Are you both from Western KS?
I worked for a company in KS (outside of KS City) for almost 15 years years. At one point I traveled 14 states for them. There is a big cultural divide within KS. The western part of the state is largely agricultural and ranching and extremely independent indeed. There are some places in western KS that outsiders are best advised to not ask too many questions about the locals. (Posse Comitatus)
I always felt welcome in that part of KS. Most of the eastern part of the state was like that too, when you got outside the cities.
There is a general dislike in “some” parts of KS for all things about TX. The AG area is an exception.
I have bought seed from K State several times and they were always nice people to deal with. It has changed somewhat since they partnered with Agra Pro (Syngenta). I have not done business with them since that happened. We had the same experience with TX A&M after they partnered with Agra Pro. We partnered with OK State when all that began to take place and are very happy with that relationship. It is funny how some things you do not plan actually work out to be a blessing.
Though truth be told, I have only been in Western Kansas A Few Times.
Most of my out of town experiences have been in Missouri.
If you want a long, bitter cultural divide, the one between Kansas and Missouri can fill volumes.
In my opinion, Eastern KS representatives, mostly in the KS Senate, were very greedy when Western KS was pumping oil in the 1970s and getting lots of money so the RINOs teamed up with the, who else, DimocRATS, and determined to get some of that "stash" themselves. Western KS got even by attaching the monies paid into KS schools for a "level plan" which gave equal amount per student regardless of area costs, salaries, etc.
Western KS school districts became so cash flush, that they were giving turkeys, hams and beef rib roasts out at Thanksgiving AND Christmas to all employees!
Conservatives, like myself, in Eastern KS never were in bed with the RINOs and never desired the tax dollars from Western KS but rather are in favor of keeping State taxes low, letting local counties and communities decide what their actual needs are and tax accordingly.
As to "sharing the wealth" of any windfall profits, that is left to the local communities NOT the province of the State, aka Marxist/Socialist Utopia!