Extension News & Insight

Body Farmers and ranchers in Kansas are amazing people. Yes, I am tooting our own horn, but we deserve it. We are hard-working and all too humble people, and the work we do is something our fellow humans literally cannot live without. We grow food.

Body By Rachael Brooke Rooks County’s Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent Bitter Cucumbers A bitter taste in cucumbers results from stress, which can be caused by several factors, including heredity, moisture, temperature, soil characteristics, and disease.

Body Kansas wheat harvest is a magical time. There is a buzz across the state created by the excitement of combines rolling through the golden fields, semis, and old wheat trucks rolling across the scale at the local elevator, and families coming together to take in the crop.

Body June Garden Calendar Vegetables and Fruits • Renovate June bearing strawberry beds • Fertilize strawberries and water regularly to promote new growth • Plant another crop of sweet corn and green beans • Watch tomatoes for foliar leaf disease development and treat • Mulch...

Body Dung Beetles Are Getting Busy! You may notice more dung beetle activity as the weather has warmed up. Despite their small size, dung beetle’s impact on the environment is profound and far-reaching.

Body Well, we are in an election year and the filing date is right around the corner. What does that mean? It means that the campaigns will get fully under way and we, the voters, have a lot of work to do. I know what you are thinking— shouldn’t it be the candidates working hard?

Body Early Emergence of Ticks and Other Pests This past winter was unseasonably warm for most of the continental U.S. and this trend has continued into the spring. Many of you may have noticed plants greening earlier than in past years.

Body Controlling Alfalfa Weevils Alfalfa weevil control is problematic in Kansas for several reasons, but first and foremost is the weather.

Body There are fewer than 2 million farms in the United States according to the USDA Census of Agriculture released last month, down from a peak of just under 7 million in the early 1930s.

Body Bernard Warkentin couldn’t have known that when he planted wheat in central Kansas in 1874 he was sowing Kansas’ legacy as the Wheat State.