7 months ago
Steady rains that fell on many parts of Kansas in late May highlight a delicate balancing act for the state’s farmers. On one hand, rain is the lifeblood of agriculture. Many livestock ponds received a timely boost while crop producers – especially wheat growers – needed the rain to increase their chances of a bountiful harvest ...

7 months ago
The USDA announced this week it will be expediting Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) payments to cattle producers who suffered losses from drought and wildfire in 2023 and/or 2024. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will use existing Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) data to streamline payment calculations. Payments automatically will be issued for producers who ...

7 months ago
Kansas State University nano-entomologist Amie Norton describes a process in which researchers discovered alfalfa’s ability to detect contaminants in water and milk. The finding may lead to a more efficient way to test liquids for the presence of contaminants, something that could help save lives in regions or countries where water is compromised by environment or ...

7 months ago
In early May, a delegation of U.S. livestock genetics and agriculture leaders representing Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Idaho, and the Senepol Cattle Breeders Association traveled to Aguascalientes, Mexico, to advance trade partnerships and expand the global reach of U.S. beef cattle genetics. Delegates from Kansas included Dr. Justin Smith, Kansas Department of Agriculture Animal Health ...

7 months ago
With irrigation systems running across Kansas fields, a simple adjustment could make a big difference in conserving water and boosting crop performance —slowing down the speed of center pivot systems. Kansas State University water resource engineer Jonathan Aguilar said a simple but often overlooked adjustment — slowing the speed of center pivot irrigation systems — could ...

7 months ago
The U.S. House Agriculture Committee passed its initial reconciliation bill yesterday. It contains several NCBA-supported provisions that strengthen the defense against foreign animal disease and aid producers who have lost cattle due to predator depredation or natural disasters. The legislation now moves to the full House for further consideration. This bill addresses several issues NCBA members ...

7 months ago
In dry western Kansas, the sound of artificial rain spraying from center pivot irrigation sprinklers fills the spaces between the small towns. Irrigation has turned this region into a productive agricultural powerhouse, churning out millions of bushels of grain. Heath Koehn farms with his dad near Montezuma over the Ogallala aquifer that supplies farmers with irrigation and ...

7 months ago
Ten years ago, Andrew Koukol nearly became a statistic. Instead, the father of two preschoolers today crunches numbers for a Kansas City-based engineering firm. In the summer of 2014, he was a 21-year-old college student with a summer job to mow roadsides for a Kansas City area suburb. He was no stranger to operating a tractor. That’s a ...

7 months ago
The 2025 Wheat Quality Council’s Hard Winter Wheat Tour across Kansas wrapped up on May 15. During the three days of wheat scouting, tour participants traveled six routes from Manhattan to Colby to Wichita and back to Manhattan. This year's tour hosted 67 people from 21 U.S. states and six countries in 17 vehicles while ...

7 months ago
On Wednesday, 67 people on the Wheat Quality Council’s 2025 winter wheat tour made their way from Colby to Wichita, Kansas, stopping in wheat fields along six different routes. They were joined in Wichita by local farmers. Wednesday’s wheat tour scouts made 211 stops at wheat fields across western, central and southern Kansas, and into northern ...

7 months ago
About 67 people from 21 U.S. states and six countries, traveled in 17 cars on six routes between Manhattan and Colby, Kan., Tuesday, stopping at wheat fields every 15-20 miles along the routes, as part of the Wheat Quality Council’s 67th Annual Hard Winter Wheat Evaluation Tour. These tour participants included flour millers and industry professionals ...