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Ag Blogs
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Vance Ehmke
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Monday, 22 November 2010 14:10 |
 Wheat and More….or less
It may have rained in central Kansas, but out here in
the High Plains, we’re still praying. While we do have some fields that came up
fairly well, there’s a heck of a lot of wheat seed still waiting in the ground
for germinating moisture.
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Ron Wilson
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Thursday, 11 November 2010 18:10 |
 By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
When I was a kid, I spent hours plowing with an old Farmall tractor, dreaming of a high-tech day when robots would farm in the future. Now, that day is virtually here. Today we'll meet a Kansas farm equipment dealership that has modernized to keep up with changes in technology and agriculture.
Jim Meinhardt is CEO/Stockholder of Kan-Equip, a leading agricultural and construction equipment dealership. Jim is committed to rural Kansas, having grown up at the rural community of Paxico, population 210 people. Now, that's rural. Jim's father had a store called Eddie's Service there, and he got into farm equipment in the 1950s. Jim grew up in the business, and after a stint in the Army, bought a dealership in Wamego in 1967.
"We started with four people: two mechanics, a parts person, and a salesman," Jim said. He grew the business through the years, and through the ups and downs of the farm economy. By the late 1990s, several farm equipment manufacturing companies were merging. There was pressure on dealers to consolidate as well.
"I was at one of those dealer meetings, and I was sitting at a table with Jim Burke, an equipment dealer from Dodge City," Jim Meinhardt said. "We got to talking and found we are all facing the same issues.
So as a way to achieve more scale and deal with those issues, they chose to merge and create a new business. It became known as Kan-Equip.
Today, Kan-Equip is a leading agricultural and construction equipment dealership. In fact, it is the largest New Holland dealer in Kansas.
Kan-Equip has retail locations in eight Kansas communities: Wamego, Dodge City, Garden City, Topeka, Marysville, Clay Center, Herington, and Ellsworth. The company has grown from four employees to 120.
This is still a family-oriented business. Two of Jim's brothers, Doug and Bill, work there, while Jim's son Bryndon, a KSU grad, manages the Marysville store. Daughter Jaimee does human resources and son Grant is service manager.
"Parts and service are key," Jim said. "We want to find good people, train `em and keep `em." He said with a smile, "They always say, hire people smarter than you are."
"Our main focus is farm equipment," Jim said. "We really serve the farmer.
We also offer light construction equipment and lawn and garden products, plus products that sundowner farmers can use also."
One of the striking changes that Jim Meinhardt has observed is the growth of technology.
"Fifteen years ago, one of the leading farmers in our area brought in a GPS (global positioning satellite) map of his fields that had been done by his custom applicator," Jim said. "It showed where he needed more fertilizer and more seed." That helped spur Kan-Equip to seek equipment which could utilize such technology. Today, Kan-Equip offers several types of precision farming equipment.
That would include auto-steer controls, a system that hydraulically guides and maneuvers the tractor through the field itself. The only input needed from the operator is to turn the tractor around at the end of the field. It also includes a variable rate planter which can use the GPS map and computer controls to automatically adjust, so as to provide the exact seeding rate and plant nutrition needed for each component of each field. Wow. A similar system on combines works to monitor yields. This helps boost productivity while conserving time, money, and resources. Not only that, manufacturers continue to work on improving this gee-whiz technology.
"It just changes every day," Jim Meinhardt said. For more information, go to www.kanequip.com.
When I was a kid, I rode that Farmall tractor and daydreamed of the time when laser beams would plow fields and robots would drive tractors. Now, that day is virtually here. We commend Jim Meinhardt and all those involved with Kan-Equip for making a difference by serving farmers with this innovative equipment.
Yet, even while looking forward to where we are going, Jim Meinhardt has an appreciation for where we've been. At the Kan-Equip dealership in Wamego, Jim has started a museum of old farm equipment. Maybe my old Farmall is there. |
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Rick Snell
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Thursday, 11 November 2010 17:59 |
 By Richard C. Snell - Barton County Extension Agent - Ag
I finally got a freeze cold enough to kill everything at my house the other morning! This is the first time this year and when it gets to be early November I guess it supposed to be cold.
I had been covering my tomatoes for several days to try to ripen the green fruit but that morning it wilted the leaves even under cover.
That brings me to think that one of my readers suggested that I explain when and what dormancy is in plants. This was prompted by my article on pruning recently.
