By Trisha Gedon STILLWATER, Okla. – Students, faculty and staff got their first look at the Greenhouse Learning Center on the Oklahoma State University campus last week as the new $6 million state-of-the-art facility opened its doors at the start of the fall 2019 semester. More than 200 people attended the recent official grand opening of the facility and were able to see first-hand the new space that will be so beneficial to…
Kansas Mesonet aids emergency planners, farmers and more ROSSVILLE, Kan. – Tucked away behind a business near Rossville, Kansas, an unassuming bit of equipment quietly goes about its business, detecting wind speed, precipitation, air temperature and more. The information automatically goes to the Weather Data Library at Kansas State University where it’s archived and available free to the public. The Rossville station is one of 62 weather stations across the state that make…
FAYETTE, Mo. – The annual Mid-Missouri Grazing School will be held Sept. 9-10 in Boone County. The school teaches producers both the art and science of management-intensive grazing, says Heather Conrow, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist in Howard County. The two-day school covers pasture management from economics to fencing and watering livestock, Conrow says. Attending a school is needed before securing cost-share funds for grazing system. Controlled grazing boosts pounds of livestock…
Michelle Arnold, DVM-Ruminant Extension Veterinarian (UKVDL) Water is the most essential nutrient in the diet of cattle and during hot and dry weather, it is especially important to monitor water quality if using farm ponds for livestock. What is a “harmful algae bloom” or “HAB”? During periods of hot and dry weather, rapid growth of algae to extreme numbers may result in a “bloom”, which is a build-up of algae that creates a…
(Washington, D.C. August 28, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding the beef processing facility in Holcomb, Kan.: “As part of our continued efforts to monitor the impact of the fire at the beef processing facility in Holcomb, Kan., I have directed USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Division to launch an investigation into recent beef pricing margins to determine if there is any evidence of price manipulation, collusion,…
Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension The recent packing house fire in Kansas has the potential to cause a backlog in feedyards that pressures feeder calf prices this fall. Backgrounding calves for later sale is an alternative. Typically, when feed prices go down, we see feeder calf prices begin to climb as a corresponding move. That is, unless fed cattle prices are unstable or declining. A fire in a Kansas cattle packing…
Real-world genetics and youth development meet at Simmental's premier junior show. Bozeman, MT - The Simmental breed is founded on data, but it balances a science-backed approach with youth development. Both existed in tandem during the American Junior Simmental Association's National Classic, hosted in Louisville, Kentucky. "Here at the National Classic, we pride ourselves in our educational contests that we have throughout the week. We have a genetic evaluation quiz, a cattlemen's quiz,…
David Karki SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist Due to extremely wet spring and consistent moisture through the summer, grain harvests have slowed down a bit across South Dakota. According to USDA- National Agricultural Statistics Service (as of Aug 18th, 2019) only 76% of winter wheat harvest has been completed in the state well behind 95% of five-year average. Similarly, only 27% of spring wheat and 60% of oat are harvested, well behind 75%…
Adele Harty, SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist The weather-related opportunities and challenges that 2019 has presented are forcing farmers and ranchers to alter “normal” management decisions. The precipitation and forage growth that the state has experienced this year is something most have never seen and may never see again, but with the additional rainfall, comes variation in forage quality. SDSU Extension encourages producers to test hay and forage crops every year, but if…