Upcoming K-State Horticultural and Agricultural Events

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University Research and Extension and/or its Extension Master Gardeners are participating in the following area and statewide horticultural events, available to all interested persons. For more information about these, as well as more localized events, check with your local K-State Research and Extension office.

 K-State soil management specialist DeAnn Presley...

K-State soil management specialist DeAnn Presley talks about the issue of compacted crop fields following this fall's rain-plagued harvest:  how to assess a field for compaction, and how and when to go about correcting compaction problems where they are detected.

 Crop weed control specialist Curt Thompson...

K-State crop weed control specialist Curt Thompson covers the herbicide alternatives for controlling winter annual weed on fields being planted to corn or grain sorghum next spring...and which tank mixes are recommended for various weed problems growers want to address.

Holiday Season 2009: Sweet Potatoes - Did You Know?

* Central Americans were raising sweet potatoes when Christopher Columbus first landed on their shores in 1492. He liked the vegetable so much that on his fourth voyage, he took some home to grow in Europe.

 K-State agricultural economist Dan O'Brien...

K-State agricultural economist Dan O'Brien looks at the market response to the USDA's November crop production numbers from earlier in the week, and the world grain supply and demand numbers in that report.

‘Keeping the Family Farming’ Workshops Set for January in Beloit, Hiawatha

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University and the Kansas Farm Analyst Program will offer Keeping the Family Farming Workshops for families who are working through the benefits and challenges of incorporating family members and others into a farm operation or passing the family farm business from one generation to the next.

 K-State crop entomologist Jeff Whitworth...

K-State crop entomologist Jeff Whitworth advises wheat growers on responding to greenbugs and bird cherry oat aphids on wheat this fall, as both serve as vectors for barley yellow dwarf disease.

A Backyard Haven For Wildlife--Birdbaths, feeders entice animals into your landscape
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. -- Once the growing season is done and the gardening equipment has been put away, many homeowners invite birds into their home landscape.  It’s a win-win situation.  Birds find necessary nourishment during the cold, winter months, and families enjoy watching the colorful, often graceful visitors.
11/11/2009

 Jason Lamprecht, Kansas Agricutural Statistics...

The deputy director of Kansas Agricultural Statistics, Jason Lamprecht, reports the Kansas numbers from this morning's USDA November crop production report, and talks about this week's Kansas harvest progress report from his office.

 Visiting speaker Therese McBeath...

A visiting speaker from a university in Australia, Therese McBeath, talks about her work on fertilizer management practices in dryland cropping systems in her country...some of which could translate to fertilizer practices used here in the central plains.

 K-State grain scientist Dirk Maier...

K-State grain scientist Dirk Maier offers timely information for grain producers on managing high-moisture corn and soybeans, including harvest practices that can
minimize damage to the crops, how to dry high-moisture grain to prevent further damage, and how to best manage grain once it emerges from the dryer.

Late Wheat Planting Requires Extra Planning
Some wheat has not yet been planted this year across Kansas -- especially in the eastern third of the state -- due in some cases to wet soil conditions. In other cases, producers are still waiting to harvest their soybeans, grain sorghum or corn before planting wheat, said Jim Shroyer, Kansas State University Research and Extension crop production specialist.
10/29/2009

 K-State agronomist Alan Schlegel...

K-State agronomist Alan Schlegel talks about what K-State field research shows about converting Conservation Reserve Program grassland back to crop production:  the effectiveness of various methods in clearing off the grass cover; which initial crop to go
with; and what adjustments in nitrogen management will be necessary early on in the crop rotation.

 Oklahoma State livestock economist Derrell Peel...

Providing this week's cattle market analysis and commentary is Oklahoma State livestock economist Derrell Peel...he sizes up the notable improvement in fed cattle prices last week...he also remarks on the potential for cattle feeders to take advantage of feedstuff
"bargains" resulting from the extended delays in the corn and grain sorghum harvests.

 K-State grain market economist Mike Woolverton...

K-State grain market economist Mike Woolverton comments on this week's improvement in grain prices, in the wake of continuing difficulties with row crop harvest and wheat planting across the midwest and central plains.

