2 years ago
Agricultural producers’ sentiment increased for the second consecutive month, as the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index rose 5 points to a reading of 115, a 12% increase compared to the previous year. According to Purdue, the sentiment growth is largely attributed to farmers’ improved perceptions of their farms’ financial conditions and prospects. This month’s ...

2 years ago
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched an online application for Direct Loan customers. According to the agency, More than 26,000 customers who submit a Direct Loan application each year can now use an online, interactive, guided application that is paperless and provides helpful features including an electronic signature option, the ability to attach supporting ...

2 years ago
Fruit tree bark is a tasty alternative – and often favorite -- food source for mice in the winter. Ah, rats… Kansas State University horticulture expert Cynthia Domenghini said mice chew through the outer layer of bark at the base of trees. “Heavy feeding reduces the trees’ ability to transport food to the roots and can result ...

2 years ago
Kansas State University has been chosen to lead a five-year study on the effects of several crop production management practices on soil, sustainability and crop yields, a project that one university researcher says could increase crop productivity by “billions of dollars.” Dorivar Ruiz Diaz said that K-State has received $7.7 million from the Foundation for Food and ...

2 years ago
Concerns about a program which aids farmers and ranchers are being raised at the highest level. U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) led their colleagues in the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives in raising concerns regarding the 2022 Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack. “The 2022 crop ...

2 years ago
Nearly 400 Farm Bureau members of Kansas this week wrapped up business for their farm organization during Kansas Farm Bureau’s 105th annual meeting. According to the organization, the policies adopted will now become the organization’s road map for the 2024 legislative session. Topics of discussion included economic development, agricultural credit and energy production and transmission. Pottawatomie County ...

2 years ago
The Kansas Department of Agriculture is awaiting confirmation on a presumptive positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a backyard flock in Pottawatomie County. According to the agency, if confirmed, it would be the first case of HPAI in Kansas this fall. “If you have not yet taken steps to protect your backyard flocks, ...

2 years ago
Have you looked at the improved Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) policy lately? Farm Bureau policy supports the development and maintenance of “adequate risk management tools for livestock producers1, and judging by the numbers of animals insured withLRP, from its inception in 2003 through 2020, the LRP policy was arguably less than adequate. However, with the passing of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, several improvements ...

2 years ago
Alliance Ag & Grain is pleased to announce the launch of an apprenticeship program through Kansas Farm Bureau’s (KFB) award-winning Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program (RKAP). “Alliance Ag & Grain is excited to partner with Kansas Farm Bureau in their Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program,” says Jeff Stockton, Alliance Ag & Grain vice president of business development. “For us, ...

2 years ago
Kansas State University is incorporating technology to help farmers grow better crops. For instance, one computer-based program compiles essential data from a field to help farmers make a decision on the best time to harvest a crop. “In many situations, allocating time resources on when to harvest is one of the critical aspects to make sure that ...

2 years ago
Kansas State University and Kansas Department of Agriculture economists are reporting findings of a study indicating that alleviating a shortage of farm labor in Kansas could boost the state’s economy by as much as $11.7 billion. “Accepting the status quo in the labor market is costly,” said agricultural economist Jenny Ifft, who is also K-State’s Flinchbaugh ...