Agriculture

On April 8, from 12 to 3 p.m., the Kansas Wetlands Education Center is offering a unique opportunity for the community to witness a Solar Eclipse Viewing Party.

There are fewer than 2 million farms in the United States according to the USDA Census of Agriculture released last month, down from a peak of just under 7 million in the early 1930s.

LAWRENCE — Preliminary groundwater level measurements compiled by the Kansas Geological Survey show mixed results for western and south-central Kansas in 2023, with some areas in the northwest and west-central part of the state experiencing increases for the first time in three or more years.“In the Ogallala portion of the High Plains aquifer, the aquifer had a chance to ‘reset’ in 2023, given some timely rains in the summer months,” said Brownie Wilson, KGS water-data manager.Measurements in those areas reflect a rebound from lower-than-normal groundwater levels caused by the extreme drought conditions seen in 2022.“Unfortunately, south-central Kansas missed out on those rains, and the dry conditions persist today,” Wilson said.The KGS, based at the University of Kansas, and the Division of Water Resources (DWR) of the Kansas Department of Agriculture measure water levels in about 1,400 wells every year to monitor the health of the High Plains aquifer and other aquifers in western and south-central Kansas.Those measurements showed an overall average decline of 0.17 feet last year, marking the fourth straight year of overall declines.

MANHATTAN, Kan.

If you would like to have your tomato plants produce earlier in the year, there are certain things to keep in mind.

GREAT BEND – South Bend Industrial Hemp is launching an apprenticeship program for two positions through Kansas Farm Bureau’s (KFB) award-winning Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program (RKAP).“South Bend Industrial Hemp strives to be a leader in this emerging industry, while maintaining our foundation of core values we’ve developed in our rural community,” says Melissa Nelson-Baldwin, a co-founder of South Bend Industrial Hemp.

Scoular is adding additional events in 2024 to its Perennial virtual symposium for women in agribusiness.A series of virtual lunch and learns will start this month, followed by a half-day virtual symposium in September.

Six sets of seven chromosomes make the wheat genome five times larger than the human genome.

The U.