 WHEAT SCOOP 10/23/2009...

For the past few years, acres planted to wheat throughout the U.S. have fallen, while acres sown to corn and soybeans are on the increase. Wheat falling out of favor with many farmers is causing a conundrum among those involved in the industry. Kansas Wheat's Bill Spiegel explains. 

Nitrogen Cycling via Cover Crops Protects Groundwater
MANHATTAN, Kan. – One of the range of reasons for growing cover crops is to “trap” nitrogen in the soil and preserve it for future use.
10/22/2009

 K-State wheat genetics researcher John Fellers...

K-State wheat genetics researcher John Fellers discusses his latest efforts in genetically manipulating wheat rust diseases, so that better resistance to rust can be built into the wheat varieties of  the future. He also talks about his research into developing wheat
resistance to triticum mosiac virus, a relatively new disease in Kansas which has been responsible for significant yield loss in certain fields.

Liming Acid Soils Can Bring Optimum Wheat Production
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Soil problems caused by low pH are most likely to develop in Kansas’ sandier soils. They’re common throughout the central corridor of the state, according to agronomists at Kansas State University.
10/15/2009

 Ernie Shea, Natural Resource Solutions...

An extended visit with a guest speaker on the K-State campus this week:  Ernie Shea, the president of Natural Resource Solutions and a member of the 25 X 25 Committee on renewable energy...he'll talk about what production agriculture has to gain from further
development of renewable fuel and energy sources; the future of the carbon credit market;  and the climate change legislation currently under deliberation in Congress...his perceptions on how it will impact agricultural producers.

Kansas Profile - Now That's Rural - Schaake Pumpkin Patch
What did you grow for 4-H? 4-H members grow and create all kinds of things as projects these days. This week, we meet a 4-H family that started out growing pumpkins, and ended up growing a remarkable family business.
10/14/2009

Too Late to Cut Alfalfa?
MANHATTAN, Kan -- If producers haven’t done so already, they may have missed the best timing for the year’s last cutting of alfalfa, according to Kansas State University agronomist Jim Shroyer.
10/8/2009

Kansas Profile - Now That's Rural - Becky and Carroll Walters - Walters' Pumpkin Patch
Where would we find the only pumpkin-shaped canning jar in the world? How about at an innovative pumpkin patch in rural Kansas? This is the remarkable story of the Walters’ Pumpkin Patch.
10/7/2009

 K-State crop entomologist Jeff Whitworth...

K-State crop entomologist Jeff Whitworth discusses a comprehensive research project he has undertaken, in response to increasing problems with Hessian fly damage to winter wheat in Kansas:  among the angles he'll be studying are the effectiveness of the traditional fly-free planting date recommendation and the impact of using insecticidal seed treatments against this pest. 

 Agricultural economist Troy Dumler (Part 2)...

K-State agricultural economist Troy Dumler continues his look at an analysis on the economic performance and outlook for Kansas farm enterprises, comparing current returns to crop and livestock production to those of recent years.

K-State Research and Extension to Host Commercial Pesticide Applicator Training
MCPHERSON, Kan. – Kansas State University Research and Extension will host commercial pesticide applicator recertification training this year in Hays Nov. 9-10 and Manhattan Nov. 12-13.
10/5/2009

K-State Teams With Nebraska, OSU, CSU to Offer 2009 Ag Insurance Workshops
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University Research and Extension is teaming up with the University of Nebraska, Oklahoma State University and Colorado State University to offer a series of workshops focusing on insurance issues in agriculture.
10/2/2009

Sericea Lespedeza Treatment Still Possible This Fall
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- It’s not too late to treat sericea lespedeza on Kansas farms this fall, but treatments should be applied soon, according to a Kansas State University agronomist.
10/1/2009

4-H Sponsoring National Science Experiment - Kansas' Teachers, Students Invited to Participate
MANHATTAN, Kan. – As Kansas State University researchers continue to explore biofuels as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and a potential source of revenue for Kansas' economy, students in the state also will soon have the opportunity to learn about – and simulate the production of a biofuel.
9/30/2009

 Today's agricultural news...

