Kansas Farm Bureau honors traditionand heritage of family farms

Tradition and heritage is a big part of what makes agriculture such an attractive way of life for so many Kansans. The lifeblood of our existence, the farms and ranches in Kansas, provide food, fuel and fiber for the world.

Wheat, Weather and Working Together

Dr. Victor L. Martin The reports are out and winter wheat acreage is up significantly. Good wheat prices helped this boost in planting as did weather factors. Speaking with some irrigators, wheat was planted in response to irrigated water use during the 2011 crop year. Back in December, the column grading the winter wheat crop put it in the B range, especially after what was feared with the drought. The December moisture was extremely beneficial ...

Misperceptions and reality

Dr. Victor L. Martin We will skip the weather and wheat this week to address an article that appeared on the front page of the Yahoo! Website this past week by a Terence Loose, titled "College Majors That Are Useless." At the top of the list was Agriculture. Two items are quite telling in his brief, sarcastic rundown. First, Mr. Loose states the following, "Still, if your idea of a good day is getting up ...

Tell your story and tell it straight

By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau Several hundred young farmers and ranchers from across the Sunflower State will gather in Wichita Jan. 27-29 to learn more about leadership and hone these skills. As these young Farm Bureau leaders continue to grow and progress in their chosen profession, many will step forward to voice their opinions, to say what's on their minds and stand up for their beliefs – to make a difference. It's not always ...

Exploring New Frontiers: Research examines virus infection’s differing effects on plants, insects

Tomato spotted wilt virus can be deadly for many important plants, but have little effect on the plants' small insect hosts. Research by a Kansas State University plant pathologist and two students is examining why.

Happy birthday Kansas

This Jan. 29, our state will be 151 years old. Kansas was admitted to the Union two and a half months before the beginning of the Civil War – one of our nation's most terrible times.

Answers to last weeks problems listed

First, last week there were some simple ag-related math problems with answers promised this week. Here are the problems with the solutions. Remember you should have only needed pencil and paper for one of them.

A necessary skill

A while back, a college was conducting a consumer science study on shoppers' purchasing skills. One part of their study focused on shoppers' ability to discern prices, so they set up a simple study in a grocery store. At the same store they sold soup in two different ways and measured sales. They priced it at 25 cents a can and at three cans for $1. Guess which resulted in the sale of more cans. ...

Moderation and balance

It's the new year and like so many, I have vowed to shed those extra pounds. Losing weight is no easy task. Expectations often exceed the will to lose the weight gradually during an extended period of time.

A Brand New Year

Dr. Victor L. Martin Happy New Year. In the "good old days" January, February, and even March were fairly quiet times for agriculture except for those with cattle and especially those calving. This was a time to recharge and plan for the upcoming spring and summer. There is a saying that nature abhors a vacuum and you can add agriculture to that adage. Everyone from K-State and crop consultants to all aspects of agribusiness looked ...

Our people, our policy

By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau Agriculture in Kansas has always been about people – farmers and ranchers who share the same vocation, although perhaps different commodity interests and sometimes with a slightly different political bent. Dedicated members of various farm organizations have always come together under the common bond of unity and spoken with strength on behalf of their ag industry while maintaining their independent farm and ranch lifestyle. Farm organizations, including Farm Bureau, ...

A rose by any other name

By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau Several years ago I heard it said that garbage is the ugly side of plenty. No matter what you choose to call it – solid waste, refuse or some other more politically correct phrase – garbage remains just that, garbage. You know the stuff I'm talking about, too. That awful pungent collection we set on the curb each week. Torn tennis shoes, moldy grass clippings, empty food packages, food ...

An Early Christmas Present

Dr. Victor L. Martin It's a day early but Merry Christmas. Even though Western Kansas had to struggle through some pretty nasty weather this past week, you didn't hear many complaints. After the drought conditions that marked the last half of 2010 and most of 2011, the moisture received over the last several weeks was certainly an early Christmas gift for everyone in this part of the country. In this area we received plentiful rain ...

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Announces Sign-Up Period for Conservation Stewardship Pr

U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced that the ranking period cut-off date for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is January 13, 2012. Producers interested in CSP should submit applications to their local NRCS office by the deadline so that their applications can be considered during the first ranking period of 2012.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announces Energy Efficiency and Flexible Fuel Pump Grants in Kansas

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced loans and grants for agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in their operations. The funding is provided through USDA Rural Development's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

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.

FFA officers installed at banquet

Soil Stewardship Week

In 1955, the National association of Conservation Districts began a national program to encourage Americans to focus on stewardship. Stewardship Week is officially celebrated from the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in May. It is one of the world's largest conservation-related observances.

Small raised garden

Do you have a small backyard? Do you wish you had the space for a garden, but don't want to sacrifice your entire yard to be able to grow your favorite vegetables? Well, an option for you is to garden is a small raised bed. When you garden in a raised bed system, one of the most important things to consider is the soil that you are going to use. One of the major reasons ...

The Law of the Minimum

There isn't much to say regarding the wheat crop right now but to wait so let's go in a different direction this week. First, the Crop Protection class at the college toured the area south of the college this past Wednesday travelling as far south as the Hudson area. Normally they can examine wheat, alfalfa, and newly emerged corn. Since the weather went south pretty quickly, the tour was a bit abbreviated. It's safe to ...