3 months ago
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced an action plan to increase the number of rural food animal veterinarians across the U.S. and recruit new veterinarians to join USDA. According to the Kansas Livestock Association, the plan focuses on five objectives to help address this growing shortage. Later this year, USDA will increase funding for the ...

3 months ago
As calving season approaches, experts from the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute are encouraging producers to focus on proactive management strategies to support calf health and herd performance. One key practice is the early castration of bull calves. K-State veterinarian Brad White explained that castration at about two months of age can reduce health risks ...

3 months ago
Kansas State University’s Department of Agronomy and K-State Extension have released the Kansas Wheat Variety Guide 2025, a comprehensive resource designed to help wheat producers select varieties best suited for their growing location. In the August 28th episode of Agriculture Today, plant pathologist Kelsey Andersen Onofre and wheat and forages specialist Romulo Lollato discussed the updated guide ...

3 months ago
What started as a small idea nearly three decades ago has grown into one of the most popular attractions at the Kansas State Fair. Agriland, the interactive agricultural exhibit in the Pride of Kansas Building, has been giving families and school groups a hands-on look at farming and food production since 1995. For Kansas Wheat ...

3 months ago
Kim Barnes scoured 52 years of contacts in his Rolodex to find buyers for 1.7 million bushels of last year’s grain sorghum crop after a cut in federal programs and international trade left the market in chaos. This month, 1 million bushels of sorghum, commonly called milo, are leaving the Pawnee County Co-Op in Larned by ...

3 months ago
When retail prices for any consumer product reach record-high levels, a corresponding drop in demand usually materializes in short order. However, according to CoBank, beef seems to be one of the exceptions. While retail beef prices have risen sharply in recent years, demand has not softened. In fact, USDA data shows the all-fresh retail beef ...

3 months ago
Every pound counts at the sale barn — and sometimes, the weight loss happens long before calves ever hit the scale. For cattle producers, shrink isn’t just a biological response to stress; it’s an invisible drain on profit margins that can be managed with the right timing and techniques, according to K-State beef cattle experts. K-State veterinarian ...

3 months ago
Navigating the unknown for the stocker operator and fueling performance from the inside out are among topics planned for the 2025 Kansas State University Beef Stocker Field Day on Thursday, Sept. 25. The conference will take place at the K-State Beef Stocker Unit. Registration is $25 and due Sept. 11. Walk-in registration is available for $35. To ...

3 months ago
Life on the farm has never been easy. Long hours, unpredictable weather and volatile markets are part of the job, but in recent years, wheat growers and farmers across the country have faced a wave of challenges that go beyond the fields. Rising debt, shrinking margins and isolation have placed enormous strain on rural families. ...

3 months ago
For Charlie and Jeremy Kootz, a father-son team farming near the Kannapolis Reservoir in Ellsworth County, cover crops are more than conservation. For them, it’s about building healthier soils, reducing erosion, protecting water supplies, improving profitability, and extending the grazing season into fall and winter. “We’re trying to incorporate cover crops to boost soil health and ...

3 months ago
Just like people, no two cattle operations are the same. But with recent record-breaking cattle market prices, faculty with Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute are offering insight on how cow-calf producers might best capitalize on the market’s momentum. “Eliminating as much debt as possible is crucial,” K-State veterinarian Todd Gunderson said. “Operating debt-free is a ...