Farmers and ranchers from across Kansas gathered in Manhattan for the annual Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) leaders conference. The conference is normally hosted in January but was rescheduled due to COVID-19. More than 250 young crop and livestock producers from across the state attended the two-day Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) conference designed to maximize efficiency on their family oper...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for August 2021, which are effective August 2. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures, or meet cash flow needs. Operating, Ownership and Emergency Loans FSA offers farm o...
Food insecurity, or the lack of consistent access to enough food, is not something that is top of my mind very often. It probably should be, but it just isn’t. I have enough food, actually more than enough, and given the frantic pace of my life I often neglect to give a second thought to those who are not blessed like I am. I also think many of us in rural America think it is a big city or u...
Just as college students may feel anxious when they leave their homes and return to campus, fall is also a time when spring-born calves are separated from their mothers and stress ensues. To minimize the stress felt by calves, the experts at Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute offered several management strategies for producers to implement. Discussed on a recent Cattle Chat p...
Agricultural producers and landowners can apply for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands signup from today until August 20. This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated signup options to provide greater incentives for producers and increase the program’s conservation and climate benefits, including setting a minimum rental rate and identifying two national priority...
Eleven students from four states gathered on the Kansas State University campus and online to gain livestock industry knowledge and develop leadership skills during the K-State Animal Science Leadership Academy held June 15-18. The hybrid format included virtual instruction, followed by a closing, one-day, in-person experience on campus. Hosted by the K-State Department of Animal Sciences an...
Kansas farm families are mentally ready to transition from wheat harvest to focusing on their local county fair and other summer activities, but combines are still running across much of the central and northern tiers of the state. An atypical growing season has resulted in a highly variable wheat harvest, but farmers who are planting superior genetics and managing their crops intently are seeing...
Sporadic sprinkles are keeping many Kansas wheat farmers on edge as they wait for moisture levels to decrease enough to get back into the combine. Elevators are taking in loads; however, as farmers who can are continuing the slow, but productive, march of the 2021 Kansas wheat harvest. Kris Allen, general manager of Randall Farmers Coop Union, said the wheat harvest weather has been a little fr...
Harvest continues to advance northward as farmers seek out dry wheat fields in the hot summer wind. Diligent field management has made a difference — evidenced by satisfactory test weights — but disease pressure from stripe rust and Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus (WSMV) has taken a toll on yields following the tumultuous weather during the growing season. Disappointment is the theme of this year...
The combination of triple digit temperatures and a steady Kansas summer breeze means wheat harvest is progressing quickly across the state. Farmers Coop Grain Association in Conway Springs reported initial wheat cutting started last Friday in Sumner County, but harvest did not fully take off until this Monday. Farmers are reporting some disease pressure from stripe rust. With about a week to go...
