Friday, January 23, 2026
Home Blog Page 4631

K-State’s Winter Ranch Management Series Set for January; Focuses on Replacement Heifers

By
K-State
-
0
kksu
K-State Research and Extension, Candice Shoemaker

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Record high calf prices and projected cow-calf profitability have many producers considering expansion. Selecting, feeding and breeding the right replacement heifers could have a large impact on future profits.

With that in mind, the 2015 K-State Winter Ranch Management series of meetings will focus on best management practices for developing replacement heifers. The meetings will also feature the popular ‘town-hall’ style—a two-way verbal exchange—between Kansas’ cattle producers and extension specialists. The series is set to kick off in January.

The Winter Ranch Management series has a history of being a successful stretch of meetings, which are hosted throughout the state of Kansas, said Bob Weaber, beef breeding, genetics and cow-calf specialist for K-State Research and Extension. Weaber, along with other state, district and local extension staff, will take part in the series to help answer producers’ questions about replacement heifer development and a wide range of beef cattle issues surrounding animal health, nutrition, management, genetics and reproduction.

“Over the past few months we’ve received quite a few questions from producers regarding heifer development,” Weaber said. “The Winter Ranch Management series provides a great opportunity for us as state specialists to take our expertise out in the country for face-to-face meetings. We plan to provide educational content on a wide range of issues related to heifer development including a market outlook, heifer selection, nutrition, target development weights, breeding and estrus synchronization, and some background on the Sunflower Supreme Replacement Heifer Program.”

Weaber said producers should come to the meetings prepared with questions. Some of the hot topics he foresees discussing in addition to heifer development include drought management and recovery, winter feeding and cow management, preparation for calving season, and, as the bull buying season approaches, selection and genetics issues.

“January is always a great time for producers, when the weather is bad and after they get chores done, to sit back, think and plan for the year, including the calves that will be born in the spring and how they might manage those,” he said. “Certainly it is a good time of year to think about business strategy opportunities moving forward in terms of expansion.”


2015 Winter Ranch Management locations and contacts include:


La Crosse

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 6, evening

Location: La Crosse Livestock Market, 2340 U.S. 183, La Crosse, KS

Jared Petersilie, Walnut Creek Extension District, 785-222-2710

Stacy Campbell, Ellis County, 785-628-9430

Alicia Boor, Barton County, 620-793-1910


Mound City

Date: Thursday, Jan. 8, evening

Location: First Baptist Church, 8424 Paine Road, Mound City, KS

Abbie Powell, Marais des Cygnes Extension District, 913-795-2829

Megan Westerhold, Marais des Cygnes Extension District, 913-294-4306

Chris Petty, Southwind Extension District, 620-223-3720


Hill City

Date: Thursday, Jan. 15, late morning

Location: 4-H Building, Graham County Fairgrounds, Hill City, KS

Tressie Mitzner, Graham County Extension, 785-421-3411

Bronc Barrows, Golden Prairie Extension District, 785-743-6361

Julie Niehage, Golden Prairie Extension District, 785-671-3245

Julianne Shoup, Twin Creeks Extension District, 785-675-3268

Keith VanSkike, Twin Creeks Extension District, 785-877-5755

Rachael Boyle, Phillips-Rooks Extension District, 785-425-6851

Cody Miller, Phillips-Rooks Extension District, 785-543-6845


Beloit

Date: Thursday, Jan. 15, evening

Location: North Central Kansas Technical College Student Union Conference Room, 3033 U.S. Hwy 24, Beloit, KS

Neil Cates, Post Rock District, 785-738-3597

Anthony Ruiz, Central Kansas Extension District, 785-392-2147

John Forshee, River Valley Extension District, 785-632-5335


Herington

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27, late morning

Location: Herington Community Building, 810 South Broadway, Herington, KS

Lori Bammerlin, Flint Hills Extension District, 620-767-5136

Laura Marks, Dickinson County, 785-263-2001

Rickey Roberts, Marion County, 620-382-2325


Wamego

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27, evening

Location: Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 17535 Say Road, Wamego, KS

Austin Sexten, Pottawatomie County, 785-457-3319

Kara Mayer, Wabaunsee County, 785-765-3821


Overbrook

Date: Thursday, Jan. 29, evening

Location: Grace Community Church, 310 E 8th Street, Overbrook, KS

Rod Schaub, Frontier Extension District, 785-828-4438

Meeting times may vary by location but all will include either a lunch or dinner meal. Participants are asked to RSVP for a selected location by the close of business the Friday before the event. Registration fees, which cover a meal, vary by location. Interested participants should reach out to their local host contact for registration and RSVP details.

