Wildfire Awareness Week reminds Kansans to remain vigilant as wildfire season approaches

Now is the time to reduce wildfire risk, state officials say TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has proclaimed Feb. 3-7, 2020, as Wildfire Awareness Week in partnership with the Kansas Interagency Wildfire Council and multiple state agencies. “Each year, wildfires endanger our firefighters, neighbors, and landscapes,” said Mick McGuire, the current chair of the Kansas Interagency Wildfire Council and lead meteorologist of the National Weather Service in Wichita. “Wildfire Awareness Week…

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K-State’s Winter Ranch Management Series Set for January and February

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Profit enhancing strategies included in the topics for the 2020 Kansas State University Winter Ranch Management Seminar Series. Hosted at five sites across the state of Kansas, the meetings will feature presentations and comments by extension educators to enhance management and marketing strategies employed by cow-calf producers. The meetings will also feature a popular "town hall" style question-and-answer session between Kansas cattle producers and extension specialists. "The series has a history…

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Knowing Your Ranch Can Promote Accuracy in Estimating Grazeable Acres

By Josh Gaskamp, Technical Consultation Manager and Wildlife and Range Consultantand Mike Proctor, Senior Research Associate 1 Estimating grazeable acreage as well as forage availability is vital to understanding the carrying capacity of a ranch and accurately setting a proper stocking rate. Mapping software (i.e., ArcGIS) is a tool commonly used to estimate grazeable acreage for cattle, with minimal technical expertise required. With this tool, managers can use aerial imagery of their ranch…

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Searching for Opportunities

Kevin Laurent, Beef Extension Specialist, Princeton Research and Education Center, University of Kentucky To say that 2019 has been a challenging year would be a huge understatement. From the excessive rain the first half of the year, to the drought and depressed markets of late, 2019 will definitely be remembered as one of those years much like 2007, 2009 and 2012. Like most challenges in life, there always seems to be an opportunity…

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Not All Rainfall Is Effective

By Hugh AljoeDirector of Producer Relations The old adage, “We are never more than three weeks away from a drought,” is commonly used by producers here in the southern Great Plains. However, depending on the management of the property, drought may be closer than some think and considerably further out for others. A 3-inch rain may result in different outcomes for different producers even if the pastures and soils are similar. The observable…

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Range Beef Cow Symposium XXVI – Great Information in a New Format

Check out the exciting line up for this year’s Range Beef Cow Symposium in Mitchell, NE November 18-20. On Monday afternoon the program will kick off with beef quality assurance training and certification and you won’t want to miss the Ron Gill Stockmanship Clinic. Tuesday morning will begin the traditional program with Drs. John Hall and Benton Glaze from University of Idaho talking about when it pays to artificially inseminate and breed complementarity. …

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Bumper Crop of Pasture Weeds Needs Action

SEDALIA, Mo. – Leonardo da Vinci might have been describing the last few growing seasons for pastures when he wrote, “Even the richest soil, if left uncultivated, will produce the rankest weeds.” University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Gene Schmitz says the Renaissance polymath’s words ring true. “The past one to two years have been hard on pasture stands,” Schmitz says. “Last summer’s drought followed by a wet winter and summer this year…

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