2 years ago
 Strawberry plants need time to gradually adjust to winter conditions and temperature drops to become cold resistant. Sudden changes in temperature can severely damage strawberry plants, said Kansas State University horticulture expert Ward Upham.  “Strawberry plants are better able to withstand colder temperatures in the middle of the winter than in the fall before they have ...

2 years ago
In Kansas, agriculture is the top economic activity, to the tune of $64 billion annually, and more than 250,000 jobs. The state is a national leader in producing wheat, grain sorghum and beef. “However,” said Rebecca McMahon, a horticulture food crops agent for K-State Research and Extension’s Sedgwick County office, “despite Kansas’ important role in agricultural ...

2 years ago
The Kansas Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications from producers to participate in the Kansas Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Program. The Kansas LFPA Program will strengthen the state’s local food system by providing expanded wholesale market access to Kansas’ food producers and increasing access to locally sourced food in rural and urban counties ...

2 years ago
 Tummy troubles can be miserable and if diarrhea is a symptom, it can lead to a serious illness in people and cattle, say the experts at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute on a recent Cattle Chat podcast. “Newly weaned calves can show signs of coccidiosis, which is caused by a parasite that invades the lining of ...

2 years ago
Even as Thanksgiving draws near, it’s easy have a pessimistic perspective about the current state of the world. If you’re feeding a gathering of 10 people, a traditional turkey dinner will cost 20 percent more this year, according to an American Farm Bureau Federation survey. To be fair, wages are rising but at a much slower ...

2 years ago
Figs aren’t a popular fruit to grow in Kansas, but Kansas State University horticulture expert Ward Upham says it can be done. More hardy varieties can withstand the state’s cold winters and produce fruit by the following fall, he notes. “Most fig trees are only hardy (until temperatures reach) 12 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, though some ...

2 years ago
While triple-digit yields may have seemed impossible during this year’s drought, Kansas wheat producers exemplified how the right combination of genetics, management and luck pay off with the winning entries in the 2022 National Wheat Yield Contest. According to the Kansas Wheat Commission, national and state winners were recently released by the National Wheat Foundation, which ...

2 years ago
A lack of a skilled agriculture workforce is a top inhibitor of growth and expansion for many Kansas agriculture entities. To help support growth in agriculture, the Kansas Department of Agriculture seeks to help the industry better understand workforce needs among agricultural employers in the state. According to the agency, to link the supply of human ...

2 years ago
Many start their day with a multivitamin to supplement their diet in hopes of being as healthy as possible. In much the same way, mineral supplementation can overcome deficiencies in the grasses that cattle graze, said the experts at Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute. Speaking on a recent Cattle Chat podcast, the beef cattle experts stressed the ...

2 years ago
When the Hilmar Cheese Company announced in May 2021 that it would be building a cheese and whey processing plant south of Dodge City, it marked another major success for the Kansas dairy industry. Hilmar’s facility, which is expected to be operational in 2024, will create 247 new jobs. The project and associated dairy farms needed ...

2 years ago
Natural hearing loss comes with age, but exposure to a loud environment -- common in agriculture -- can cause noise-induced hearing loss, said a pair of Kansas State University safety experts. Loud machinery, equipment and even animals can play a role in hearing loss related to farming and ranching, said Brad Dirks, associate director of the ...