2 months ago
Dust is an unavoidable part of farming, but a Kansas State University expert says what’s floating in the air around grain bins, hay barns and livestock facilities can pose serious risks to farmers’ health. Mitch Ricketts, professor of agricultural safety and health at Kansas State University, said agricultural dust is much more than just soil and ...

3 months ago
As Kansas wheat harvest wraps up, producers are leaving the field with something just as valuable as the grain in their trucks: data that can drive smarter decisions for years to come. Deepak Joshi, a precision agriculture specialist at Kansas State University, said yield data collected by combine harvesters is one of the most powerful tools ...

3 months ago
The 2026 Kansas wheat harvest will be remembered as one of the most weather-challenged seasons in recent memory. Following a warm winter and a dry, windy spring, much of the crop matured weeks ahead of normal, setting the stage for one of the earliest harvests on record. However, prolonged drought and late freeze events had ...

3 months ago
U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson from Pennsylvania introduced bipartisan agricultural labor reform legislation this week. The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 would make key improvements to the accessibility and cost of agricultural labor through the H-2A visa program. “It’s time to bring the H-2A program into the 21st century,” Thompson said. “Producers have been sounding ...

3 months ago
Kansas animal health officials and scientists are stressing that a current outbreak of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite affecting livestock and other animals, does not pose a food safety concern for consumers. “This is not a food safety concern, and that’s an important point we want everyone to understand,” said Dr. Sarah McReynolds, assistant animal ...

3 months ago
After several days of scorching temperatures and dry conditions, farmers have been able to get back into the fields. Harvest is making steady progress, with the possibility of harvest wrapping up soon, as long as the weather cooperates. According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service crop progress report ending June 28, 2026, the Kansas wheat ...

3 months ago
A cool, wet start to the 2026 growing season has pushed tar spot to the top of Kansas corn growers’ disease concerns, according to Kansas State University row crop specialist Rodrigo Onofre. Onofre said tar spot, a relatively new but increasingly familiar disease in Kansas, has already been confirmed in three northeast Kansas counties. Spring weather conditions ...

3 months ago
Many home gardeners understand a sad truth about the corn earworm: the little critter loves sweet corn just as much as humans do. It creates a yearly battle to fight back the pesky insect. The adult corn earworm moth lays eggs on developing corn silks and as soon as the eggs hatch, larval corn earworms go ...

3 months ago
The National Grazing Lands Coalition (NGLC) is hosting a workshop July 28-29 in Manhattan focused on grazing management. According to the Kansas Livestock Association, the program will blend in-depth classroom instruction with hands-on field experience, while covering topics such as reducing fire risk, restoring soil health and increasing the long-term economic viability of the ranch. Registration is ...

3 months ago
Harvest is over halfway complete, resulting in what may be one of the earliest harvests in recent memories. Drought conditions and late freeze events are top contributing factors to the early harvest. While the wheat is mostly ready across the state, rains are still keeping some farmers out of the fields. Jay Armstrong, a farmer from ...

3 months ago
Harvest has come to a halt for many in the state of Kansas due to thunderstorms starting Saturday afternoon. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service crop progress report ending June 21, 2026, states that the Kansas wheat harvest is 58 percent complete, well ahead of the 26 percent five-year average. Winter wheat conditions were rated ...