More information about the K-State Winter Ranch Management series is available at www.ksubeef.org.

Story By: Katie Allen

Reindeer Games

By
Editor
-
0
lisa

My oldest daughter, Aubrae and I lucked into a four day cruise with a travel group a few years ago, that was too good to pass up.  Neither of us had ever been on a cruise, so the only thing left to do was pack.  Five of us left from Wichita and met the group’s sixth friend in Florida, where she is now living.  Now, I am required by the laws imposed when traveling in groups, to leave all parties anonymous and allow everything that happened in the Bahamas to stay in the Bahamas, so I will assign new names to all involved.

Our trip began uneventfully, save a run in with the “LOUD” Family.  You may have met them in your travels.  At first glance this Father, Mother and two children appear innocent enough.  Well dressed and embellished with what seems to be all the electronic gadgetry necessary to keep the aforementioned children occupied while in the “friendly skies”.  But once the plane has rolled away from the loading area, and all of these wonderful electronic devices have been dutifully powered down, these children are left with nothing more entertaining that how far forward the chair in front of them springs when kicked repeatedly.  Although I had immense enjoyment watching “Blitzen’s” face as she looked pleadingly at me, her eyes begging me to make this child stop, I finally took pity and flipped around and asked this woman to control her child.  Her reply was priceless – “He’s only 11.” Really!  Later in the flight, just as most of our group was being lulled to sleep, the other brother turned up the volume on his IPad game to a level that caused the woman sitting next to “Comet” to come completely unglued.  Her disgusted tone did wonders in making me feel vindicated about my earlier attack on this child’s brother.

We arrived in Florida to balmy temperatures and high spirits. We waited at the airport for “Dasher” to arrive with the sleigh to wisk us off to a nearby hotel for the evening.  All us little reindeer organized the rolling suitcases into the rear of the VW station wagon and began loading ourselves into the sleigh before acknowledging what was obviously apparent to anyone passing by.  Six women were not going to fit in five seats, no matter how we arranged ourselves.  I am not sure how I ended up so lucky, but I got to view Florida backwards, ducking every time we thought a police car was nearby.

“Blitzen” and I had no frame of reference about what indulgences lay in store for us, although the name I have chosen for her is one that I feel was well earned, considering the only water she consumed on the trip was in the ice that cooled her tropical drinks.  In her defense, luscious concoctions were available at every turn and it’s not as if we had to perform brain surgery during the trip.

As far as our herd and our escapades on the trip, I will narrow down a tremendous amount of fun to the following cryptic comments.  “Dancer” kept us constantly in awe with her easygoing ways and her hairdo that many mentioned may have been affected by the high winds.  “Prancer” and I switched rooms, which kept the stateroom attendants wondering, but had the dinner table howling with stories, such as her “run in” with some Shriners. I was able to rise above “Dashers” inability to count and became a firm believer that what she lacked in vertical stature is dwarfed by her sweet and gentle nature.  Even though “Comet” was hell-bent on playing matchmaker for “Dasher”, we all decided that she should begin the next phase of her life as a travel agent, because she could not have outdone herself with this trip!

As the vacation came to a close and a long day of flying began its last leg, what are the odds that “Blitzen’s” chair bounces with a kick from the exact same 11 year old with just a bit more energy left in him after a weekend at DisneyWorld.  All I thought was, you can’t write this stuff.  No one would believe it!

The only excuses I need to make to the herd is that I was not being judgmental with every purchase they made on our voyage. My eyebrow was twitching because I had no idea how it was going to fit with me in the back of the sleigh!

Get The Picture?        