Plant dormancy basically means the plant goes to sleep. It quits growing and slows down its metabolism in order to conserve energy. This is usually brought on by environmental conditions. In cool season grasses, this happens when summer heat comes on as well as in the middle of the winter. This condition can also be brought on by drought, especially with deep-rooted perennial weeds like bindweed. In most cases, dormancy is brought on by consistent freezing temperatures.
The Snell calendar, as odd as it may be, is a little different as far as the seasons go on the regular calendar, I figure early winter actually begins on Veterans Day as far as planting purposes go. Mid-winter, when I figure everything is dormant or what I call soil freeze-up is December 11- February 10. Then late winter runs from February 11 - March 10.
Until dormancy occurs, plants, including trees, are storing energy in the roots in the form of carbohydrates. So, before Thanksgiving you don’t want to cut back spring blooming things or do any heavy pruning.
Dormancy is the best time to do a lot of the pruning shores and to apply mulches as you can see in the next two articles below.
WINTERIZING ROSES
Though most shrub roses are hardy in Kansas, other types of roses can be more tender. For example, the hybrid teas have certain species in their ancestry that had their origin in the warm climate of southern China. These roses need protection to reliably survive our winters.
A mound of soil or compost about 8 to 10 inches high should be hilled around each plant after most of the leaves have dropped. If soil is used, it should be brought in from another part of the garden. Do not pull soil from between plants to make the mound as this can either directly damage the roots of the rose or make the roots more susceptible to cold damage.
After the ground has frozen, mulch made up of straw, leaves, or hay should be added to an additional depth of 4 inches to provide further protection. On the average, I usually figure soil freeze up is around Thanksgiving, although it can be a little earlier and may not be until late December some years.
Some additional soil may then be placed on top of the mulch to keep it in place. Do not add the mulch before the ground freezes or mice may invade and feed on the roses over the winter. The purpose of these coverings is not only to moderate the cold but also to prevent warm days during the winter or early spring from stimulating growth which is very tender to renewed cold weather.
Excessively tall canes should be pruned down to a height of 36 inches and tied together to prevent them from being whipped by strong winter winds. This whipping action can damage the crown of the plant or loosen the soil surrounding it.
Next spring, the coverings need to be removed before new growth starts. Do not do this before the ground thaws as the tops may begin growth before the roots can provide water.
WINTER MULCHING OF VEGETABLES
Some crops benefit from some mulching to prevent damage to the crop during the late autumn season. Root crops such as beets, carrots, parsnips, and turnips can be harvested and used until the soil freezes hard (usually in mid- to late December). A mulch can slow down this soil freezing and extend the harvest period. Rhubarb is a shallow planted perennial crop that will benefit from winter mulching. However, the mulch needs to be removed by mid-March to allow soil warming to encourage earlier emergence (and spring use). Asparagus is a deep-planted perennial with a deep, hardy root system. Mulching is probably not much of a benefit to the crop. However, mulching is a good way to stabilize soil and prevent erosion, in some cases. As with rhubarb, mulch should be removed in the early spring by about mid-March to encourage early emergence and growth.
K-STATE SWINE DAY
I hope you will plan to ride up with me to the annual Swine Day that K-State holds each year. This year’s program will be held on Thursday, November 18 at the KSU Alumni Center on the campus in Manhattan.
There will be an expanded trade show from 8-5. The morning program gets underway at 9:45 with the welcome, followed by an update from the K-State swine team on how current K-State research can help improve net returns to a farm business. Then Dr. Steve Henry will give one of the key presentations on “Failure to Thrive: Is Emerging Viral Disease the Cause?”
The afternoon features a discussion on “Managing Risk in Today’s Swine Industry” by Joe Kerns of Iowa City, Iowa, followed by K-State ice cream.
The cost of the program is $20 in advance or $30 at the door. You can register on line at www.KSUswine.org
Rick Snell is the Barton County Extension Agricultural Agent for K-State Research & Extension. He can be reached at 620-793-1910 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. The Barton County Extension Office is at 1800 12th Street in Great Bend. |
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Jason Probst
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Monday, 25 October 2010 07:06 |
 I will start this off with a warning: The contents of this
column may be offensive. In fact I know that to some people it will
undoubtedly be offensive.
