By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Salina Post

What began as rescuing lost bees that tumbled from passing through semi-trailers transformed into a state-wide business for Allen and Judy Stovall, owners of <a href="https://ajhoneyfarms.com/">AJ Honey Farms, LLC</a>.

When most residents hear about "beekeeping," they first think of swaths of hives with workers buzzing about clad in white suits and puffing smoke between frames of combs. However, beekeeping is a much larger profession than just honey collection.

Allen Stovall began the profession in 2016 by saving lost bee swarms from truck stop canopies and relocating them to his and Judy Stovall's, his wife's, backyard apiary.

Judy Stovall completed the store's name, AJ Honey Farms, with her essential role established from day one.

After they collected some backyard hives, the Stovalls contacted The Land Institute to investigate honeybee research and conservation.

"They were looking for somebody to do research with bees, so our first 10 hives we went out to there [The Land Institute property], and they wanted to do silphium flowers, so that's how it started."

Today, Allen and Judy Stovall work toward not only providing raw local honey to the community but also educating and providing tools for those looking to begin their own apiaries.

"A customer gets so excited because their bees made it or he's helped them," said co-owner Judy Stovall. "At the end of the day, we want to help people because we need to have more bees."

AJ Honey Farms provides prospective beekeepers with all the gear they might need to get started, including bee suits, smokers and handmade hive boxes.

Until last year, one or both had separate jobs to continue running the business, but last year, Judy Stovall said she quit her first job to work full-time at the AJ Honey Farms store and apiary.

"It's amazing what we do, and we love what we do," Judy Stovall said. "If someone had told me 12 years ago that I would be doing this, I would've laughed and said, 'No, not happening,' and now it's amazing."

Judy Stovall focuses on selling honey and other products from the store and shipping dozens of honey bear bottles to various outlets across Kansas. 

In contrast, Allen Stovall often focuses on designing equipment and mentoring new customers.

READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/5cac0493-edbd-44e1-b890-9a28553770d7">Bryson Flax Steps Down as SES Boys Basketball Coach</a>

This year, the pair added a new item for sale — honeybee hive bodies of various breeds packaged for those looking to begin their own apiaries.

"This is our first year selling bees, and we've done very well," Judy Stovall said. "We sell it all."

With almost a decade of success, the pair now focuses on growing their operations, aiming to include services like complex honey extraction and, someday, even beekeeping classes.

Allen Stovall said that for their next project, the pair plans to use some grant cash to upgrade their current honey extraction equipment to an automatic system.

"If we end up getting it, this whole area will turn into a semi-automatic extraction system to extract from the hive frames," Allen Stovall said. "Then it goes straight into a semi-automatic bottling system."

Judy Stovall added, "We also want to turn it into a training facility—we want to teach other beekeepers."

With the updated equipment, beekeepers could rent out their kitchen space for their bottling operations instead of purchasing it, and Allen Stovall plans to help them through the process.

In the distant future, the pair aim to purchase some land and transform it into a large facility to train beekeepers and research honeybees for Kansas residents and visitors.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713304794217.jpeg" alt="AJ Honey Farms, LLC, owners Judy and Allen Stovall, stand at the front desk of their business at 901 N. 9th St., Suite A, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>AJ Honey Farms, LLC, owners Judy and Allen Stovall, stand at the front desk of their business at 901 N. 9th St., Suite A, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Salina PostWhat began as rescuing lost bees that tumbled from passing through semi-trailers transformed into a state-wide business for Allen and Judy Stovall, owners of <a href="https://ajhoneyfarms.com/">AJ Honey Farms, LLC</a>.When most residents hear about "beekeeping," they first think of swaths of hives with workers buzzing about clad in white suits and puffing smoke between frames of combs. However, beekeeping is a much larger profession than just honey collection.Allen Stovall began the profession in 2016 by saving lost bee swarms from truck stop canopies and relocating them to his and Judy Stovall's, his wife's, backyard apiary.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713305507408.jpeg" alt="Allen and Judy Stovall, owners of AJ Honey Farms, LLC, first began selling wax melts after beginning the business, and continue processing large blocks of beeswax into various products like candles and balms. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Allen and Judy Stovall, owners of AJ Honey Farms, LLC, first began selling wax melts after beginning the business, and continue processing large blocks of beeswax into various products like candles and balms. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>Judy Stovall completed the store's name, AJ Honey Farms, with her essential role established from day one.After they collected some backyard hives, the Stovalls contacted The Land Institute to investigate honeybee research and conservation."They were looking for somebody to do research with bees, so our first 10 hives we went out to there [The Land Institute property], and they wanted to do silphium flowers, so that's how it started."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713304972666.jpeg" alt="A display of various bee-related products in the storefront at AJ Honey Farms, LLC, in town. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>A display of various bee-related products in the storefront at AJ Honey Farms, LLC, in town. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>Today, Allen and Judy Stovall work toward not only providing raw local honey to the community but also educating and providing tools for those looking to begin their own apiaries."A customer gets so excited because their bees made it or he's helped them," said co-owner Judy Stovall. "At the end of the day, we want to help people because we need to have more bees."AJ Honey Farms provides prospective beekeepers with all the gear they might need to get started, including bee suits, smokers and handmade hive boxes.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713305205090.jpeg" alt="A beekeeper's hat and hive box sit ready for purchase in the storefront at AJ's Honey Farms, LLC in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>A beekeeper's hat and hive box sit ready for purchase in the storefront at AJ's Honey Farms, LLC in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>Until last year, one or both had separate jobs to continue running the business, but last year, Judy Stovall said she quit her first job to work full-time at the AJ Honey Farms store and apiary."It's amazing what we do, and we love what we do," Judy Stovall said. "If someone had told me 12 years ago that I would be doing this, I would've laughed and said, 'No, not happening,' and now it's amazing."Judy Stovall focuses on selling honey and other products from the store and shipping dozens of honey bear bottles to various outlets across Kansas. In contrast, Allen Stovall often focuses on designing equipment and mentoring new customers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713305417674.jpeg" alt="AJ Honey Farms, LLC, co-owner Allen Stovall fills a test tube with the right amount of eucalyptus fragrance for the store's candle wax melts. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>AJ Honey Farms, LLC, co-owner Allen Stovall fills a test tube with the right amount of eucalyptus fragrance for the store's candle wax melts. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/5cac0493-edbd-44e1-b890-9a28553770d7">Bryson Flax Steps Down as SES Boys Basketball Coach</a>This year, the pair added a new item for sale — honeybee hive bodies of various breeds packaged for those looking to begin their own apiaries."This is our first year selling bees, and we've done very well," Judy Stovall said. "We sell it all."With almost a decade of success, the pair now focuses on growing their operations, aiming to include services like complex honey extraction and, someday, even beekeeping classes.Allen Stovall said that for their next project, the pair plans to use some grant cash to upgrade their current honey extraction equipment to an automatic system.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713305597759.jpeg" alt="Creamed honey products, made in a traditional way by Allen Stovall, co-owner of AJ Honey Farms, LLC, sit ready for customers in the storefront on Ninth Street. Allen Stovall creates creamed honey through a crystallization technique instead of whipping air into regular honey. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Creamed honey products, made in a traditional way by Allen Stovall, co-owner of AJ Honey Farms, LLC, sit ready for customers in the storefront on Ninth Street. Allen Stovall creates creamed honey through a crystallization technique instead of whipping air into regular honey. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>"If we end up getting it, this whole area will turn into a semi-automatic extraction system to extract from the hive frames," Allen Stovall said. "Then it goes straight into a semi-automatic bottling system."Judy Stovall added, "We also want to turn it into a training facility—we want to teach other beekeepers."With the updated equipment, beekeepers could rent out their kitchen space for their bottling operations instead of purchasing it, and Allen Stovall plans to help them through the process.In the distant future, the pair aim to purchase some land and transform it into a large facility to train beekeepers and research honeybees for Kansas residents and visitors.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713305712027.jpeg" alt="Judy and Allen Stovall, owners of AJ Honey Farms, LLC, stand at their storefront where they greet dozens of customers each week. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Judy and Allen Stovall, owners of AJ Honey Farms, LLC, stand at their storefront where they greet dozens of customers each week. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713305861010.jpeg" alt="Teddy bear bottles sit ready for the shelf in AJ Honey Farms, LLC's, kitchen. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Teddy bear bottles sit ready for the shelf in AJ Honey Farms, LLC's, kitchen. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>

