12 months ago
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing a second Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) payment to eligible producers for the 2024 crop year. According to the agency, of the authorized $10 billion in ECAP assistance, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already provided over $8 billion in payments to eligible producers to mitigate the impacts ...

12 months ago
If only breeding cattle were as simple as picking toppings at a burger bar—add a little of this, a dash of that and you’re set. But as Kansas State University beef cattle experts reminded producers in a recent episode of the Beef Cattle Institute’s Cattle Chat podcast, crossbreeding takes more than guesswork. Done right, it can unlock ...

12 months ago
It’s hard to imagine waking up and going to work on payday only to find you have less money than you started with at the beginning of the pay period. That’s the reality many farmers are facing as fall harvest enters full swing in Kansas. Almost every acre of corn and soybeans across the state is ...

12 months ago
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provided details on tax relief available to farmers and ranchers in 49 states, including Kansas, who sold livestock because of drought conditions. According to the Kansas Livestock Association, the list of qualified counties in each state includes those that reported exceptional, extreme or severe drought from September 1, 2024, to August ...

12 months ago
At the recent Bio Innovations Midwest Event in Omaha, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced the winners of the Consider Corn Challenge 5 and the $300,000 prize pool. According to the Kansas Corn Growers Association, three winners were chosen, each with a unique way to improve a product or process using corn to produce biobased materials. Developing ...

1 year ago
With a $1 million gift to the Kansas State University Agriculture Innovation Initiative, Cargill continues to accelerate the university’s efforts to advance global food security solutions through interdisciplinary research, infrastructure expansion and industry collaboration. The recent donation places K-State within 5% of the initiative’s $210 million goal. The gift also surpasses $10 million in Cargill’s lifetime ...

1 year ago
The 2025 KLA Young Stockmen’s Academy (YSA) met for its third session last week. Class members from across the state spent three days touring various segments of the beef and dairy industries. The YSA program is exclusively sponsored by Merck Animal Health. Arndt Farms near Emporia hosted the group’s first stop, where they toured several Flint ...

1 year ago
A Kansas startup is putting wheat at the center of a biotechnology breakthrough that could change how medicines are made and delivered worldwide. Tritica Biosciences, founded by husband and wife team Dr. Chris and Brandi Miller, is using wheat germ, the tiny embryo inside the kernel, to power a process called cell-free protein synthesis. In simple ...

1 year ago
Dusty pastures, tall summer grasses and buzzing flies aren’t just seasonal annoyances for cattle producers — they’re risk factors for pinkeye, one of the most common and costly eye diseases in beef herds. In a recent episode of the Beef Cattle Institute’s Cattle Chat podcast, Kansas State University veterinarians and researchers shared practical steps producers can take to reduce ...

1 year ago
As recent harvests and scouting reports may indicate, armyworms and fall armyworms seem to become a more serious problem for Kansas farmers each year. For those who may have experienced problems with the insects this year, Kansas State University crop entomologist Jeff Whitworth and agronomist Tina Sullivan say it’s a good idea to understand the issue ...

1 year ago
One of agriculture’s most pressing challenges — preparing the next generation’s return to the farm and ranch — is the focus of a series of free, statewide conferences hosted by Kansas State University’s College of Agriculture this fall. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Conference series, developed by Robin Reid and Ashlee Westerhold in K-Sate’s Department of ...