Alternate Energy and The Family Farm

UFA Expands Crop Services with Ponoka Acquisition

UFA has acquired Ponoka Fertilizer to expand crop services, strengthen local expertise, improve product access, and provide greater support to agricultural producers across the region.

FMC Launches New Harvest Dry Down Herbicide

FMC Canada has registered PrecisionPac® FH 20 herbicide, offering growers a new solution for improved crop dry down, easier harvesting, better weed control, and cleaner fields.

Canola Growers Urged to Scout Blackleg

Blackleg is a serious canola disease. Using crop rotation, resistant varieties, field scouting, and proper monitoring can help protect yield, quality, and farm profitability.

K-State plans three meetings to outline winter canola management

Kansas and Oklahoma canola growers will have three opportunities in early August to learn how the crop fits into profitable, sustainable cropping systems across the Great Plains. Kansas State University Extension canola breeder Mike Stamm will present on a variety of performance factors while others will share the latest information on winter canola management and marketing opportunities. The schedule includes: Aug. 4 – Enid, Oklahoma. 9:30 a.m., Chisholm Trail EXPO Center, RSVP to jrsholar@aol.com. Aug. 5 – Cimmaron, Kansas. 10 a.m., Gray County K-State Extension, RSVP to canola@scoular.com. Aug. 6 – Kingman, Kansas. 10 a.m., Kingman Expo Center, RSVP to canola@scoular.com. The Kansas meetings are sponsored by Scoular, which in 2023 recommissioned a grain processing facility in Goodland, Kansas to crush canola and soybean seeds. Stamm said winter canola continues to play an important role in Kansas and the region as a rotation crop with wheat and other small grains, helping farm

K-State watershed specialists, livestock experts emphasize importance of water sources

Water is likely the most important nutrient in raising livestock, and yet Kansas State University Extension cow-calf specialist Jason Warner says it is often the most overlooked. “A big reason why many of our pastures and rangelands go underutilized is simply due to a lack of access to high-quality, abundant water resources,” Warner said. Warner said many beef operations in Kansas and similar regions do not have abundant groundwater or access to rural water systems. Instead, they rely heavily on surface water sources to supply their cow-calf herds, stocker cattle and replacement heifers. Springs, ponds and other natural sources such as creeks and streams are a critical part of the ranch’s bottom line and long-term sustainability. “If we think about a ranch or an operating unit that has underdeveloped water resources versus one that has developed and high quality and abundant watering resources, that can certainly add a tremendous amount of value to that operation just in and of itse