Farmers and other growers seeking to extend the production season, increase yields, or mitigate weather conditions can turn to a new Kansas Rural Center publication for a thorough assessment of which “polytunnel” options may work best for their situation. Growing Under Cover provides practical information and resources to assist growers in Kansas, or similar climates, who are aiming to avoid common mistakes and tunnel disaster and to maximize return on investment from both high and low polytunnels. The publication is available free, online. Click her for more information.
Soil study highlights diversity and climate-change response
A new international study from The University of Manchester has pulled together soil research to demonstrate how organisms below the ground could hold the key to understanding how the world’s ecosystems function and how they are responding to climate change. Published in Nature, the paper explores how the below-ground world can contribute to sustainable land management through pest control and climate-change resilience. Click here for more information.
K-State Crops Team claims sixth straight national championship
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State University Crops Team recently captured the title of national champion for the sixth year in a row. K-State teams have now won the collegiate crops contest championship in 13 of the past 16 years. To win the 2014 national title, the team won both the Kansas City American Royal Collegiate Crops Contest on Nov. 18 and the Chicago Collegiate Crops Contest on Nov. 22.
Official members of the K-State team were Sam Knauss, Paola; Tyler Herrs, Linn; and Ben Coomes, Girard — all juniors majoring in agronomy. Alternates for both contests were Samantha L’Ecuyer, Morrowville, sophomore in agronomy, and Michaela Simmelink, Downs, senior in animal sciences and industry. Hayden Guetterman, Bucyrus, sophomore in agronomy, was also an alternate in Kansas City.
At Kansas City, the K-State team placed first in all three phases of the contest: plant-and-seed identification, grain grading, and seed analysis. At Chicago, they were first in identification and grain grading, and second in seed analysis. Individually, the three K-State team members placed 1-2-3 in Kansas City, posting the highest team score since Texas Tech University in 1965 in this contest. All three were also in the top five in Chicago.
Sam Knauss led the K-State team with a first place sweep of both Kansas City and Chicago. In doing so, he also placed first in all three components in both contests, a result that has never been accomplished in the 81-year history of both contests. His total score of 1794 out of a possible 1800 in Kansas City was the highest individual performance there since 1965.
Ben Coomes was second overall in Kansas City and fifth in Chicago. He placed third in all three components in Kansas City. At Chicago, he was third in identification, fourth in grain grading, and fifth in seed analysis.
Tyler Herrs finished third in Kansas City and fourth in Chicago. At Kansas City, he placed second in identification and seed analysis and fourth in grain grading. At Chicago, he was fourth in identification and analysis and fifth in grain grading.
The team was coached by Kevin Donnelly, K-State professor of agronomy.
The American Royal coordinated the Kansas City contest, with CHS Foundation as the primary financial sponsor. Additional sponsors were the American Society of Agronomy, DuPont Pioneer, and the South Dakota Crop Improvement Association.
The primary sponsor of the Chicago contest was the CME Group. Additional donors in Chicago included the Crop Science Society of America, Growmark Cooperative, and the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists.
Locally, sponsors for the K-State Crops Team include the Kansas Crop Improvement Association, Department of Agronomy, and the K-State Student Government Association.
For its performance, K-State received a team scholarship award from contest sponsors at Kansas City, and CME Group provided individual scholarships to the top five students at Chicago.
Farmers Union calls for new direction for Beef Checkoff
MCPHERSON (Dec. 3, 2014) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson called for a ‘new direction’ Monday for the current beef checkoff program in an Agri-Pulse guest column, while also praising Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for seeking public comment on how to strengthen and modernize the outdated program.
“The checkoff program as we know it today has remained virtually unchanged for three decades while the world around it has morphed dramatically,” said Johnson. “This has raised serious doubts about the structure of the checkoff and whether it is capable of appropriately funding the much-needed research and exploring the new markets and new opportunities that the American beef industry so desperately needs. Clearly, the beef checkoff is in dire need of a major course correction.”
NFU Vice President Donn Teske, a cattleman who also serves as Kansas Farmers Union’s President, added, “It’s tiring to see my own checkoff dollars used to try and circumvent a law of the U.S., the Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) law that I very much approve of, and have fought for alongside my livestock producing neighbors over many years. It is time for beef check-off reform.”
Johnson noted that the current checkoff’s need for change stemmed from the fact that it is both underfunded and unacceptably inflexible. Johnson offered principles to guide adequate reform of the program under the Commodity, Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996.