AJ Honey Farms — leading local beekeepers toward success

KANSAS CITY (AP) —A bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows has grown to affect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock">more than two dozen herds</a>&nbsp;in eight states, just weeks after the nation's largest egg producer found&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-texas-mississippi-chickens-dbae49f8786dda586036c1b86b9d0997">the virus</a>&nbsp;in its chickens.

Health officials stress that the risk to the public is low and that the U.S. food supply remains safe and stable.

“At this time, there continues to be no concern that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health, or that it affects the safety of the interstate commercial milk supply,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

Here’s what you need to know about bird flu and food:

WHICH STATES HAVE FOUND BIRD FLU IN DAIRY COWS?

As of Friday, the strain of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-avian-flu-chickens-eggs-03793b5b1cb7429ce293e8577aef0358">bird flu</a>&nbsp;that has killed millions of wild birds in recent years has been found in at least 26 dairy herds in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock">eight U.S. states</a>: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and South Dakota.

The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/disease-outbreaks-hong-kong-health-bird-flu-animals-75e5d058e0fda23b5359f66cafb74cdf">range of mammals</a>&nbsp;over the last few years, but this is the first time it has been found in cattle, according to federal health and animal agencies. Genetic analysis of the virus does not show that it has changed to spread more easily in people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

HOW IS BIRD FLU AFFECTING FOOD PRODUCTION?

Agriculture officials in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.avma.org/news/states-begin-restrict-cattle-imports-those-influenza-cases">at least 17 states</a>&nbsp;have restricted imports of dairy cattle from states where the virus has been detected, but, so far, government agencies say it’s had little effect on commercial milk production. Officials believe cows likely have been infected by exposure to wild birds, but said cow-to-cow spread&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-fda-cdc-share-update-hpai-detections-dairy-cattle">“cannot be ruled out."</a>

Farmers are testing cows that show symptoms of infection, including sharply reduced milk supply and lethargy. Animals that show signs or test positive for illness are being separated from other animals on the farms. The animals appear to recover within two weeks.

U.S. egg producers are watching the situation closely after bird flu was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-avian-flu-chickens-eggs-03793b5b1cb7429ce293e8577aef0358">detected in chickens in Texas and Michigan.</a>&nbsp;Millions of birds have been killed, but the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/egg-guidance-regulation-and-other-information/questions-and-answers-regarding-safety-eggs-during-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-outbreaks">FDA said</a>&nbsp;the risk of affected eggs getting into the retail market or causing infections in humans is low because of federal inspections and other safeguards.

Scientists say there’s no evidence to suggest that people can contract the virus by consuming food that’s been pasteurized, or heat-treated — or properly cooked.

“It’s not a food safety concern,” said Lee-Ann Jaykus, an emeritus food microbiologist and virologist at North Carolina State University.

Two people in U.S. have been infected with bird flu to date.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-texas-cows-355f1e288e72df8b81b0e2efd8b3ae2f">A Texas dairy worker</a>&nbsp;who was in close contact with an infected cow recently developed a mild eye infection and has recovered. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-environment-colorado-b98906e0a1899bb1f92da30a7b1dbe28">caught it</a>&nbsp;while killing infected birds at a Colorado poultry farm. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.

IS GROCERY STORE MILK SAFE FROM BIRD FLU?

Yes, according to food safety experts and government officials.

U.S. producers are barred from selling milk from sick cows and must divert and destroy it. In addition, milk sold across state lines is required to be pasteurized, or heat-treated using a process that kills bacteria and viruses, including influenza.

“We firmly believe that pasteurization provides a safe milk supply,” Tracey Forfa, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine told a webinar audience this week.

The FDA and the CDC are less certain about unpasteurized, or raw, milk sold in many states, saying there’s limited information about the possible transmission of the H5N1 virus in such products.

So far, no herds linked to raw milk providers have reported cows infected with bird flu, but the agencies recommend that the industry not make or sell raw milk or raw milk cheese products made with milk from cows that show symptoms — or are exposed to infected cows.

U.S. health officials have long warned against the risk of foodborne illness tied to raw milk, which the CDC said caused more than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/rawmilk-outbreaks.">200 outbreaks</a>&nbsp;that sickened more than 2,600 people between 1998 and 2018.

Still, raw milk proponents like Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Farm USA in Fresno, Calif., said the outbreak of H5N1 in commercial cows appears to have spurred higher sales of the products, despite federal warnings.

CAN YOU CATCH BIRD FLU FROM EGGS OR MEAT?

Only dairy cows, not beef cattle, have been infected or shown signs of illness to date, agriculture officials said.

The largest egg producer in the U.S. temporarily halted operations on April 2 after finding bird flu in its chickens. Cal-Maine Foods culled about 1.6 million laying hens and another 337,000 pullets, or young hens, after the detection.

The company said there was no risk to eggs in the market and that no eggs had been recalled.

Eggs that are handled properly and cooked thoroughly are safe to eat, said Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Center for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University.

“A lot of people like runny eggs. Personally, if I eat an egg, it’s very well cooked,” she said.

Still, Kowalcyk and others cautioned that the situation could change.

