Tips to conserve water in the landscape

By Trisha Gedon STILLWATER, Okla. – Just as water is vital for human life, the plants, trees, shrubs and grass in any landscape also require hydration. However, how much water is used and what watering strategies gardeners choose can have a direct impact on their wallets. “Nobody likes to waste money, but it easily can happen in the landscape if you’re not careful,” said David Hillock, Oklahoma State University Extension consumer horticulturist. “Gardeners…

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USDA Extends Flexibilities, Paves the Way for Meals for Kids to Continue through Summer

(Washington, D.C., May 15, 2020) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the extension of three nationwide waivers, giving child nutrition program operators the flexibility they need to continue to feed children while promoting social distancing and keeping families safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.      “USDA has been extremely aggressive in expanding flexibilities to ensure Americans who have been impacted by the coronavirus continue to receive the food they need for themselves…

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K-State beef cattle experts share tips for treating calves

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Spring branding and processing day is often a time when community members and families join together to administer vaccinations, castrate, implant calves and apply hide identification before summer pasture turnout. But this spring’s COVID-19 pandemic may require some changes, said experts at Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute. They offered up some advice during a recent Cattle Chat podcast. “It is critical to have the right labor on hand to…

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Container garden is a great place to start for novice gardeners

By Trisha Gedon STILLWATER, Okla. – For some folks, gardening is a mystery – perhaps even intimidating. Some want-to-be gardeners may believe they don’t know enough about it to try, or are simply convinced they don’t have a green thumb. For those who don’t know a rose bush from a tomato plant, there is still hope. David Hillock, Oklahoma State University Extension consumer horticulturist, said anyone can garden, no matter their skill level…

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2020 National Junior Angus Show Relocates West to Tulsa, Okla.

In response to Covid-19 guidelines, the 2020 National Junior Angus Show changes locations. In light of the state of Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 guidelines, the American Angus Associationâ has decided to move the 2020 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) to July 19-25, 2020, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Although events will be much different than typical, the American Angus Association is continuing with the Eastern Regional Junior Show planned for June 25-28, 2020, in Lebanon, Tennessee, and…

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Ranch Group Urges Opening of CRP Lands to Slow Cattle Supply Chain

Billings, Mont. – R-CALF USA sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking the Secretary to consider opening the 24 million acres of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to help alleviate the backlog in the live cattle supply chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that has reduced slaughter capacity. The group estimates there are 500K or more fed cattle currently backed up in feedlots with no immediate prospects for…

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2020 National Junior Angus Show Contests Go Virtual

To adhere to social-distancing recommendations, numerous NJAS in­–person contests go virtual. It is the goal of the American Angus Association® to keep the health and safety of the Angus Family at the forefront of every decision made in relation to the Coronavirus. Consequently, the American Angus Association and the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) have elected to modify a few of the contests associated with the 2020 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) and…

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Condensed Version of Beef Quality Assurance Manual

A more condensed version of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Manual is now available to BQA followers in digital or print form. The BQA Field Guide is a more compact version of the manual that can be used as a convenient reference piece. It covers the key points of the BQA program without program background and other information that may not be useful in the course of day-to-day operations. The BQA Program is…

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Targeting optimum cow size

The average return for an extra 100 pounds of cow weight is five to seven pounds of additional weight of the calf at weaning.. K-State beef cattle specialists discuss factors that influence the most efficient cow size MANHATTAN, Kan. – Genetics, feed resources and calf marketing windows are just some of the influencing factors that determine the optimum size for cows to grow, according to the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute’s team…

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Kansas Forest Service notes bagworms are most easily controlled in May and June

MANHATTAN, Kan. – A Kansas Forest Service official says mid-May is an important time to start scouting for bagworms, a perennial problem that affects many trees common to Kansas landscapes. Ryan Armbrust, the forest health coordinator with KFS, said bagworms negatively affect ornamental landscape conifers, windbreak trees like eastern redcedar and arborvitae, and Scotch pine Christmas tree farms. “While deciduous broadleaf trees can recover from the defoliation that bagworms cause, conifers are often…

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