I farm with my uncle Gary Kastens, father Terry Kastens and long-term employee, Lester Yoos in Rawlins County, Kansas.  Notill management in our semi-arid environment has driven our need for more site-specific information, as well as precise in-field operations.  Consequently, we strive to utilize a host of new technologies (yield monitors, GIS tools, VRA fertilizer, Auto-Trac, site-specific soil sampling, etc.) to improve our ability to best manage our farm both economically and agronomically.  The KARA organization gives us the opportunity to interact with progressive farmers from across the region as well as forward-looking academics and industry leaders.  This interaction provides critical feedback necessary to deal with new technologies, provides the tools necessary to begin conducting scientifically valid on-farm research, and provides a medium for discussing the philosophical issues that will impact production agriculture in the future.