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Tom Giessel
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Monday, 18 October 2010 08:21 |
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 One definition of hijack is to seize control forcibly in order to go to an unscheduled destination. This terminology may go a long way in explaining the course of farms and rural communities over the years. From seed to stomach, decisions are made in a multitude of venues, which are not always in the best interest of farmer, rancher or eater. The many tentacles of money interest and greed have gained a stranglehold on food and fiber policy, along with many of the government institutions that are supposed to serve the needs of society and enhance the economy. |
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Jere White
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Wednesday, 06 October 2010 11:34 |
 Warning, consider this as a read-only document. Downloading may implicate you as a key player in a Madison County, Illinois lawsuit…lol. |
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Jeff Sutton
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Wednesday, 06 October 2010 11:24 |
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Immersed in German Agriculture
Although the official McCloy Fellowship has ended and we have returned to our lives back in the states, I would like to continue a few more blogs on some of the interesting topics presented to us. The last leg of the experience brought us to Berlin, home of the DBV (German Farmer’s Association). We spent a couple days just meeting with their team as well as other organizations, including the WWF (World Wildlife Fund). |
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Jeff Sutton
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Wednesday, 29 September 2010 13:07 |
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 First stop was to Trifthoff Farm,who quit the hog business 2 years ago, and now is part of a 5 farm cooperative who owns/operates a biogas plant (methane digester for energy).
In order to get a premium, at least 30% must come from animal waste, which completely comes the cooperative’s farms. With the premium of 3 cents per kilowatt hour, they get 19 cents total per kilowatt hour. In a normal day they will bring in 16 tons of materials: 9 tons of animal waste and 7 tons of corn silage. This will generage 350 kilowatts per hour. Excess heat from the plant will dry wood schnitzels (chips), which they also make an extra 2 cents more. The wood chip owner is an outside party who rents the drying and storage space from their former potato operation… which was used in their distillery to make alcohol for cosmetics. This is their first year not running the distillery because the government is taking away the incentives to make it worthwhile for the farm. The govt. put on a lock and key, as to make sure they would not continue using the distillery for personal benefit. Here the group is in the wood schnitzel drying facility. A trip through the Black Forest was beautiful (and winding) before we came back for an afternoon hike up to Castle Madenburg, which overlooks the scenic Palatadine valley of milk and honey and a lot of vineyards. The day ended with a stop at another popular Deutshes Weintor location along the Wine Route featuring an arch at the French/German border they use on their wine labels now. We then stopped in France and saw part of the Maginot Line, which France built in 1932 and 1933. We dined in a small French town, Alsaces, and dine on a local cuisine called Tarte Flambe. The meals have all been homeruns. |
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Rick Snell
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Friday, 24 September 2010 12:12 |
RICK'S AG ROUNDUP
The Barton County Extension Office is taking orders for low-cost tree seedlings offered through the Kansas Forest Service conservation tree planting program. Orders
will be taken September 7 through October 15.
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Jeff Sutton
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Friday, 24 September 2010 09:04 |
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Immersed in German Agriculture The final day in Brussels proved to be another great day of discussion…. we had a fantastic meeting with Felix Bloch (from Germany…south of Bonn) who is the European Commission International Trade representative for agriculture to the U.S. “We are very much about respecting there are huge differences between the U.S. and E.U.,” said Felix Bloch. |
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Jeff Sutton
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Wednesday, 22 September 2010 16:06 |
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Brussels, Belgium is home to the European Union. There are 27 member states (countries). In the 1950s, six countries founded the EU based on coal trade, including France, Germany, and Belgium. Today, more than 40% of the total EU budget goes to subsidize agriculture of its member states. |
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Rick Snell
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Tuesday, 21 September 2010 15:53 |
Rick's Ag Roundup You don´t have to go past Great Bend, Kansas to remember tragic ATV accidents attached to names like Gavin Neuforth and Landon Unruh. Not much farther away, an 8 year-old boy died in an ATV accident near Sterling this past spring. |
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Jeff Sutton
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Tuesday, 21 September 2010 15:49 |
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After a long flight over the pond, we arrived in Frankfurt. It took a little bit too figure out the train system, and especially the ticketing machine. Met up with Eric and Erin, who had already been in Europe for a quick walk through downtown Frankfurt. |
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Jeff Sutton
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Monday, 20 September 2010 13:05 |
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For citizens of the U.S., the largest country of ancestry is Germany. In fact, according to the 2000 Census, 25.8% of Kansans claim German as their heritage. That’s more than 850,000 people. Even long before the mid-19th century, German immigrants came to our country in search of productive land. Today, we can connect much of our current culture by tracing our German lineage, including church, music, food, technology, science, business, industry, and education. |
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Vance Ehmke
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Thursday, 16 September 2010 12:19 |
By Vance Ehmke
Farmers here in the central and southern Plains are beginning to wonder why the Russian drought is getting all the attention. There's only one thing that wheat farmers out here are talking about-and that is, how dry it is. |
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Bill Spiegel
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Friday, 03 September 2010 07:58 |
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 On behalf of the wheat farmers of Kansas, I would like to point a dramatic error in the Associated Press article entitled "Scientists: We've cracked wheat's genetic code," which appeared in many Kansas newspapers. The article states that a British team of scientists has "decoded the genetic sequence of wheat" and implies that this information is equivalent to the genome sequences available for the rice, maize, soybean, and the human genomes.
