Secretary Perdue Announces Modernization Blueprint for the USDA Forest Service

June 12, 2020) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today issued a memorandum to Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen providing direction that will serve as a blueprint to help modernize the agency’s systems and approaches to ensure national forests and grasslands continue to meet the needs of the American people. “Under this administration, the Forest Service has sold more timber than we have in the last 22 years and made significant increases…

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Hays research center to release new hard red wheat

Variety improves disease resistance of previous western Kansas lines HAYS, Kan. – A researcher at the Agricultural Research Center in Hays has taken a good thing and made it even better. Wheat scientist Guorong Zhang announced in early June that he is ready to release a hard red winter wheat variety that is suited for the drier, western Kansas climate. The new variety does not yet have a name, but it builds off…

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Tips to help cut home cooling costs this summer

By Trisha Gedon STILLWATER, Okla. – When it comes to reducing home cooling costs during the summer, some people think adjusting the thermostat is all they can do. Fortunately, there are several things that can help put a dent in the cost of keeping a home cool, said Gina Peek, Oklahoma State University Extension housing and consumer specialist. “We all know Oklahoma summers can be hot. Luckily, consumers don’t have to break the…

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EPA moves quickly to clear way for dicamba use

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency extended the use of dicamba-based herbicides to July 31 after a federal court had earlier ruled that application of those products should end immediately. (File photo) Federal agency helps ease anxiety on herbicide’s use through July MANHATTAN, Kan. – Farmers and commercial applicators in Kansas and other states will be allowed to use dicamba-based herbicides on soybean and cotton fields through July 31, the net result of a…

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Determine Forage Moisture Content

Forage maturity/stage of development is often cited as the number one factor that determines forage quality, but for any stored forage, moisture content at harvest is a close second. Moisture content drives what happens to that forage after it is removed from the field, whether quality is maintained or degraded. Improper moisture content can reduce storage life. The most common method of determining forage moisture is some type of visual appraisal whereby a…

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Biosecurity important tool in fighting vesicular stomatitis in horse operations

By Donald Stotts STILLWATER, Okla. – Horse owners should review basic biosecurity practices to guard against the potential spread of vesicular stomatitis to their animals, Oklahoma State University experts said. Vesicular stomatitis is a contagious, viral disease that – while rarely life threatening – can have a significant financial impact on an individual horse owner and the state’s equine industry, said Dr. Barry Whitworth, OSU Extension veterinarian. The first case in the United…

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Bigger Cattle. Warmer Weather. What Can Go Wrong?

Warren Rusche SDSU Extension Beef Feedlot Management Associate Key Takeaways Marketing delays caused by production problems at processing plants will result in greater numbers of heavier cattle on feed going into summer.Heavier, fatter cattle are more susceptible to heat stress, especially if they are black-hided.Risk of digestive upset increases as cattle are on feed for longer periods of time and the onset of hotter conditions.These cattle need to be handled with care especially…

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