“This is an emerging issue and clearly this pathogen is evolving and there’s a lot that we don’t know,” she said. “I do think that everybody is trying to figure it out as quickly as possible.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636037846131.jpeg" alt="Photo USDA" />
 <figcaption>Photo USDA</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —A bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows has grown to affect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock">more than two dozen herds</a>&nbsp;in eight states, just weeks after the nation's largest egg producer found&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-texas-mississippi-chickens-dbae49f8786dda586036c1b86b9d0997">the virus</a>&nbsp;in its chickens.Health officials stress that the risk to the public is low and that the U.S. food supply remains safe and stable.“At this time, there continues to be no concern that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health, or that it affects the safety of the interstate commercial milk supply,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.Here’s what you need to know about bird flu and food:WHICH STATES HAVE FOUND BIRD FLU IN DAIRY COWS?As of Friday, the strain of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-avian-flu-chickens-eggs-03793b5b1cb7429ce293e8577aef0358">bird flu</a>&nbsp;that has killed millions of wild birds in recent years has been found in at least 26 dairy herds in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock">eight U.S. states</a>: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and South Dakota.The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/disease-outbreaks-hong-kong-health-bird-flu-animals-75e5d058e0fda23b5359f66cafb74cdf">range of mammals</a>&nbsp;over the last few years, but this is the first time it has been found in cattle, according to federal health and animal agencies. Genetic analysis of the virus does not show that it has changed to spread more easily in people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.HOW IS BIRD FLU AFFECTING FOOD PRODUCTION?Agriculture officials in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.avma.org/news/states-begin-restrict-cattle-imports-those-influenza-cases">at least 17 states</a>&nbsp;have restricted imports of dairy cattle from states where the virus has been detected, but, so far, government agencies say it’s had little effect on commercial milk production. Officials believe cows likely have been infected by exposure to wild birds, but said cow-to-cow spread&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-fda-cdc-share-update-hpai-detections-dairy-cattle">“cannot be ruled out."</a>Farmers are testing cows that show symptoms of infection, including sharply reduced milk supply and lethargy. Animals that show signs or test positive for illness are being separated from other animals on the farms. The animals appear to recover within two weeks.U.S. egg producers are watching the situation closely after bird flu was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-avian-flu-chickens-eggs-03793b5b1cb7429ce293e8577aef0358">detected in chickens in Texas and Michigan.</a>&nbsp;Millions of birds have been killed, but the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/egg-guidance-regulation-and-other-information/questions-and-answers-regarding-safety-eggs-during-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-outbreaks">FDA said</a>&nbsp;the risk of affected eggs getting into the retail market or causing infections in humans is low because of federal inspections and other safeguards.DOES PASTEURIZATION KILL BIRD FLU?Scientists say there’s no evidence to suggest that people can contract the virus by consuming food that’s been pasteurized, or heat-treated — or properly cooked.“It’s not a food safety concern,” said Lee-Ann Jaykus, an emeritus food microbiologist and virologist at North Carolina State University.Two people in U.S. have been infected with bird flu to date.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-texas-cows-355f1e288e72df8b81b0e2efd8b3ae2f">A Texas dairy worker</a>&nbsp;who was in close contact with an infected cow recently developed a mild eye infection and has recovered. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-environment-colorado-b98906e0a1899bb1f92da30a7b1dbe28">caught it</a>&nbsp;while killing infected birds at a Colorado poultry farm. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.IS GROCERY STORE MILK SAFE FROM BIRD FLU?Yes, according to food safety experts and government officials.U.S. producers are barred from selling milk from sick cows and must divert and destroy it. In addition, milk sold across state lines is required to be pasteurized, or heat-treated using a process that kills bacteria and viruses, including influenza.“We firmly believe that pasteurization provides a safe milk supply,” Tracey Forfa, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine told a webinar audience this week.IS RAW MILK SAFE FROM BIRD FLU?The FDA and the CDC are less certain about unpasteurized, or raw, milk sold in many states, saying there’s limited information about the possible transmission of the H5N1 virus in such products.So far, no herds linked to raw milk providers have reported cows infected with bird flu, but the agencies recommend that the industry not make or sell raw milk or raw milk cheese products made with milk from cows that show symptoms — or are exposed to infected cows.U.S. health officials have long warned against the risk of foodborne illness tied to raw milk, which the CDC said caused more than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/rawmilk-outbreaks.">200 outbreaks</a>&nbsp;that sickened more than 2,600 people between 1998 and 2018.Still, raw milk proponents like Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Farm USA in Fresno, Calif., said the outbreak of H5N1 in commercial cows appears to have spurred higher sales of the products, despite federal warnings.CAN YOU CATCH BIRD FLU FROM EGGS OR MEAT?Only dairy cows, not beef cattle, have been infected or shown signs of illness to date, agriculture officials said.The largest egg producer in the U.S. temporarily halted operations on April 2 after finding bird flu in its chickens. Cal-Maine Foods culled about 1.6 million laying hens and another 337,000 pullets, or young hens, after the detection.The company said there was no risk to eggs in the market and that no eggs had been recalled.Eggs that are handled properly and cooked thoroughly are safe to eat, said Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Center for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University.“A lot of people like runny eggs. Personally, if I eat an egg, it’s very well cooked,” she said.Still, Kowalcyk and others cautioned that the situation could change.“This is an emerging issue and clearly this pathogen is evolving and there’s a lot that we don’t know,” she said. “I do think that everybody is trying to figure it out as quickly as possible.”___

Bird flu is spreading to more farm animals. Are milk and eggs safe?

By KIM BALDWIN McPherson County farmer and rancher

We adopted him from a nearby city animal shelter’s barn cat adoption program. They adopted him out to us because he was deemed “too bite-y” to be a house cat.

An expert mouser with some serious cattitude, he rotated his time between our shop, farm office and barn. 

He viciously clawed my office chair one afternoon when I turned off his Netflix. He’d let you know when he was annoyed with you with his loud meow or his claws to the back of your leg. He also let you know when he wanted your affection when he’d sneak up behind you and bite you before flopping down by your feet expecting a belly rub.

He’d sprawl out on window ledges and sleep for hours until I’d come into the office. I swear he’d wait for me to look over at him once I was settled at my desk before he’d push a plant, pot or coffee mug off the ledge all while maintaining eye contact with me.

He tolerated our farm dog, Rosie, in her puppyhood. He followed us when we went on hikes through the cattle pastures — always letting us know of his presence by his continuous and loud complaints regarding our outings. More often than not, after hearing too many of his growling meows, one of us would give in and carry that fat cat back to the shop. 

He had a special gift of getting right in your face when working on equipment and making his presence known during Zoom calls.

Mr. Gray disappeared about a year ago. We assumed a coyote got the old boy. 

However, we recently received a call from the City of Wichita telling us that they had our cat. We didn’t have a missing cat.

They said they had a cat that was microchipped and registered to us.

I made the hour-long drive down to Wichita to bail him out of cat jail.

After a year of adventures that landed him in the big house down in the city, Mr. Gray is back on the farm. He spent a few hours in the tractor with my husband before we released him back into the shop and office later that afternoon.

He left an offering for us a few hours later in the form of two mice he’d caught and put in his litter box. 

He’s now returned to patrolling the farm, sneaking up behind me and nipping the back of my leg while I work at my desk, sharpening his claws on my office chair, and overseeing us while working on equipment — always from somewhere above us.