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Jonie James
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Monday, 30 August 2010 10:01 |
 Last Fall, 5th Grade teacher Carol Budde, from the Walton Rural Life Education Center started something new. She enrolled her students in the 4-H Swine Project. These 22 youth engrossed themselves in learning more about the swine industry. Extension helped with this project. All of the youth had to be pork quality assured plus trained in order to be able to sell their animals at the project’s completion. 4-Hers account for slightly more than 1% of the swine raised for meat production, therefore they have to maintain the same standards of production as the rest of the industry. |
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Guest Columnist
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Monday, 30 August 2010 09:50 |
Paula Fitzgerald
Executive Director
Agrifood Awareness Australia Limited
Despite the benefits delivered by GM crops, a few continue to oppose the technology at every opportunity. Greenpeace Australia recently issued a statement entitled “No GM in our daily bread”. The article, cleverly composed by their spin team, stated that: “The threat of GE wheat is looming in Australia. If chemical companies succeed in progressing these trials to market-release stage, we could soon be eating polluted GE food in our breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
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DeEtta Bohling
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Monday, 23 August 2010 12:14 |
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By DeEtta Bohling
Communications Specialist
Kansas Grains
Who doesn’t love choices? I believe it is important to have choices and that informed decisions are vital, especially when it comes to choosing your food. This post is one of many to come over the next few weeks exploring the many choices consumers have.
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Rick Snell
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Wednesday, 18 August 2010 15:24 |
By Richard C. Snell
Over the past couple of years, I have been to agent livestock updates where we have gone through a couple of exercises that I wanted to share with you. One was on low stress animal handling and the other was on estimating cow weight and body condition scoring. On Sept. 2, the Kansas Livestock Association and Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health will help Barton County Extension and K-State Research and Extension make this a reality. |
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Rick Snell
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Monday, 16 August 2010 09:29 |
My primary job is to make farmers more profitable through educational efforts.
Once again this year, K-State Research & Extension has a conference planned to do exactly that and I would be glad to take a van load of people to it.
The dates for the 2010 Risk & Profit Conference & Trade Show are August 19-20, 2010, at the K-State Alumni Center.
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Sue Schulte
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Monday, 09 August 2010 08:50 |
 Tyrone Hayes is an icon, at least according to Hayes. He is a University of California at Berkeley researcher whose research to ban atrazine is certainly prolific. In addition to several amphibian studies that he says prove atrazine turns male frogs into not-so-male frogs, Hayes also hosts an anti-atrazine website and has a busy speaking schedule. But Hayes has spent a lot of time on something else—writing bizarre and harassing emails to those on the other side of the atrazine argument. |
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Ron Wilson
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Wednesday, 04 August 2010 07:54 |
Now that's rural: Kansas Profile
The results are in. The final scores are tabulated at the national
intercollegiate meats judging contest, and Kansas State University
has the winning team. One member of that team is Aaron Higbie. Now
fast forward to the present. Aaron´s expertise in meats selection has
continued to the point that he is operating his own meat processing
business in rural Kansas.
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Rick Snell
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Tuesday, 13 July 2010 11:19 |
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After the recent rain, I know misquitoes will be back again. The week before last, I had quite a few mosquito calls.
Now I am here to tell you we or you are not as powerful as we think we are. We always think we know what´s best for us but that is not always the case. I am not sure why mosquitoes were put on the earth but I have full trust that God knew what he was doing. At the same time I hate getting bitten by the as much as anyone. |
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Daryll Ray
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Wednesday, 07 July 2010 13:56 |
 The last three columns have dealt with issues relating to contracting in the poultry industry, as described by C. Robert Taylor and David A Domina in a report they "prepared for the Joint US Department of Justice and US Department of Agriculture/GIPSA Public Workshop on Competition Issues in the Poultry Industry, May 21, 2010, Normal, AL," |
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