3 months ago
Building a productive cow herd does not begin when a heifer is bred for the first time. According to experts on Kansas State University's Beef Cattle Institute Cattle Chat podcast, the foundation for long-term success is established much earlier through genetics, health management and nutrition decisions made from the first days of life. On a recent episode of Cattle ...

3 months ago
Combines will soon be rolling across Kansas for wheat harvest, with other crops not too far in the future. Part of the tradition in farm country is feeding the people working to bring in the harvest. Kansas State University food scientist Karen Blakeslee says meals in the field follow many of the same guidelines for safe ...

3 months ago
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed a second case of New World screwworm (NWS) Friday after testing a number of suspect cases. The second case was found in a 1-month-old calf about 5.6 miles away from the original case. It is within the established movement control zone and enhanced sterile insect dispersal ...

3 months ago
“Ready wheat doesn’t like wet feet” After months of drought, above-average temperatures, multiple freeze damage events, and rapid crop development, producers were test-cutting wheat in late May and preparing for what looked like one of the earliest harvests in recent history. Across much of southern Kansas, the crop matured weeks ahead of normal as dry, windy ...

3 months ago
Scientists identified a case of New World screwworm in a Texas calf, ramping up concerns nationwide about stopping the invasive parasite that can destroy livestock herds. The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health is educating state ranchers and others about the pest, which was previously eradicated in the United States in the 1950s and ...

3 months ago
Cattle incapable of relieving themselves of high temperatures experience heat stress. Humans alleviate overheating through sweating, but Kansas State University beef extension veterinarian A.J. Tarpoff said cattle do not have that option. “Heat stress coping behaviors is what we see when cattle are adapting to warmer temperatures,” he said. “Whenever we get hot, we sweat to ...

3 months ago
Drones are becoming an increasingly important tool for farmers seeking to improve efficiency and crop management, according to a Kansas State University precision agriculture expert. Deepak Joshi, a faculty member in K-State’s Department of Agronomy, said the growing use of drones in early-season crop scouting can help producers quickly assess plant germination, stand counts and field ...

3 months ago
Today’s beef cattle are bigger than they were a generation ago, and according to Kansas State University experts, that shift may represent more than a passing cycle in the cattle industry. As producers face rising costs, changing technologies and evolving market demands, larger carcass weights are increasingly becoming part of the industry’s approach to efficiency ...

3 months ago
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) opened the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory this week in Kerrville, TX, which is expected to provide innovative tools and advanced technologies that will help manage and eliminate invasive flies and ticks that threaten the U.S. cattle industry. The new 52,000‑square‑foot laboratory offers cutting‑edge research space and advanced cattle ...

3 months ago
The Kansas Corn Growers Association (KCGA) welcomed Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s announcement of a long-awaited investigation into the fertilizer industry’s pricing practices and market concentration. The FTC chairman announced the investigation today at a gathering of farmers from across 18 states including Kansas, on a North Texas farm. “I’m announcing that, on my order, ...

3 months ago
Kansas Wheat and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) helped welcome Luke J. Lindberg, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01), and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) to the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center on May 27 for a roundtable discussion with agricultural stakeholders on trade negotiations and agreements, USDA administration ...