News

K-State precision agricultural economist Terry Griffin talks about a new initiative on the part of a global network of leading precision agriculture scientists, promoting on-farm crop production research...he says this approach will lean on the mass of production data that producers have been accumulating, leading to information that will benefit producers at the individual field level.

The senior economist with the IGP Institute at K-State, Guy Allen, offers his monthly take on the state of U.S. grain exports, based in part on the USDA's latest world grain supply-and-demand report. He talks about why wheat exports just can't seem to get untracked, and he points to the weakening of the U.S. dollar as a possible trigger for improved export sales overall.

K-State risk management economist Jenny Ifft talks about approaches to price risk management for cow-calf operations when it comes to marketing calves...she shared information with Extension agricultural agents yesterday on how the USDA's Livestock Risk Protection insurance coverage compares to other risk management strategies in assuring that producers achieve the best payout possible for their calves.

K-State agricultural economist Robin Reid reports on her updated analysis of the returns to participating in either the Agricultural Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage programs on grain production here in 2022...the deadline for making any changes in one's ARC/PLC selection is March 15th, and she highlights the on-line tool she has created for producers to size up that choice.

The senior economist at the IGP Institute at K-State, Guy Allen, talks about the latest USDA world grain supply-and-demand numbers, and the implications for international grain trade:  he specifically highlights what's going on with wheat, and why U.S. wheat export business is lagging and he looks at rising interest in canola and sunflowers in the international oilseed market.

The dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University, Richard Linton, who in February will become the next president at Kansas State University...in this first segment, he talks about his background as a food scientist and administrator at three other leading land-grant universities, which he says has helped prepare him for a top leadership role at a land-grant institution; and the great stock he puts into the land-grant foundation of teaching, research and Extension. He also discusses his immediate-term and long-term aspirations for the university in service to agriculture and rural Kansas; the need for infrastructure upgrades in support of agricultural research and outreach as a priority at K-State; and the potential research and education collaboration he foresees between K-State and the National Bio- and Agri-defense Facility. 

K-State agricultural economist Allen Featherstone reports on a recent fundraising achievement that has created the Barry Flinchbaugh Chair in Agricultural Economics:  this will support a variety of education and scholarship opportunities in the area of agricultural policy, not only for students, but for elected officials and other policy makers as well...and may eventually establish the Flinchbaugh Center for Agricultural Policy at K-State along with a high-profile lecture series in the name of the long-time national leader and educator in agricultural policy. 

K-State risk management specialist Jenny Ifft discusses how the USDA's Pasture, Rangeland and Forage Insurance coverage works, and its performance as a risk management tool for livestock producers in times of drought. The deadline for enrolling in PRF coverage for 2022 is December 1.