By
Editor
-
0
lee pitts

Boy, we sure have come a long way since George Eastman came out with his boxed camera. Initially, to get your pictures developed you had to send the camera to the company, who they would then return it and your photos. Now cameras are everywhere and hardly a day passes without some bigshot, athlete, or cop getting brought down by a photo or recording made by someone’s smartphone. And now with the launch of drones, farmers and ranchers have to be especially good citizens every waking moment because there is seemingly no place to hide.

Generally, I’d say that there’s not too much that farmers and ranchers do that we can get in trouble for. Just remember to not venture outside without being fully clothed, don’t yell at the dog, put a lid on your can of cuss words, don’t make your kids work over half an hour without a break, and don’t get bucked off your horse or PETA will demand you be incarcerated for animal cruelty.

Also, if you pay for a BLM or Forest Service allotment don’t do anything foolish and actually turn your cattle out on it. Don’t shoot anything that is trying to eat you or your livestock either and above all, don’t shoot down the drones that are spying on you because I’ve been told they can cost upwards of $40,000 to replace. I am very concerned about one thing practically all of us do at one time or another, male or female.

It’s a very delicate matter that I’m hesitant to discuss because you may think I’m just going for some cheap laughs. But this is no laughing matter.

It’s not dirty or anything like that, well maybe just a little bit, and we all do it at one time or another. Truck drivers do it, campers do it and anyone who works outside far from civilization does it. I bet President Obama has even done it a time or two while golfing in attempting to head off a potentially explosive situation. I think by now you get my drift.

Don’t let the drones catch you taking a bio-break. Get the picture?

I’m quite confident that somewhere in Washington DC at this very moment someone is writing a rule demanding that you station a porta-potty every hundred yards on your farm or ranch. In the meantime, if you insist on daring the drones by watering the flowers or settling the dust, you could end up paying a huge fine or even losing the homeplace because you violated the Clean Waters Act. The way I read the new proposed EPA proposals the EPA could declare you a wetland or the source of a river as a result of your effluent. Worse yet, don’t let the EPA catch you in the act within three miles of a stream or you could be looking at life in prison without parole. I’m really worried that the bureaucrats will find some way to connect this natural act with global warming and then our goose really will be cooked, so to speak.

The way I see it, there are only a few options at your disposal to avoid embarrassment in this “smile and say cheese” society. To hide from the drones you could wear a mask at all times but then SWAT teams might mistake you for a terrorist. You could start wearing diapers a few decades before you thought you would but this has its whole other set of problems, like diaper rash and leaky Depends¨. I’m looking into those relief tube pilots use when they can’t find a rest room at 30,000 feet. Maybe I’ll invent a device you could attach to your saddle that would inconspicuously drain on to the ground making it look like your horse did it. Which is perfectly okay… so far.

Probably the bestoption for most of us is to just hold it and withstand the pressure until we get back to the house where you can use the facilities which probably drains into a septic tank before dispensing your discharge into the ground. Mind you, it ends up in the same place, but at least you won’t see yourself in a compromised position on You Tube, Facebook or Entertainment Tonight.

wwwLeePittsbooks.com

Four Barton Men’s Soccer players selected to All-Region Team

By
Editor
-
0

Four players from the Barton Community College men’s soccer team were recently selected to the 2014 All-Region VI team released late last week.   Landing in the top eleven of the twenty-two member team were two freshmen, forward Jiro Barriga Toyama and midfielder Renan Sousa, while midfielder Christopher Hogg and defenseman Dominic Swindler landed on the second team.  

Toyama, who also garnered first team All-Conference honors, scored three goals including a game winner as the freshman from Chiba, Japan, also had four assists.

Landing on the All-Conference second team, Sousa vaulted onto the top eleven as region voting is based on player performance regardless of position. The freshman from Sao Paulo, Brazil, led the Cougars with seventeen points and shared team high goal honors with Hogg at seven each while ranking tied for second in assists with three.

One of the few returning players for first year Head Coach Aaron Avila, Hogg teamed with Sousa in solidifying the Cougar midfield.  Tying Sousa for the team lead with seven goals, the sophomore from Bonnyrigg, Scotland, finished second on the squad with fourteen points.

