Agricultural groups and elected officials react to trade aid announcement
WASHINGTON -- Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on Thursday, May 23, that the USDA is rolling out up to $16 billion in programs to help farmers during the trade negotiations. Agricultural organizations around the country are making their opinion known about this development. In a statement from the American Farm Bureau Federation, President Zippy Duvall said, “The Trump Administration’...
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USDA Announces Support for Farmers Impacted by Unjustified Retaliation and Trade Disruption
Washington (news release) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take several actions to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation and trade disruption. President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a relief strategy to support American agricultural producers while the Administration ...
Read More National BioDiesel Board discusses the Biodiesel Tax Credit Incentive Act
WASHINGTON --A bills slow move through Congress could hurt Kansas soybean farmers, according to the National Biodiesel Board. Kurt Kovarik, Vice President of Federal Affairs with the National Biodiesel Board, told Kansas Farm and Ranch Radio,"Unfortunately I'm seeing a lot of inaction and inability by congress to act on important policy matters." Kovarik is particulary irritated that a b...
Read More USDA visits Japan, sends back news on LPP
NIIGATA, JAPAN (news release) - The Ministers of Agriculture from Argentina, Brazil, Canada and the United States highlighted that food demand is rising while agricultural production faces significant constraints, such as limited access to arable land and fresh water. In this regard, they agreed that agricultural innovation, such as biotechnology, including precision biotechnology, will continue t...
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Crop Conditions for the week of May 12 released
MANHATTAN, Kan. - For the week ending May 12, 2019, there were 1.1 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 2 short, 62 adequate, and 36 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 2 short, 70 adequate, and 28 surplus. Field Crops Report: Winter wheat condition rat...
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K-State Agronomist analyzes Wheat Rust Diseases
The following was written by Jeanne Falk Jones, the K-State Multi-County Agronomist for Cheyenne, Sherman and Wallace Counties. With the wet and drizzly weather today, many folks are wondering about how close the wheat rust diseases are getting to us. Here are the latest leaf rust and stripe rust maps. Barton and Ness Counties were the last two counties added to thi...
Read More USDA announces Greater Kansas City Area as a front runner for new ERS and NIFA office locations
WASHINGTON -- After 136 applications were submitted to the USDA, the Kansas City Area was chosen as a finalist in the search for a new home for the USDA's ) Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). According to a news release, Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on Friday that three areas are finalists for the relocation. Perdue stated, “This short l...
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Insight: A Legacy of Friends
By Glenn Brunkow, Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher It was just a pen, a simple ballpoint pen, but it brought me to my knees. We were working cattle, and someone asked me if I had a pen to write down the numbers and keep notes. I rummaged through my console and at the bottom I found a single, dusty, forgotten pen. The pen is nothing spectacular. It simply had the word “Glenn” on it wit...
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Senators Introduce the “Livestock Hauler’s Wish List”
The following is a news release from the U.S. Cattlemen's Association (WASHINGTON) - Today, Senators Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced a bipartisan bill to provide livestock haulers with regulatory relief from the restrictive Hours-of-Service (HOS) rules. The bill, the Transporting Livestock Across America Safely Act, offers a prescriptive and permanent solution to the "bull h...
Read More USDA Releases Report on Rural Broadband
WASHINGTON, (news release) – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today unveiled a groundbreaking report, A Case for Rural Broadband: Insights on Rural Broadband Infrastructure and Next Generation Precision Agriculture Technologies (PDF, 2.5 MB). The report finds that deployment of both broadband e-Connectivity and Next Generation Precision Agriculture Technology on farms and ranches throughout th...
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