We don’t know what his time away from the farm was like, but Mr. Gray has definitely made sure that we know he’s back and that he hasn’t changed one bit.

"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573617414005.jpeg" alt="Kim-Baldwin Insight.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Kim-Baldwin Insight.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>By KIM BALDWIN McPherson County farmer and rancherWe adopted him from a nearby city animal shelter’s barn cat adoption program. They adopted him out to us because he was deemed “too bite-y” to be a house cat.An expert mouser with some serious cattitude, he rotated his time between our shop, farm office and barn. He viciously clawed my office chair one afternoon when I turned off his Netflix. He’d let you know when he was annoyed with you with his loud meow or his claws to the back of your leg. He also let you know when he wanted your affection when he’d sneak up behind you and bite you before flopping down by your feet expecting a belly rub.He’d sprawl out on window ledges and sleep for hours until I’d come into the office. I swear he’d wait for me to look over at him once I was settled at my desk before he’d push a plant, pot or coffee mug off the ledge all while maintaining eye contact with me.He tolerated our farm dog, Rosie, in her puppyhood. He followed us when we went on hikes through the cattle pastures — always letting us know of his presence by his continuous and loud complaints regarding our outings. More often than not, after hearing too many of his growling meows, one of us would give in and carry that fat cat back to the shop. He had a special gift of getting right in your face when working on equipment and making his presence known during Zoom calls.Mr. Gray disappeared about a year ago. We assumed a coyote got the old boy. However, we recently received a call from the City of Wichita telling us that they had our cat. We didn’t have a missing cat.They said they had a cat that was microchipped and registered to us.Mr. Gray was back from the dead!I made the hour-long drive down to Wichita to bail him out of cat jail.After a year of adventures that landed him in the big house down in the city, Mr. Gray is back on the farm. He spent a few hours in the tractor with my husband before we released him back into the shop and office later that afternoon.He left an offering for us a few hours later in the form of two mice he’d caught and put in his litter box. He’s now returned to patrolling the farm, sneaking up behind me and nipping the back of my leg while I work at my desk, sharpening his claws on my office chair, and overseeing us while working on equipment — always from somewhere above us.We don’t know what his time away from the farm was like, but Mr. Gray has definitely made sure that we know he’s back and that he hasn’t changed one bit."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.

Insight Kansas: A farm cat's tale

K-State beef cattle experts share the pros and cons of retaining heifer calves born to first-calf heifers

<a href="mailto:lmoser@ksu.edu">By LISA MOSER </a>K-State Research and Extension news service

Working in agriculture often involves a series of decisions, including which crops should be planted in a rotation, what inputs are most economical, and -- in the case of rebuilding the cow herd -- should replacement females that were born to first-calf heifers be retained?

This was the question that the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute experts addressed on a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://ksre-learn.com/cattlechatselectingareplacementfemalefortheherd">Cattle Chat</a>&nbsp;podcast episode.

“There are a lot of factors that go into that decision as to whether or not keeping heifers born to heifers is a good idea, and it depends on the goal of the breeding program,” said K-State veterinarian Brad White.

White said with proper planning, beef producers can make retaining heifers born to heifers work for a herd. He said that if producers plan to do that, they need to plan and select sires that are adequate for calving ease but also offer maternal traits that are beneficial.

“I like to keep heifers born to first-calf heifers if they are born early in the breeding season and they are born to a mating that was genetically planned to create replacement females,” White said.

K-State veterinarian Bob Larson agreed, adding, “there are some AI (artificial insemination) sires that have good maternal traits while being adequate for calving ease that can make females worth considering as replacements.”

K-State nutritionist Phillip Lancaster sees one other genetic advantage of keeping replacement females born to first-calf heifers.

“I am going to boost the genetic progress of the herd overall much quicker by keeping the daughters of the youngest females in the herd,” Lancaster said.

However, Lancaster also said that it is important to look at the performance of the cow family that these potential replacement heifers are born from when making this decision.

“Take a look at the records and if that heifer is born to a proven cow line in terms of longevity and reproductive performance, that will help you make the decision about keeping the heifer calf that was born from a heifer in the herd,” Lancaster said.

READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/77cb095d-d35e-4998-ab3f-3bd91c9b0301">Cattle Chat: Helping heifers ahead of breeding</a>

Another factor to consider is the frame size of the replacement female being considered, said K-State veterinarian Brian Lubbers. The size concern relates to the pelvic size of the calf when she matures and is bred to calve her first calf.

“Some daughters born to calving ease sires may be predisposed to future calving difficulty due to their smaller frame size,” Larson said.

Lubbers also said the timing of when they were born as compared to the rest of the herd is something that should factor into the decision of keeping or selling that heifer calf.

“If the heifer calf was born late in the breeding season and she is small framed, then I would recommend producers do not retain them in the herd.”

To hear the full discussion, listen to&nbsp;<a href="https://ksre-learn.com/cattlechatselectingareplacementfemalefortheherd">Cattle Chat</a>&nbsp;on your preferred streaming platform.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712150087384.jpeg" alt="Retaining heifers born to first-calf heifers is one way to make genetic progress, said experts at the K-State Beef Cattle Institute. Image Courtesy KSRE" />
 <figcaption>Retaining heifers born to first-calf heifers is one way to make genetic progress, said experts at the K-State Beef Cattle Institute. Image Courtesy KSRE</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>K-State beef cattle experts share the pros and cons of retaining heifer calves born to first-calf heifers</h2><a href="mailto:lmoser@ksu.edu">By LISA MOSER </a>K-State Research and Extension news serviceWorking in agriculture often involves a series of decisions, including which crops should be planted in a rotation, what inputs are most economical, and -- in the case of rebuilding the cow herd -- should replacement females that were born to first-calf heifers be retained?This was the question that the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute experts addressed on a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://ksre-learn.com/cattlechatselectingareplacementfemalefortheherd">Cattle Chat</a>&nbsp;podcast episode.“There are a lot of factors that go into that decision as to whether or not keeping heifers born to heifers is a good idea, and it depends on the goal of the breeding program,” said K-State veterinarian Brad White.White said with proper planning, beef producers can make retaining heifers born to heifers work for a herd. He said that if producers plan to do that, they need to plan and select sires that are adequate for calving ease but also offer maternal traits that are beneficial.“I like to keep heifers born to first-calf heifers if they are born early in the breeding season and they are born to a mating that was genetically planned to create replacement females,” White said.<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6yU87CbpfHVzUnUymYiJtO?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>K-State veterinarian Bob Larson agreed, adding, “there are some AI (artificial insemination) sires that have good maternal traits while being adequate for calving ease that can make females worth considering as replacements.”K-State nutritionist Phillip Lancaster sees one other genetic advantage of keeping replacement females born to first-calf heifers.“I am going to boost the genetic progress of the herd overall much quicker by keeping the daughters of the youngest females in the herd,” Lancaster said.However, Lancaster also said that it is important to look at the performance of the cow family that these potential replacement heifers are born from when making this decision.“Take a look at the records and if that heifer is born to a proven cow line in terms of longevity and reproductive performance, that will help you make the decision about keeping the heifer calf that was born from a heifer in the herd,” Lancaster said.READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/77cb095d-d35e-4998-ab3f-3bd91c9b0301">Cattle Chat: Helping heifers ahead of breeding</a>Another factor to consider is the frame size of the replacement female being considered, said K-State veterinarian Brian Lubbers. The size concern relates to the pelvic size of the calf when she matures and is bred to calve her first calf.“Some daughters born to calving ease sires may be predisposed to future calving difficulty due to their smaller frame size,” Larson said.Lubbers also said the timing of when they were born as compared to the rest of the herd is something that should factor into the decision of keeping or selling that heifer calf.“If the heifer calf was born late in the breeding season and she is small framed, then I would recommend producers do not retain them in the herd.”To hear the full discussion, listen to&nbsp;<a href="https://ksre-learn.com/cattlechatselectingareplacementfemalefortheherd">Cattle Chat</a>&nbsp;on your preferred streaming platform.