Deputy director of Kansas Agricultural statistics, Jason Lemprecht, provides the Kansas numbers from the USDA's small grains summary released this morning.

 K-State weed ecologist Anita Dille...

K-State weed ecologist Anita Dille discusses the weed control contributions that cover crops can provide in no-till crop rotations in Kansas. The findings are based on several years of new K-State field research on the subject. 

 WHEAT SCOOP 09/25/2009...

As it turns out, the Hessian fly-free date may not be as iron-clad as experts once believed. K-State Extension entomologist Jeff Whitworth says planting wheat after the fly-free date is a good management tool for wheat pests, but research is showing that Hessian flies often persist well after the fly-free date. Kansas Wheat's Bill Spiegel reports.

Enrollment Deadline Approaching for K-State’s 2009-2010 MAST Program
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Oct. 30 is the deadline to enroll in Kansas State University’s Management, Analysis and Strategic Thinking program, also known as the MAST program.
9/24/2009

 Researchers Michel Gay and Sylvie Paradis...

Two visiting researchers from an agricultural university in France, Michel Gay and Sylvie Paradis, talk about the agronomy student exchange program between their university and K-State, and what the French student group has learned about agricultural land management methods while here in Kansas over the past week.

 Tom Herald, USDA...

A research leader with the USDA's Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, Tom Herald, reports on several wheat quality projects that his unit has initiated on behalf of both producers and buyers of wheat.

 WHEAT SCOOP 09/18/2009...

The challenge of feeding the people of the U.S., along with much of the rest of the world, falls squarely upon the shoulders of American farmers. However, farmers are finding themselves caught in a firestorm of controversy about modern agricultural methods. Mark Pearson, host of the Public Broadcasting Service TV program, Market to Market, says it's a battle farmers must win.

 Adrian Polansky, Farm Service Agency...

The state director of the Farm Service Agency, Adrian Polansky, reports on a number of recent developments in USDA farm programs, including the first opportunity for Kansas producers to participate in the Biomass Crop Assistance Program.

 Grain entomology scientist Frank Arthur...

Grain entomology scientist Frank Arthur of the USDA's Grain Marketing and Production Research Center has an update on several research projects aimed at finding better ways of protecting stored grain from insect damage.

 K-State crop production specialist Jim Shroyer...

K-State crop production specialist Jim Shroyer talks more about winter wheat planting:  how much latitude producers have with their planting-time nitrogen applications, and how planting a blend of varieties can prove advantageous in some growing situations.

 WHEAT SCOOP 09/11/2009...

According to Justin Gilpin, chief executive officer of Kansas Wheat, the fact that the 2009 Kansas Hard Red Winter wheat crop exceeded expectations is a credit to improved wheat varieties and farmer practices. Kansas Wheat's Bill Spiegel has more on the 2009 wheat harvest.  

 Cropping systems specialist Kraig Roozeboom...

K-State cropping systems specialist Kraig Roozeboom talks about some of the findings from K-State research into cover crops as a feature of common crop rotations in Kansas. 

 K-State entomology specialist Jeff Whitworth...

K-State entomology specialist Jeff Whitworth discusses corn earworm in sorghum and soybeans.

 K-State field row crops specialist Doug Jardine...

K-State field row crops specialist Doug Jardine looks at several potential disease threats that could hamper Kansas crops this fall.

 Potential Impact of UG-99...

The K-State Radio Network's Richard Baker talks with K-State's Bikram Gill, Michael Pumfry and Mike Woolverton about the potential impact UG-99 could have on the world wheat supply and the economy. 

 WHEAT SCOOP 08/28/2009...

In this week's Wheat Scoop, Bill Spiegel with Kansas Wheat, looks at how proper wheat seed placement and healthy establishment of seedling wheat are essential in getting this fall's wheat crop off to a proper start, and provide the best opportunity for a successful 2010 harvest.

K-State No-Till Study: Water Erosion Curbed Even When Surface Residue Is Sparse

HAYS, Kan. – Even when surface residue is thin, no-till farming practices improve soils and reduce water-related erodibility.  That’s the bottom line from a recent study across the central Great Plains by Kansas State University researcher Humberto Blanco.