovative culinary and food sensory experiences.

Many other global brands have offices and operations in the Greater Wichita region. Here are just a few:

• Hiland Dairy operates 15 plants and 51 distribution centers across the region, each employing the latest in high-tech robotics and ensuring that milk is transported from the cow to the table in just 48 hours.
• In addition to its protein headquarters, Cargill Protein proved the viability of energy-driven agriculture with the opening of a $90-million state-of-the-art biodiesel plant in Wichita, capable of producing 60 million gallons of biofuel every year. 
• Among Archer Daniels Midland Company’s more than 160 ingredient manufacturing facilities and over 300 crop procurement facilities across the U.S. is an oilseed and agricultural services processing plant in Arkansas City, Kan., located within the Greater Wichita region.
• Monsanto invested in a new facility in Maize Industrial Park, a suburb of Wichita, in 2018. The build-to-suit office focuses on plant breeding and ongoing research.
• WinField United, a Land O’Lakes, Inc. brand, is one of America’s premier agribusiness and food companies. In 2018 the company opened a new 253,000-square-foot distribution hub for 20 area service centers in Park City, a suburb of Wichita. 
• Tyson Prepared Foods is one of the largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. With two food production facilities in Reno County, Tyson employs approximately 600 people.
• American AgCredit provides loans and other financial services to agricultural and rural customers throughout the United States, and has a regional headquarters located in northwest Wichita.