Dig Deep - Kansas State University Ag Research

In the United States we have agencies and organizations at federal, state, and local levels that work to ensure the safety of the food we eat. As animals and animal byproducts are part of many human diets, it's also important to ensure the safety of livestock feed. Jordan Gebhardt is an assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. He'll discuss some of his recent work in livestock feed biosecurity.

Today's farmers and ranchers have to do a lot more than grow wheat or raise cows and calves--they also have to be machinery technicians, computer programmers, and business managers. It's that last one that for many is most difficult hill to climb. Gregg Ibendahl is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University, and a farm management economist for K-State Research and Extension. He details some of his work with the Kansas Farm Management Association [https://www.agmanager.info/kfma], and explains how Kansas producers can benefit through membership with that organization.

K-State Research and Extension specialists and agents are charged with delivering research-based information to their stakeholders, the citizens of Kansas. Through more than 100 years of history, they've encountered challenges and obstacles as small as a downed internet connection or a burned out bulb on a slide projector, to major weather events like floods, wildfires or tornadoes. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has forced agents and producers to adapt on the fly, employing different methods and strategies for both impromptu gatherings and annual events with decades of history. Justin Waggoner, a beef cattle specialist with the Southwest Area Research and Extension Center, shares some of his experiences from this year.

Think back to your high school chemistry class. Recall that atoms of chemical elements--hydrogen and oxygen, for example--can be combined into molecules of compounds, such as water. The atoms in these compounds are held together by an electrical charge. Suppose certain compounds could be harnessed for their capability to store massive amounts of electricity? And suppose, further, that such a system could be harnessed to benefit farming, power grids, water conservation and more? Vincent Amanor-Boadu, a professor of agribusiness, economics, and management with Kansas State University, is part of a team that's investigating this idea. He'll explain how this idea, if brought to life, could breathe new life into rural communities in Kansas, and elsewhere.

Soybeans feed both humans and animals. They have also been used in the manufacturing of plastics, ink, building products, candles, even tires. Conservatively, more than 2,000 different varieties of soybeans have been documented--but only a fraction of those varieties are grown on a regular basis. Bill Schapaugh is professor in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University, as well as a soybean researcher and breeder. He is also the soybean specialist for K-State Research and Extension. He discusses his goal of developing more heat-tolerant varieties of soybeans, and explains the multi-year process of identifying those successful and productive varieties.