2 years ago
Kansas State University researchers have found that grazing cover crops can improve soil health in no-till dryland cropping systems, addressing a key concern for producers in water-limited environments like the central Great Plains. The study, conducted from 2018 to 2021 across three producer fields in central and western Kansas, found that grazing cover crops with beef ...

2 years ago
The stalemate over the current farm bill may be solidifying a new era in farm politics as it joins the last three farm bills in a trend of delays and partisan division — a contrast from the legislation’s history of bipartisanship. Every five years, Congress is tasked with drafting a new federal farm bill. The omnibus ...

2 years ago
Public health officials have diagnosed a Colorado farm worker with the country’s fourth human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state’s department of health reported Wednesday. The Colorado case, the state’s first this year related to spread from dairy cattle to humans, was reported after an adult ...

2 years ago
In an instant, Fred Levendofsky knows his life could have been changed forever. Thirty years ago, the Belleville man was a young farmer and father with two small children. On one particular day, he was shredding weeds with a tractor and mower around a lagoon in a cattle lot near his parents’ home. “I thought everything was ...

2 years ago
Summer rains that leave behind humid air are keeping farmers out of the fields until late in the day, but producers are just glad to be able to climb in the cab and cut some wheat this year. After a multi-year drought, the showers and sprinkles are welcome, even if they delay the final stretch ...

2 years ago
As the calendar flips over to July, the combines keep rolling across western Kansas, albeit getting a late start on Monday due to lingering moisture from rain over the weekend. Better than expected final yields can mean of one of two things to western producers — either that they are actually cutting fields they expected ...

2 years ago
The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Conservation (KDA–DOC) is pleased to announce the availability of funds in the form of cost share assistance and incentive payments to assist commercial feedlots and dairy operations with livestock water efficiency technology. The Kansas Livestock Water Efficiency Pilot Project is part of the state’s ongoing effort to encourage ...

2 years ago
The Kansas Water Office, along with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, hosted six stakeholder input meetings across the state throughout the second half of June. Team Sorghum was well-represented at a majority of these meetings, notably in Colby, Dodge City, Wichita and Salina. According to the Kansas Grain Sorghum ...

2 years ago
At the root of almost every field bindweed outbreak is, in fact, the part of the plant that attaches to the soil and absorbs nutrients, said Kansas State University weed scientist Jeremie Kouame, noting that the weed becomes dominant within fields by developing a vast root system. "It can stay in a soil’s seed bank for ...

2 years ago
The Kansas Department of Agriculture welcomed two beef genetics trade teams in Kansas in June. According to the agency, the first team, from Argentina, embarked on a two-week tour of America’s heartland to explore beef cattle genetics suited for diverse environments in Argentina. During their stay in Kansas, the team visited Dalebanks Angus Ranch in Eureka, ...

2 years ago
The Kansas Department of Agriculture has funds available for certified organic operators through the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP). Farms, ranches, and businesses that produce, process, or package certified organic agricultural products may be reimbursed for eligible expenses. The purpose of the NOCCSP is to defray the costs of receiving and maintaining organic certification ...