4 years ago
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that it is accepting Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) renewal applications through March 31 for over 11,000 contracts set to end this year. CSP is USDA’s largest working lands conservation program with more than 90 million acres enrolled. “In fiscal year 2020, NRCS helped enhance 9.3 million acres of ...

4 years ago
For Kansas gardeners, St. Patrick’s Day means something much more than donning a favorite green outfit and heading to local celebrations. Traditionally, the Irish holiday signals the date for planting potatoes. “Actually, anytime from mid- to late-March is fine for potato planting,” said Kansas State University horticulture expert Ward Upham. “Be sure to buy seed potatoes rather than ...

4 years ago
For years, Kansas has outpaced all other states as the top producer of grain sorghum, and growers have a resource to help keep it that way. Kansas State University’s 2020 Kansas Performance Tests with Grain Sorghum Hybrids publication is now available online and features summaries of last year’s growing conditions, disease and insect considerations, and performance ...

4 years ago
To the uninitiated, it’s an awesome and sometimes scary sight, coming over a hill to encounter a burning prairie as far as the eye can see. But planned burning – also called prescribed burning – of the tallgrass prairie is a proven effective and widely used way to control invasive plant species. The practice also ...

4 years ago
The 56th Annual Mid America Farm Expo is a go for this spring. After being one of the first of many events cancelled over concerns surrounding COVID-19 last year, organizers are prepping for a return of vendors and patrons from all over the region. Eric Brown, President and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce tells ...

4 years ago
Youth enrolled in the Kansas 4-H horse project will receive a big boost later this month with the release of a video series that promotes their career interests. According to Kansas State University Research and Extension, 4-H youth development specialist Anissa Jepsen at the state office in Manhattan, said the five-part series is a combined effort ...

4 years ago
A Kansas State University researcher and her team are taking a closer look at how tiny organisms living in the guts of pigs can help prevent costly respiratory diseases. Megan Niederwerder, assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, led a recent study aimed to identify gut microbiome characteristics associated with improved ...

4 years ago
Snow thawing and warm days may lift the spirits of many, but for cattle producers it often leads to extra work managing around mud. According to Kansas State University Research and Extension,  not only is mud an inconvenience, but the veterinarians at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute said if not managed properly, it can ...

4 years ago
State health officials reminds Kansans that March and April are a time when large areas of the state’s Flint Hills rangeland are burned. According Kansas State University, these burns help preserve the tallgrass prairie, control invasive species such as Eastern Red Cedar and Sumac and provide better forage for cattle. Prescribed burning minimizes risk of wildfires ...

4 years ago
A pair of simple tools will help to ensure success when planting a vegetable garden, according to Kansas State University horticulture expert Ward Upham. He noted that a string line is commonly used to plant straight rows, while a planting board helps to make spacing vegetables within a row easier. “Most gardeners make their own string line,” ...

4 years ago
While cool-season grasses are more common in Kansas, many parts of the state are more ideal for warm-season grasses, or those more tolerant of high temperatures and drought conditions. Zoysiagrass, bermudagrass and buffalograss are the most common warm-season grasses in Kansas. Of these, buffalograss is thought to require less maintenance because it can survive with less ...