Target Industries
Agriculture was the first industry in Liberal, Kansas. Deep well irrigation, moderate weather, good soil and uninterrupted plains create an ideal environment for raising livestock and producing crops. Agriculture, food and food processing sectors support a total of 5,064 jobs, or 36% of the entire work force in the county. The total final sales of all products in these sectors is approximately $2.5 billion. More than 3,500 of those jobs are in beef packing.
The beef industry, including the feeding, processing and transporting of cattle, is the largest in the region. National Beef Packing Company processes 4,800 head of cattle a day. Pork and dairy production are also thriving area industries, due in part to plentiful crops for feed. Corn and wheat are the major regional crops. Other staple crops include sorghum, hay, cotton and sunflowers.
Liberal has the land, labor and support services needed to expand the agricultural community. Raw products are abundant; the workforce is appropriately skilled; and local infrastructure includes easy highway, railroad and air access along with two municipal industrial parks. Seward County Community College / Area Technical School is expanding its agricultural programs to include Sustainable Agriculture Resources and Food Science and Safety. New construction for these programs include greenhouses and a food science lab.
Scientific research, food processing and by-product manufacturing are just some of the possibilities for growth. The City of Liberal, Kansas welcomes agricultural industry and encourages inquiries into our industrial parks and possible incentives.
Seward County Agriculture Census
Resource extraction has been a staple of the Liberal, Kansas economy for more than 90 years. Liberal is the long established hub of oil and gas activity among the regional trade centers.
Liberal has available building and sites for your manufacturing needs. We have close to 200 acres available at our two industrial parks plus acreage from three to 360 acres to choose from. You will find a skilled and trained workforce with a strong work ethic for your company. Seward County Community College also has customized workforce training programs for you industry if needed.
Liberal, Kansas serves as a retail destination for rural consumers from the corners of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. The Liberal Trade Area includes approximately 91,000 consumers. In 2023, the City of Liberal renewed its contract with Retail Strategies, and we're excited to be working with them again.
One look at the map will tell you Liberal, Kansas is ideally located to access the wind. In the heart of the central U.S. wind corridor, Liberal has excellent highway, railroad and air access. Liberal is on both Highway 54 and Highway 83 and is a designated Union Pacific wind distribution center. Wind speed at 100 m (m/s) is between 8.5 to 9.5 making our county a great area for wind development!
In 2019, Kansas generated 41% of its electricity from wind power, ranking second in the nation for wind energy as a share of total electricity generation. This wind energy translates into savings for electricity customers.
Click here for the Kansas Wind Map.
