Protect and enhance

There's an old saying that goes something like this: Sometimes you have to look back on where you've been to know where you're going. While I'm not a fanatic about history, I believe it certainly has its place in our society today.

Rick’s Ag Roundup Weekly News

K-STATE CATTLEMEN'S DAY Make plans now to attend the 98th annual KSU Cattlemen's Day will be held on Friday, March 4. This program is designed to provide producers, allied industry and individuals with information about new developments in the beef industry. The day will begin with the Commercial Trade Show and Educational Exhibits at 8 a.m. in Weber Arena. The morning program will start at 10 a.m. with a welcome by Dr. Ken Odde, followed ...

2011 Conservation Tree Seedling Sales

The Kansas Forest Service's 55th consecutive Conservation Tree Sales Program has reached mid-term. In spite of the weather, sales have been relatively brisk. At the half-way point of the season, we are not sold out of any species, but we are running low on black walnut seed, elderberry, pawpaw, and persimmon.

Celebrate our healthy, bountiful food supply

As many Americans continue to face economic hard times, there is no reason to compromise the welfare of your family's diet. The cost of eating healthy hasn't changed as much as some less-healthy alternatives. It does require strategic shopping however.

Rick's Ag Roundup

A LEGEND IN MANY WAYS - REMEMBERING BILL I have been fortunate and blessed over the years to have known many fine people. One of those is Bill Vanskike. I say "is" because I am sure he is still around, I just can't see his physical form anymore. Bill was a legend! I don't mean he was made up; oh no, with Bill what you saw was what you got. No, Bill was a legend ...

Wildlife specialist demonstrates how to solve rodent problem

Moles and pocket gophers can be among the most destructive pests to home landscapes.The Barton County Extension Office in Great Bend gets many calls annually from homeowners with holes, tunnels and mounds on their property which disrupts mowing and plant growth. Recently, Charlie Lee, Kansas State University wildlife damage control specialist, came out on the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 4, to the Jim And Marlies Stevens property southeast of Great Bend with Rick Snell, ...

Kansas Department of Commerce to host five-part agritourism course

Farmers, business owners and entrepreneurs interested in agritourism are invited to attend a five-part agritourism course in February and March at Pratt Community College in Pratt.

Pass the heel, please

You've got to forgive me, but during this holiday season, seems like my thoughts turn to food and all of the wonderful homemade dishes of this season. I do enjoy the great fellowship with family and friends, but alas, what would this be without something good to eat.

K-State wheat research leads to multi-state entomology grant

MANHATTAN – Kansas State University joins four other land-grant universities in sharing a three year, $1.9 million grant to study pest control methods, treatments and best management practices in wheat. The USDA's Risk Avoidance and Mitigation Program (RAMP) awarded the grant, which provides resources that allow scientists from the five institutions to complete their work.

It’s a new year already

You've got to be kidding me, a new year already! 2011 will be here in just a few days and there will be a lot going on. Read on for some great educational opportunities.

Rick Snell Column

BEEF RED BOOKS AVAILABLE You've got just enough time before Christmas to buy one of the beef red books at our office for $6.00 each. Yes, that's right folks; you won't want to miss out on deals like this, especially since we only have a few! So much for the commercial but, once again this year, we will have the red beef cow-calf record pocket calendars for sale at $6 each. These make great Christmas ...

Rick's Ag Roundup

LAST FARM SPRAYER SCHOOL FOR A LONG TIME On Wednesday, Jan. 5, Dr. Bob Wolf from K-State Ag Engineering will be here to conduct a sprayer school at the old 4-H Grounds north of Great Bend on Highway 281. We will be in the big 4-H building with plenty of heat. Dr. Wolf is retiring soon, so this maybe the last sprayer event that we have for a long time. Bob will talk about various ...

Insight

If you're even a casual observer of weather, you know the East Coast was brutalized with the season's first round of snow and blinding winds that brought the New York state region to its knees.

Christmas past recalled

Seems a long time ago my mother told me about one of her first Christmas celebrations. The Christmas was 1930 and she would have been six years old.

KFB Young Farmers & Ranchers to hone leadership, advocacy skills

MANHATTAN – More than 400 farmers and ranchers between the ages of 18 and 35 will gather next month in Wichita to network, learn and help position themselves as leaders in agriculture and rural Kansas.

University team receives $9.6 million USDA grant to help develop solutions for beef cattle grazing s

Drought, flooding, extreme heat, subzero temperatures: All of these climatic events and more in Kansas can threaten the supply and affordability of the nation's beef supply. It's hard to do much about the weather, but a team of Kansas State University scientists will be trying to find solutions so cattlemen can better adapt to any future climate extremes in their grazing operations.

Wandering about wheat

Looking at wheat throughout the central region of Kansas during the first couple days of May, members of the Wheat Quality Council (WQC) labeled the crop in fairly average to slightly above average condition.

Barton County Farm Bureau awards scholarships

Trees need care through dry weather

The question that I seem to get most often right now is why are my trees dying? Most of the time, the answer is the drought. Even though we have had some moisture recently, we are still in a severe drought. Driving around the county, you will even see old, big Red Cedars dying in the tree rows. That is because we have had two summers that were extremely hot and dry which baked the ...

Divide remains in Congress over Farm Bill, food stamps

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House and Senate Agriculture Committees laid the groundwork this week for reducing the size of the federal food stamp program, approving farm bills that would shrink food aid and alter the way people qualify for it.

Kansas CRP meetings for landowners prior to signup hosted by PF

Pheasants Forever is hosting fifty-one informational meetings across Kansas for landowners and agricultural producers in advance of the USDA Farm Service Agency's Conservation Reserve Program general sign-up that runs May 20 through June 14. Led by Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists, landowners can learn how to increase their farm or ranch income while creating wildlife habitat in the process.

Even Animal Lovers Prefer No Rabbits in the Garden

This week, I found a column from K-State's Mary Lou Peter about the rabbits that are out and about. They may be cute hopping around in a field, but when they get into your garden, their cuteness wears a little thin.

MILC, SURE, and NAP will restart on May 8

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Juan M. Garcia announced today that farm payments, which had been temporarily suspended due to sequestration, are scheduled to resume today, May 8th. This includes payments for the 2011 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE), the Noninsured Crop Assistance Program (NAP) and the Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC).

Why Does It Matter?

This is finals week at Barton and many of the other colleges around the state. For instructors it's time to evaluate what students learned over the last semester. For students it's time for that one last push to maintain or raise their grades. While faculty see testing as a method to evaluate learning and adjust accordingly, students often see testing as a way to be tortured. Students focus on the grade while faculty focus on ...

Play safe on the farm

The dream of many young farm boys and girls is to ride on a tractor. For a youngster, the mammoth tractor epitomizes raw power, responsibility and coming of age.