Fellow Kansan,

Agriculture is the heartbeat of the Big First District. Each month, I highlight the life and work of Kansas ag heroes – the people who make our state the pilot light of America and who inspire me to continue fighting for Kansas farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers. 

Yours in service,

Mann.House.Gov

Kansas Ag Hero of the Month:

Brett & Emily Grauerholz

For corn farmers in Kansas, October is defined by long hours in the fields to harvest the results of a year’s worth of effort. For Brett and Emily Grauerholz, it’s also a time of meetings, advocacy, and service beyond their own farm. This year alone, Brett has made multiple trips to Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers and industry partners, all while ensuring combines are running back on the farm, fertilizer plans are fine-tuned, and he’s able to focus on raising the sixth generation of a family rooted in Kansas agriculture.

Brett and Emily met while studying at Kansas State University. They live on the farm Brett’s family homesteaded in 1903. A fifth-generation producer, Brett grew up farming corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, and wheat on weekends alongside his parents and grandparents. Today, the family continues to grow corn, soybeans, and raise Charolais-Angus cattle, all while parenting two young boys and balancing two careers. While work often calls them to different locations as Brett advocates for agricultural producers around the country, you can find Emily feeding the cows, checking the grain bins and pivots, and ensuring their family farm is running smoothly. The average person would have no clue that Emily had no experience in agriculture before she married Brett. After they exchanged vows, the calling of agriculture quickly found Emily, and they’ve built a life around shared values, careful timing, and a deep respect for the land. Those values were quickly implanted in the next generation.

Isaac, their four-year-old son, loves to ride equipment, feed pellets to the cows, and “help” with the tools, always tagging along and learning from his parents. The Grauerholz’s oldest son, Noah, is involved in 4-H, showing cattle and taking agronomy projects to the fair as a third grader. He’s also the parliamentarian of the Republic Pioneers 4-H Club—proof that even at a young age, leadership runs in the family.



Brett serves on the board of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and has taken on national roles with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), including on the Biofuels Action Team and the Production & Sustainability Action Team. He also provides real farm feedback to the EPA through the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee, helping craft workable policies that protect both water quality and producers’ livelihoods. In the summer of 2024, he was named NCGA’s Corn Advocate of the Year—a recognition earned through on-the-ground insight, tireless travel, and his commitment to advancing market and environmental sustainability for American farmers.

For Brett, speaking up in rooms like these isn’t about personal recognition. It’s about protecting a way of life. He believes that production agriculture in the U.S. is the safest and most efficient in the world, and he’s committed to making sure people outside the farm understand the science, precision, and intentionality that define how producers work today. He wants Americans to know that farmers aren’t just growing food, they’re doing it responsibly, with future generations in mind.

The Grauerholz family takes that future seriously. They hope their sons will one day inherit not just their land, but a stronger, more sustainable version of it. They have begun to diversify their corn operation with the future in mind. While a more labor-intensive process, they now pick a fraction of their corn by hand, selling the ear corn directly to local grocery stores, markets, and feed chains throughout the Midwest. This niche market is something Brett introduced to his family farm over the last three years for both the betterment of their local economy and their bottom line, as packaged corn for squirrel food can fetch much larger sums on a bushel-to-bushel basis. As Brett often says, when farms do well, local main streets, schools, churches, and small businesses thrive too. 

Brett sees his advocacy work as part of a bigger mission: helping ensure that rural economies thrive, markets stay open and stable, and that agriculture continues to be the backbone of communities across Kansas. But he recognizes that this advocacy would not be possible without the supportive wife and partner he has in Emily. 

Brett and Emily Grauerholz are raising crops and the next generation at the same time, all while taking an approach to leave the land better than they received it. They’re managing the demands of harvest while making sure rural Kansas has a voice on the national landscape. Their leadership, stewardship, and commitment to agriculture are admirable and are what make them this month’s Kansas Ag Heroes.



Thank you, Brett and Emily, for your work, your advocacy, and your service to Kansas agriculture. It is an honor to serve you in Congress and on the House Agriculture Committee.

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