Joining Toyama on the All-Conference team, Swindler landed on the second tier region selections.  The sophomore defenseman from Derby, Kansas, had two goals during the season including a game winner to his credit.

For the second straight season the Barton men’s soccer season came to an end in the Region VI Semifinals as the Cougars finished the 2014 season at 7-6-3 after dropping a hard fought 1-0 contest Sunday at Coffeyville Community College.

Roger’s view from the hills: The greatest lost generation

By
Roger Ringer
-
0
“THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUPIDITY AND GENIUS IS THAT GENIUS HAS IT’S LIMITS.”  Albert Einstein

     This subject is one that is so polarizing that very seldom can you get those on both sides to talk about without huge amounts of emotion and conflict.  I ask that you who will take the time to read this to it’s finish will reflect on it’s intent before the storms erupt.
      Just consider, the United States has allowed legal Abortions since the Roe vs. Wade case and the number of children destroyed is now over 50,000,000.  It is a wonder, in many of the law profession, that the original case has not been overturned.  Many agree that it was a terrible case to use as the basis of legalizing abortion.  Many think that there were better cases to base the Supreme Courts attention on.  Even the original subject of the suit has changed sides and now advocates for Pro Life.
      Those who support legalization are happy with the fact that there has not been a solid challenge to come along so far.  Those in support are so happy that the case has stood up that there is an ingrained legitimacy for a large number of people to accept the existence of it as an unassailable right.
      Medical ethicists at the major medical university in Australia have made suggestions that post birth abortion would be acceptable.  This giving 6 months to kill the child for medical cause.  This not bringing an huge outcry and has led to a major Northeastern University to have a ‘medical ethics class’ start to advocate that up to the age of 5 would be acceptable.
     Lets stop and consider what 50 million lives have cost us as a nation.  We can consider 50 million souls as pretty much a lost generation.  Many Earth Firsters, radical feminists, radical green groups, and many more consider a loss of 50 million lives as a slowing of the overpopulation of the world.  These groups look at the human population as cochroaches destroying the world as it should be.
      If you hold with the belief that God is in charge and that each life has purpose and a vocation, what have we done as a major affront to the way that things are supposed to be?
A mathematician can compute into a law of averages the number of advanced people that consistently are a part of each generation.  Taking the progress that mankind has made over time and the happenings in history it would be pretty hard to dispute that when 50 million lives are taken a percentage of exceptional lives are lost.
If you are of the belief that as scripture says that God has counted the numbers on your head long before you were conceived.  Then you have to believe that there is a destiny for each life and man is a pretty poor judge of what is good for itself.
I have known the lab assistant of Dr. Salk who cracked the code and brought the plague of polio to the end for the generations who lived in fear of it.  Have we lost the doctor or technician that will finally cure cancer, MS, or Muscular Dystrophy?  Did we lose a future president, the first American Pope, the person who frees us from dependence on fossil fuel?
Or the researcher that advances agriculture past today’s amazing capacity and feeds these billions of people that are so feared that the population control argument could be laid to rest?
I am a simple mind and I read into the rather short pages of the founding of our republic and the Constitution and Bill of Rights and fail to see how the millions of decisions made about things like Abortion and many other things not specifically mentioned are considered a part of the legacy of our justice system.
I am no lawyer, thank God, and prefer to speak in relative common terms and apply the basics of civil conduct and not the legalese that everything seems to be turned into.  Can you look me in the eye and believe that it is in any one’s best interest that this Greatest Lost Generation is to our benefit?
As another point of view what was the original point of advocating for birth control were when Margret Sanger began the crusade of the Planned Parenthood began?  What were the targets of the movement?  What was the results of the movement?  Evolving from this also came the Eugenics movement.  How did the Eugenics from the US influence Hitler’s ultimate solution in Europe?
At the risk of being cliche’, are you not glad that your parents did not choose to abort you?
The predictions are that the next industrial revolution will happen in the next ten years.  The last one took one hundred years.  It seems that it is going to take some getting use to the changes coming.  We may wish for a few of those lost lives for what is ahead.
1...4,6304,6314,632...4,782Page 4,631 of 4,782

Kansas News, Auctions & Classifieds

Trending

Categories

© Rural Messenger