The Year In Agriculture

2012 is almost history and 2013 is just around the corner. Top Ten lists will start coming out soon. In order to beat the holiday rush, let's use this column to take a look at the top ten stories in Kansas regarding agriculture. This is just one person's opinion and I welcome any discussion and input.

Representing agriculture

Bauer to retire from NRCS

Gregory Bauer is retiring as the Natural Resources Conservation Service's supervisory district conservationist out of the Great Bend Field Office. He has served the NRCS for 32 and a half years.

Farmers and ranchers finish business at annual meeting in Manhattan

More than 400 Farm Bureau members of Kansas wrapped up importance business for their farm organization after debating and adopting policy statements for 2013. These policies will now become the roadmap for the organization during the upcoming legislative session.

Sign of the Times

The sheriff from Tillman County Oklahoma was featured this past week during a story on a crime increasing significantly in his and many other counties in the Great Plains. They had successfully arrested the criminals using GPS technology. What was the crime? You might guess some drug problem like crystal meth or even cattle rustling. You would be wrong. The crime epidemic catching the attention of the national media was stealing hay.

Farmers and ranchers of Kansas Farm Bureau to meet in Manhattan

MANHATTAN – More than 1,000 Farm Bureau members in Kansas will gather in Manhattan Monday through Wednesday for their organization's 94th Annual Meeting.

Taking a break

What would you think are the hardest transitions students must make when moving on to college after graduation? Take a second and think about it. This is purely anecdotal but here are the observations and how they relate to working in the world of agriculture:

Drought conditions intensify

If the dry conditions we experienced in Ellis County on the opening weekend of pheasant season are any indication of what's to come, we're in for a lot of trouble. We walked several miles on Nov. 10 and 11 and drove across much of the county and into northern Ness County.

Jobs that don’t exist yet

This past Tuesday at the regular meeting of the Barton Community College Board of Trustees, members of the various advisory boards assisting the various technical programs spoke to the Trustees. They discussed their service on the appropriate advisory board, how programs at Barton have benefitted their industry, and what they saw as the future needs in their area. Agriculture was well represented by Andrew Murphy from ILS and Marvin Rose from the Great Bend Coop. ...

Something To Be Thankful For

As Thanksgiving is this week, it's a good idea here to think of what we can be thankful for in agriculture.

Why it’s called ‘Turkey Day’

How did the turkey reserve its place on our traditional Thanksgiving table? That bird is what the pilgrims feasted upon according to fact and fable. You've all heard how our ancestors hunted this bird. But here is the real story – the turkey scoop. Seems our forefathers remembered to take their muskets that day, but forgot to take their ammunition. As the men marched toward the woods, they took one addition, an Indian scout. You ...

I Know It When I See It

First, let's list the questions readers were asked to think about last week regarding animal care.

Three Sides to Every Story

One course agriculture students take is titled "Agriculture In Society", a class mentioned before in this column. This class exposes students to the role agriculture has played in the development of civilization; the way agriculture is viewed in today's society; the challenges agriculture faces now and as it moves forward; and misconceptions the 98% not involved in the production of food, fiber, and fuel have about the industry. A large area of conflict and misconception ...

Cargill grant introduces students to careers in ag, business and engineering

MANHATTAN – Cargill recently renewed its support of the Cargill Project Impact Diversity Partnership at Kansas State University with a gift of $1.2 million. Through this program, K-State works to recruit and retain qualified, multicultural students in its agriculture, business administration and engineering colleges. The program was first introduced in 2008 through a Cargill contribution of $1 million.

EQIP provides opportunities for rangeland concerns

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Eric B. Banks, announced that the application evaluation cutoff date will be Friday, Nov. 16 for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

Farm Service Agency County Committee nomination period begins June 17

Kansas Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Adrian J. Polansky announced today that the nomination period for local FSA county committees begins on Monday, June 17th.

Problems with tomato plants

It's that time of year again when everything is growing, and people are looking forward to be rewarded for all of their hard work in the garden. With the unseasonal low temperatures this year, your garden might be a little behind normal, but with our recent rains, the weather warming up, and a little bit of care right now, your garden should be getting into the full swing of things.

Lessons from the land

For Kansans June, July and August are months when some of us return to our roots and visit family in rural communities across the state. Some go back to help with wheat harvest, others go home to spend time visiting with friends they have grown up with. For all it's a time to reflect and remember.

Fathers’ Day and Agriculture

First here's wishing all the dads out there a Happy Fathers' Day. Since the wheat is rapidly ripening and harvest will soon be here, especially after the past week's heat, let's focus on something a bit more upbeat fathers, children, and agriculture.

Quarter-scale tractors, full-scale success: University teams win international competition

Kansas State University's quarter-scale tractor design teams are the winners of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers' 16th annual International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition, May 30-June 2, in Peoria, Ill.

Conservation Stewardship Program applications due by June 14

The Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) will provide about $175 million in funding for up to 12.6 million additional acres enrollment this year.

Not so fast

Pre-packaged, vacuum-packed, just add water…

Caring for container plants

Sometimes, when you are taking care of your container plants, you might see a white or yellowish build up around the edges of the pot, or even on the soil itself. Many people wonder what this is, and want to either repot the plant entirely, or sadly, think that there is something wrong with the plant and just stop trying. The cause of this build up is actually very easy to explain, and easy to remove to be able to keep your plants healthy and looking great.

So You Want A Career in Agriculture

Everyone is waiting to see what the wheat crop will hold. Summer crops are pretty well planted until double-cropping. The area has been receiving fairly significant rain and overall temperatures, while a little cool for corn and sorghum, are great for wheat grain development. Let's take the opportunity to shift gears from crops to our most important agricultural resource – people. Specifically, let's take a look at the people out in the fields and feedlots ...

Patent issued for beneficial animal ‘candy’

A U.S. patent has been granted to a Kansas State University-developed "candy" that stimulates the growth, health and reproductive functions of cattle, bulls and other livestock.