“The modernized beef checkoff should be a single program, modeled after the 1996 Act,” said Johnson. “It would have a clear separation of the policy organization from the non-political, promotional checkoff entity… exclude processors and importers from positions of leadership, ensuring that beef producers are always at the helm… and be precluded from allocating a single dime to any organization engaged in lobbying.”
“The idea of bringing new ideas and much-needed change to the checkoff is nothing new, and in fact, organizations like NFU met for three years discussing a new direction,” noted Johnson. “But the meetings were a bridge to nowhere, because they were largely controlled by the organization that has a vested interest in making sure the current structure never changes. That organization, of course, is the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).”
Johnson also noted that NCBA’s motivation for obstructing each and every idea should have been predictable, considering over 97 percent of all Beef Board contracts went to the NCBA, and the organization relies on the current program for a vast majority of its funding.
“NCBA regards the checkoff as its own personal financial trough and will do everything possible to cement that status into eternity,” said Johnson. “Clearly, NCBA wants to protect its turf and its income stream, but its days of living off the checkoff slush fund need to come to an end.”
Johnson commended Secretary Vilsack for stepping into the fractured discussions of the beef checkoff working group and allowing industry stakeholders to submit comments on ways the checkoff should be reformed.
“Finally, other voices and new ideas will be heard and given thoughtful consideration,” said Johnson. “Finally, after three long, frustrating years, meaningful structural change is actually a real possibility.
“The beauty of our democracy is that programs like the checkoff can be regularly scrutinized, fine-tuned or reformed. Recognizing that the success of the checkoff is an integral part of the success of rural America, let us work together to move this program forward. The promise of tomorrow relies on the changes of today.”
Delegates selected to attend Taiwan Youth Exchange Program
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) is pleased to announce three student delegates representing Kansas at the 2015 Taiwan Youth Exchange Program. The three students are: Anna Setter, freshman at Kansas State University; Dakota Roy, senior at West Franklin High School; and RaeLynn McClelland, freshman at Allen County Community College. The exchange will take place December 7-12.
Setter, of Humboldt, Kansas, is a freshman studying food science and agriculture communications and journalism, as well as pursuing a minor in agricultural economics at Kansas State University. Growing up on a fifth generation farm, Setter developed her passion for agriculture and now wants to see it in action internationally. “I believe that this journey would be a great way to meet others who share my interest in agriculture and make a positive contribution to the industry,” said Setter.
Roy, of Pomona, Kansas, is a senior at West Franklin High School. In fall of 2015, Roy will be attending Kansas State University and studying agribusiness with a minor in international agriculture. As a student delegate in the Taiwan Youth Exchange Program, Roy will be taking her first steps into international agriculture, a path she hopes to follow into her career. “I want to work with our country’s farmers and ranchers, helping them to create new avenues for their products and services in the global community,” said Roy.
McClelland, of Maple Hill, Kansas, is a freshman at Allen County Community College studying to become and agriculture educator. She plans to take the agricultural and cultural lessons and experiences she gains through the Taiwan Youth Exchange Program back to her local, rural community. “Having new insights into agriculture will allow me to teach my future students and community of our impact on agricultural at the global level,” said McClelland.
Composed of young people passionate about agriculture, the Kansas representatives will visit the National Taichung Agricultural Senior High School for a week-long educational experience. During the program, the students will visit local livestock and horticulture industry representatives, giving them the opportunity to explore Taiwanese agriculture. The delegates will also be able to indulge in Taiwanese culture during their unique experience. Setter, Roy and McClelland will be able to share their knowledge of Kansas agriculture and return home with a one-of-a-kind education of agriculture in Taiwan.
Opportunities such as the Taiwan Youth Exchange Program provide tremendous knowledge and networking to both the delegates and all Kansas agriculturalists. Kansas ranks seventh in the nation in international exports, accounting for $4.9 billion. International relationships with countries such as Taiwan help account for this export sum and open opportunities for more exports in the future.
Each fall, KDA facilitates the Taiwan Youth Exchange Program application process. High school seniors or college freshman students submit a resume, letter of introduction, reference letter and essay to be considered for selection as a delegate.
For more information regarding the Taiwan Youth Exchange Program, please contact Nellie Hill, KDA Education and Events Coordinator, at [email protected] or by calling (785) 564-6756.
