Hudson ? Gov. Bill Graves was joined on his annual farm tour Tuesday by two people hoping to succeed him. Republican gubernatorial nominee Tim Shallenburger and Democratic nominee Kathleen Sebelius took the opportunity to lay out their own positions on agricultural issues.

Sebelius, currently the state insurance commissioner, said the state needed an agriculture secretary who was not only a regulator but a promoter a “passionate voice” for Kansas agriculture.

Kansas must be as aggressive as Nebraska and Iowa in its ethanol program, she said, citing such steps as more tax incentives, helping to build ethanol plants and requiring that gasoline stations set aside 10 percent of their pumps for ethanol.

Other issues that are not specific to farming are critical to the well-being of rural as well as urban Kansas, Sebelius said.

“Rural Kansas will not survive without quality schools and health care. … Those issues are equally important in the farm community as are specific ag issues,” she said.

Shallenburger, the state treasurer, said the state needs a plan that outlines a vision for the future of agriculture in Kansas.

“The number one concern we have is water the quality and quantity of water is essential, essential not only for agriculture but for life itself,” he said.

Shallenburger said Kansas must be involved in conservation efforts such as the underground drip irrigation program now used in some counties that helps irrigators pay to install the expensive systems.

The tour included a stop at Randy Suiter’s farm in Stafford County, where participants heard a discussion of the problems of young farmers.

While a panel of farmers in their 30s discussed problems such as buying or leasing land without a track record and the difficulties of getting financing, it was education and health care in rural communities that dominated their concerns.

Young farmer Keith McNickle said farmers are overtaxed on their property.

“If I am going to be taxed for anything in my community, I don’t mind if it is for hospitals and schools,” he said.