KSRE Cattle Chat: Selecting a replacement female for the herd

KANSAS CITY(AP) — A person in Texas has been diagnosed with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bird-flu">bird flu</a>, an infection tied to the recent discovery of the virus in dairy cows, health officials said Monday.

The patient is being treated with an antiviral drug and their only reported symptom was eye redness,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/dshs-reports-first-human-case-avian-influenza-texas">Texas health officials said</a>. Health officials say the person had been in contact with cows presumed to be infected, and the risk to the public remains low.

Last week, dairy cows in Kansas and Texas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-dairy-cattle-usda-kansas-texas-c3040bb31a9a8293717d47362f006902">were reported</a>&nbsp;to be infected with bird flu — and federal agriculture officials later confirmed infections in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cows from Texas.

Since 2020, the bird flu virus has been spreading among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/disease-outbreaks-hong-kong-health-bird-flu-animals-75e5d058e0fda23b5359f66cafb74cdf">more animal species</a>&nbsp;– including dogs, cats, skunks, bears and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/seals-bird-flu-deaths-oceans-80184a8793fbcc21fab01b1c90b0d71b">seals</a>&nbsp;and porpoises – in scores of countries. However, the detection is U.S. livestock is an “unexpected and problematic twist,” said Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator who is now dean of the University of Nebraska’s public health college.

This bird flu was first identified as a threat to people during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong. More than 460 people have died in the past two decades from bird flu infections, according to the World Health Organization.

The vast majority of infected people got it directly from birds, but scientists have been on guard for any sign of spread among people. Their biggest concern is that the virus could mutate to spread easily among humans, something that hasn’t happened yet.

It’s only the second time a person in the United States has been diagnosed with what’s known as Type A H5N1 virus. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-environment-colorado-b98906e0a1899bb1f92da30a7b1dbe28">picked it up</a>&nbsp;while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.

Texas officials didn’t identify the newly infected person, nor release any details about what brought them in contact with the cows.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636037846131.jpeg" alt="Photo USDA" />
 <figcaption>Photo USDA</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY(AP) — A person in Texas has been diagnosed with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bird-flu">bird flu</a>, an infection tied to the recent discovery of the virus in dairy cows, health officials said Monday.The patient is being treated with an antiviral drug and their only reported symptom was eye redness,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/dshs-reports-first-human-case-avian-influenza-texas">Texas health officials said</a>. Health officials say the person had been in contact with cows presumed to be infected, and the risk to the public remains low.Last week, dairy cows in Kansas and Texas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-dairy-cattle-usda-kansas-texas-c3040bb31a9a8293717d47362f006902">were reported</a>&nbsp;to be infected with bird flu — and federal agriculture officials later confirmed infections in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cows from Texas.Since 2020, the bird flu virus has been spreading among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/disease-outbreaks-hong-kong-health-bird-flu-animals-75e5d058e0fda23b5359f66cafb74cdf">more animal species</a>&nbsp;– including dogs, cats, skunks, bears and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/seals-bird-flu-deaths-oceans-80184a8793fbcc21fab01b1c90b0d71b">seals</a>&nbsp;and porpoises – in scores of countries. However, the detection is U.S. livestock is an “unexpected and problematic twist,” said Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator who is now dean of the University of Nebraska’s public health college.This bird flu was first identified as a threat to people during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong. More than 460 people have died in the past two decades from bird flu infections, according to the World Health Organization.The vast majority of infected people got it directly from birds, but scientists have been on guard for any sign of spread among people. Their biggest concern is that the virus could mutate to spread easily among humans, something that hasn’t happened yet.It’s only the second time a person in the United States has been diagnosed with what’s known as Type A H5N1 virus. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-environment-colorado-b98906e0a1899bb1f92da30a7b1dbe28">picked it up</a>&nbsp;while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.Texas officials didn’t identify the newly infected person, nor release any details about what brought them in contact with the cows.___

First person diagnosed with bird flu after being in contact with cows

Dozens of Kansas agriculture-focused businesses and organizations gathered at the <a href="https://www.salinakansas.org/midamericafarmexpo.html">Mid America Farm Expo</a> last week, with visitors from across the state and some from outside American borders.

One business, <a href="https://farmada.net/">Farmada</a>, works with an agriculture conglomerate named <a href="https://ridne.com.ua/en/#">Ridne Consortium</a>, a Ukrainian coalition of more than 50,000 acres of farms working to bring humanitarian aid to people in the country.

A pair of consortium representatives visited the Farm Expo this year to promote their message of prioritizing Ukraine's economy throughout the war with Russia.

"We need to think about and develop the economy right now, not to wait until the end of the war, but we need to do it right now," said Sergii Kovalchuk, founder of the Ridne Consortium. "We need to work harder — we need to deepen connections, business connections between the U.S. and Ukraine."

Kovalchuk founded the consortium at the beginning of the war in March 2022 and recruited 25 small and medium-sized farms to participate. Most farms remain in western Ukraine, a part of the country relatively untouched by the conflict on its eastern borders.

Continuing business in Ukraine through the war is not an easy task.&nbsp;

As the war in Ukraine reached its two-year mark, Kovalchuk and another Ridne representative, Oleksii Khvorostianyi, said they now live their normal lives despite bomb sirens and missiles regularly threatening their homes in Kyiv.

"It's a unique experience. From the beginning of the war, we didn't know what the war was," Kovalchuk said. "We are not on the front line, so you see, we do not even understand what it's like to be in the war, but actually, we feel like living in Kyiv, we feel those rockets hitting, lots of missiles going, and bombings."

The danger didn't discourage Kovalchuk or his business partners in Ukraine or across the Atlantic in Kansas, which he and his team utilized for business advice and products for the Ukrainian farmers.

One business, Farmada, based in Salina, Kan., sells its products to the Ridne Consortium and its president, Daniel Rauchholz, continues close business connections with Kovalchuk and Khvorostianyi.

Rauchholz said that before Russia invaded Ukraine, Kovalchuk and Khvorostianyi worked with farmers to sell equipment and provide consulting services, but the war changed their entire business model.

"They got the farmers connected with the factories that needed the grain to produce it [food products], then worked with supermarkets to get it delivered," Rauchholz said. "They immediately switched to this mode to keep their businesses all up and running and bring everyone together and cooperate."

"It's an example of how the whole country has come together and how economically resilient they are as Ukrainian people."&nbsp;

Ridne farmers regularly purchase Farmada and other Kansas ag products, which began before the war.&nbsp;

Kovalchuk and Khvorostianyi said they have had meaningful connections with Kansas businesses before and throughout the war. Visiting the Mid America Farm Expo provided a platform for Ridne to continue its current business relationships alongside making new connections.

READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/ba1d98ff-33f2-4a06-b243-58b751c8e8fc">From seed to store: Stutzmans pulls back curtain on growing process</a>

Cade Rensink, K-State Research and Extension district director and Mid America Farm Expo planning committee chair, said hosting the expo in Salina continues that tradition of collaboration for local farmers.

Each year, the planning committee looks for varying focus topics for each expo day. This year, the focuses included workforce readiness, market analysis, and women in agriculture.

The expo also provided an agronomy competition with Kansas FFA students alongside a presentation on Kansas flora and the invasive species that threaten pasturelands.

"It varies from year to year, but we try to keep our pulse on some of the new things that are happening," Rensink said. "We were kind of worried that maybe we were flooding the market, so to speak, with too many programs, but they proved to draw the crowd too. We got lucky this year and tended to hit on stuff people wanted to hear about."

Rensink said providing these spaces for public conversations is vital for farmers and ranchers in Kansas, and continuing the show alongside the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce continues these public forums.

The expo matched most years in numbers, but Rensink said that didn't stop the show from finding success for its attendees.

Many attendees approached Rensink throughout the show to share how they found a new supplier or discovered a new piece of technology to use at their agriculture operation.

"I think people still find value in getting together to socialize, and if they're like me, they learned just as much from each other as they do from the experts in front of the room," Rensink said. "But there's still that human interaction that's extremely valuable no matter what walk of life you come from."

Beyond the shared interest in agriculture, Kovalchuk said that Kansas businesses offer an insight into the small and medium-sized business spheres, allowing Kovalchuk and the Ridne team to compare and contrast various business practices for the consortium.

Khvorostianyi said that although larger businesses in Chicago or New York may have more significant assets and staff, working with Kansas businesses has allowed the Ridne Consortium to thrive.

"That's why we also have plans to use it to develop here as a business — for us, it is very, very valuable that we are close," Khvorostianyi said. "For us, in our strategy, [Kansas businesses] are much better, much more clever to make trade connections with."

The Mid America Farm Expo provided another stage for the Ridne Consortium, which Kovalchuk and Khvorostianyi used to share their message about prioritizing Ukraine's economy, allowing its citizens to weather the war, and see the other side as a stronger nation.

"Everyone understands, realistically, that Russia is strong, that's simple statistics," Kovalchuk said. "But actually, we need to develop anyway — we need to create innovations and attract innovations. We need to grow more bushels of corn and wheat from every acre than Russia, for example. That's what we can do, we need to bring innovations to create more innovative industries."

The Ridne Consortium works with multiple partners like the Howard G. Buffet Foundation and World Vision to pay for Ridne’s products and disperse them across the country to provide humanitarian aid to those in need on Ukraine’s eastern borders.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711488837303.jpeg" alt="Daniel Rauchholz, president of Farmada, right, chats about some new innovations for their field equipment with Ridne Consortium founder Sergii Kovalchuk, left, Shield Ag Equipment owner Mike Bergmeier, middle left, and Ridne Consortium representative Oleksii Khvorostianyi, middle right, at the Mid America Farm Expo on Thursday, March 21, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Daniel Rauchholz, president of Farmada, right, chats about some new innovations for their field equipment with Ridne Consortium founder Sergii Kovalchuk, left, Shield Ag Equipment owner Mike Bergmeier, middle left, and Ridne Consortium representative Oleksii Khvorostianyi, middle right, at the Mid America Farm Expo on Thursday, March 21, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Salina PostDozens of Kansas agriculture-focused businesses and organizations gathered at the <a href="https://www.salinakansas.org/midamericafarmexpo.html">Mid America Farm Expo</a> last week, with visitors from across the state and some from outside American borders.One business, <a href="https://farmada.net/">Farmada</a>, works with an agriculture conglomerate named <a href="https://ridne.com.ua/en/#">Ridne Consortium</a>, a Ukrainian coalition of more than 50,000 acres of farms working to bring humanitarian aid to people in the country.A pair of consortium representatives visited the Farm Expo this year to promote their message of prioritizing Ukraine's economy throughout the war with Russia.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711488949639.jpeg" alt="Ridne Consortium founder Sergii Kovalchuk, left, talks with Shield Ag Equipment owner Mike Bergmeier about various farm equipment to use on Ukrainian farmland on Thursday, March 21, at the Mid America Farm Expo in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Ridne Consortium founder Sergii Kovalchuk, left, talks with Shield Ag Equipment owner Mike Bergmeier about various farm equipment to use on Ukrainian farmland on Thursday, March 21, at the Mid America Farm Expo in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>"We need to think about and develop the economy right now, not to wait until the end of the war, but we need to do it right now," said Sergii Kovalchuk, founder of the Ridne Consortium. "We need to work harder — we need to deepen connections, business connections between the U.S. and Ukraine."Kovalchuk founded the consortium at the beginning of the war in March 2022 and recruited 25 small and medium-sized farms to participate. Most farms remain in western Ukraine, a part of the country relatively untouched by the conflict on its eastern borders.Continuing business in Ukraine through the war is not an easy task.&nbsp;As the war in Ukraine reached its two-year mark, Kovalchuk and another Ridne representative, Oleksii Khvorostianyi, said they now live their normal lives despite bomb sirens and missiles regularly threatening their homes in Kyiv.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711489131638.jpeg" alt="Farmada's Elxir 66HD equipment on display on Thursday, March 21, at the Mid America Farm Expo in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Farmada's Elxir 66HD equipment on display on Thursday, March 21, at the Mid America Farm Expo in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>"It's a unique experience. From the beginning of the war, we didn't know what the war was," Kovalchuk said. "We are not on the front line, so you see, we do not even understand what it's like to be in the war, but actually, we feel like living in Kyiv, we feel those rockets hitting, lots of missiles going, and bombings."The danger didn't discourage Kovalchuk or his business partners in Ukraine or across the Atlantic in Kansas, which he and his team utilized for business advice and products for the Ukrainian farmers.One business, Farmada, based in Salina, Kan., sells its products to the Ridne Consortium and its president, Daniel Rauchholz, continues close business connections with Kovalchuk and Khvorostianyi.Rauchholz said that before Russia invaded Ukraine, Kovalchuk and Khvorostianyi worked with farmers to sell equipment and provide consulting services, but the war changed their entire business model."They got the farmers connected with the factories that needed the grain to produce it [food products], then worked with supermarkets to get it delivered," Rauchholz said. "They immediately switched to this mode to keep their businesses all up and running and bring everyone together and cooperate.""It's an example of how the whole country has come together and how economically resilient they are as Ukrainian people."&nbsp;Ridne farmers regularly purchase Farmada and other Kansas ag products, which began before the war.&nbsp;Kovalchuk and Khvorostianyi said they have had meaningful connections with Kansas businesses before and throughout the war. Visiting the Mid America Farm Expo provided a platform for Ridne to continue its current business relationships alongside making new connections.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711489276739.jpeg" alt="The Salina Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the Mid America Farm Expo from March 20 - 22, 2024, at Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>The Salina Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the Mid America Farm Expo from March 20 - 22, 2024, at Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/ba1d98ff-33f2-4a06-b243-58b751c8e8fc">From seed to store: Stutzmans pulls back curtain on growing process</a><h2>A place for agriculture ideas</h2>Cade Rensink, K-State Research and Extension district director and Mid America Farm Expo planning committee chair, said hosting the expo in Salina continues that tradition of collaboration for local farmers.Each year, the planning committee looks for varying focus topics for each expo day. This year, the focuses included workforce readiness, market analysis, and women in agriculture.The expo also provided an agronomy competition with Kansas FFA students alongside a presentation on Kansas flora and the invasive species that threaten pasturelands."It varies from year to year, but we try to keep our pulse on some of the new things that are happening," Rensink said. "We were kind of worried that maybe we were flooding the market, so to speak, with too many programs, but they proved to draw the crowd too. We got lucky this year and tended to hit on stuff people wanted to hear about."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711489348322.jpeg" alt="Booths lined the Great Plains Convention Center for the Mid America Farm Expo on March 20 - 22, 2024, at Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Booths lined the Great Plains Convention Center for the Mid America Farm Expo on March 20 - 22, 2024, at Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>Rensink said providing these spaces for public conversations is vital for farmers and ranchers in Kansas, and continuing the show alongside the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce continues these public forums.The expo matched most years in numbers, but Rensink said that didn't stop the show from finding success for its attendees.Many attendees approached Rensink throughout the show to share how they found a new supplier or discovered a new piece of technology to use at their agriculture operation."I think people still find value in getting together to socialize, and if they're like me, they learned just as much from each other as they do from the experts in front of the room," Rensink said. "But there's still that human interaction that's extremely valuable no matter what walk of life you come from."<h2>Bringing innovation to Ukraine</h2>Beyond the shared interest in agriculture, Kovalchuk said that Kansas businesses offer an insight into the small and medium-sized business spheres, allowing Kovalchuk and the Ridne team to compare and contrast various business practices for the consortium.Khvorostianyi said that although larger businesses in Chicago or New York may have more significant assets and staff, working with Kansas businesses has allowed the Ridne Consortium to thrive."That's why we also have plans to use it to develop here as a business — for us, it is very, very valuable that we are close," Khvorostianyi said. "For us, in our strategy, [Kansas businesses] are much better, much more clever to make trade connections with."The Mid America Farm Expo provided another stage for the Ridne Consortium, which Kovalchuk and Khvorostianyi used to share their message about prioritizing Ukraine's economy, allowing its citizens to weather the war, and see the other side as a stronger nation."Everyone understands, realistically, that Russia is strong, that's simple statistics," Kovalchuk said. "But actually, we need to develop anyway — we need to create innovations and attract innovations. We need to grow more bushels of corn and wheat from every acre than Russia, for example. That's what we can do, we need to bring innovations to create more innovative industries."The Ridne Consortium works with multiple partners like the Howard G. Buffet Foundation and World Vision to pay for Ridne’s products and disperse them across the country to provide humanitarian aid to those in need on Ukraine’s eastern borders.

Ukraine's Ridne Consortium visits Mid America Farm Expo to deepen international ties to Kansas

TOPEKA (AP) —Milk from dairy cows in Kansas and in Texas has tested positive for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-ohio-egg-farm-usda-d873383dd0927f8ebbdd850a6eebb9a5">bird flu</a>, U.S. officials said Monday.

Officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the flu virus is the Type A H5N1 strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and to occasionally infect people. The virus is affecting older dairy cows in those states and in New Mexico, causing decreased lactation and low appetite.

It comes a week after officials in Minnesota announced that goats on a farm where there had been an outbreak of bird flu among poultry were diagnosed with the virus. It's believed to be the first time bird flu — also known as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/avian-flu-chicken-outbreak-california-poultry-eggs-976f0f82843bf716dbad64f459b4b8be">highly pathogenic avian influenza</a>&nbsp;— was found in U.S. livestock.

The commercial milk supply is safe and risk to people is low, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dairies are required to only allow milk from healthy animals to enter the food supply, and milk from the sick animals is being diverted or destroyed. Pasteurization also kills viruses and other bacteria, and the process is required for milk sold through interstate commerce, the agency said.

“At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health,” the USDA said in a statement.

The federal government said its tests in the cattle did not detect any changes to the virus that would make it spread more easily to people.

Dairy farmers in Texas first became concerned three weeks ago when cattle started falling ill with what officials called “mystery dairy cow disease," Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said. Milk production fell sharply and the cows were lethargic and weren't eating much.

“We hadn't seen anything like it before,” he said. “It was kind of like they had a cold.”

The state's animal health commission began an investigation that included tests for bird flu, spokeswoman Erin Robinson said. Based on findings from Texas, USDA officials think the cows got the virus from infected wild birds.

Experts say livestock appear to recover on their own within seven to 10 days. That's different than bird flu outbreaks in poultry, which necessitate killing flocks to get rid of the virus. Since 2022, outbreaks in have led to the loss of about 80 million birds in U.S. commercial flocks.

So far, the virus appears to be infecting about 10% of lactating dairy cows in the affected herds, said Michael Payne, a food animal veterinarian and and biosecurity expert with the University of California-Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security.

“This doesn’t look anything like the high-path influenza in bird flocks,” he said.

Bird flu was detected in unpasteurized, clinical samples of milk from sick cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas. The virus was also found in a nose and throat swab from another dairy in Texas.

Officials called it a rapidly evolving situation. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are involved, along with officials in the three states. Another dairy-heavy state, Iowa, said it is monitoring the situation.

Dairy industry officials said that producers have started enhanced biosecurity efforts on U.S. farms, including limiting the amount of traffic into and out of properties and restricting visits to employees and essential personnel.

Bird flu previously has been reported in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/seals-bird-flu-deaths-oceans-80184a8793fbcc21fab01b1c90b0d71b">48 different mammal species</a>, Payne noted, adding: “It was probably only a matter of time before avian influenza made its way to ruminants.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636037846131.jpeg" alt="photo USDA" />
 <figcaption>photo USDA</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA (AP) —Milk from dairy cows in Kansas and in Texas has tested positive for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-ohio-egg-farm-usda-d873383dd0927f8ebbdd850a6eebb9a5">bird flu</a>, U.S. officials said Monday.Officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the flu virus is the Type A H5N1 strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and to occasionally infect people. The virus is affecting older dairy cows in those states and in New Mexico, causing decreased lactation and low appetite.It comes a week after officials in Minnesota announced that goats on a farm where there had been an outbreak of bird flu among poultry were diagnosed with the virus. It's believed to be the first time bird flu — also known as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/avian-flu-chicken-outbreak-california-poultry-eggs-976f0f82843bf716dbad64f459b4b8be">highly pathogenic avian influenza</a>&nbsp;— was found in U.S. livestock.The commercial milk supply is safe and risk to people is low, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dairies are required to only allow milk from healthy animals to enter the food supply, and milk from the sick animals is being diverted or destroyed. Pasteurization also kills viruses and other bacteria, and the process is required for milk sold through interstate commerce, the agency said.“At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health,” the USDA said in a statement.The federal government said its tests in the cattle did not detect any changes to the virus that would make it spread more easily to people.Dairy farmers in Texas first became concerned three weeks ago when cattle started falling ill with what officials called “mystery dairy cow disease," Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said. Milk production fell sharply and the cows were lethargic and weren't eating much.“We hadn't seen anything like it before,” he said. “It was kind of like they had a cold.”The state's animal health commission began an investigation that included tests for bird flu, spokeswoman Erin Robinson said. Based on findings from Texas, USDA officials think the cows got the virus from infected wild birds.Experts say livestock appear to recover on their own within seven to 10 days. That's different than bird flu outbreaks in poultry, which necessitate killing flocks to get rid of the virus. Since 2022, outbreaks in have led to the loss of about 80 million birds in U.S. commercial flocks.So far, the virus appears to be infecting about 10% of lactating dairy cows in the affected herds, said Michael Payne, a food animal veterinarian and and biosecurity expert with the University of California-Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security.“This doesn’t look anything like the high-path influenza in bird flocks,” he said.Bird flu was detected in unpasteurized, clinical samples of milk from sick cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas. The virus was also found in a nose and throat swab from another dairy in Texas.Officials called it a rapidly evolving situation. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are involved, along with officials in the three states. Another dairy-heavy state, Iowa, said it is monitoring the situation.Dairy industry officials said that producers have started enhanced biosecurity efforts on U.S. farms, including limiting the amount of traffic into and out of properties and restricting visits to employees and essential personnel.Bird flu previously has been reported in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/seals-bird-flu-deaths-oceans-80184a8793fbcc21fab01b1c90b0d71b">48 different mammal species</a>, Payne noted, adding: “It was probably only a matter of time before avian influenza made its way to ruminants.”___

Dairy cattle in Kansas test positive for bird flu

By GREG DOERING Kansas Farm Bureau

A gust of wind sent a blizzard of white flakes past the picture window last weekend. The wall of white wasn’t snow, rather the fluttering petals from the blooming Callery pear tree in the front yard. Also known as a Bradford pear, it’s about as welcome today as a spring snowstorm.

The flowers are beautiful and Callery trees provide good shade in the summer, and it grows relatively quickly, which are all reasons it was planted in yards, parks and along roads throughout the eastern United States. Its blossoms can also emit a foul odor, and its fruit can stain whatever it happens to fall on, but neither is the reason why the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) has taken the first step preventing the sale of the tree beginning in 2027. The hope is to eventually eliminate the tree from the state’s landscape.

At least its urban landscape. It turns out the qualities that made the Callery pear a good landscape tree also make it tough to keep it confined to where it’s planted. The white flowers it puts off in spring are a beacon to see just how far it’s spread. You can spot them easily along fence rows as you drive down the highway. They’ve become an invasive species that outcompete native species, especially in grasslands.

I’ve already spotted a couple of other plumes of white smoke on the horizon, and I know there will be many more on the calmer days ahead as ranchers burn their pastures ahead of grazing season. These fires speed the breakdown of dead plant material releasing essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Removing this blanket of vegetation also helps warm the soil, promoting new growth. And, perhaps most importantly, the periodic burning of grasslands controls the encroachment of invasive species like Callery pears or eastern red cedars.

Prairies have evolved to need fire, and without it the landscape would quickly be transformed into a scrub forest of low-value shrubs and trees. Initially sparked by lightning strikes, mankind soon discovered the value of fire. Native Americans were the first to use prescribed burns to attract bison.

Prescribed burns, like the ones ranchers use every spring, are an example of using a tool provided by Mother Nature to preserve a vital ecosystem quickly and efficiently. Burning also helps create more high-quality growth that allows grazing cattle to add weight faster, making it an environmentally friendly practice that also boosts the bottom line.

Black patches will soon dot the prairies, followed by a carpet of green grass reaching out through the ash and soot. There will be fewer Callery pears and other invasive species because of purposely set fires. Smoke billowing on the horizon is yet another sign of spring in Kansas. We can look forward to increasing warmth, new growth and, hopefully, ridding ourselves of the things that just don’t belong.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687183475033.png" alt="Greg Doering" />
 <figcaption>Greg Doering</figcaption>
 </figure>By GREG DOERING Kansas Farm BureauA gust of wind sent a blizzard of white flakes past the picture window last weekend. The wall of white wasn’t snow, rather the fluttering petals from the blooming Callery pear tree in the front yard. Also known as a Bradford pear, it’s about as welcome today as a spring snowstorm.The flowers are beautiful and Callery trees provide good shade in the summer, and it grows relatively quickly, which are all reasons it was planted in yards, parks and along roads throughout the eastern United States. Its blossoms can also emit a foul odor, and its fruit can stain whatever it happens to fall on, but neither is the reason why the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) has taken the first step preventing the sale of the tree beginning in 2027. The hope is to eventually eliminate the tree from the state’s landscape.At least its urban landscape. It turns out the qualities that made the Callery pear a good landscape tree also make it tough to keep it confined to where it’s planted. The white flowers it puts off in spring are a beacon to see just how far it’s spread. You can spot them easily along fence rows as you drive down the highway. They’ve become an invasive species that outcompete native species, especially in grasslands.I’ve already spotted a couple of other plumes of white smoke on the horizon, and I know there will be many more on the calmer days ahead as ranchers burn their pastures ahead of grazing season. These fires speed the breakdown of dead plant material releasing essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Removing this blanket of vegetation also helps warm the soil, promoting new growth. And, perhaps most importantly, the periodic burning of grasslands controls the encroachment of invasive species like Callery pears or eastern red cedars.Prairies have evolved to need fire, and without it the landscape would quickly be transformed into a scrub forest of low-value shrubs and trees. Initially sparked by lightning strikes, mankind soon discovered the value of fire. Native Americans were the first to use prescribed burns to attract bison.Prescribed burns, like the ones ranchers use every spring, are an example of using a tool provided by Mother Nature to preserve a vital ecosystem quickly and efficiently. Burning also helps create more high-quality growth that allows grazing cattle to add weight faster, making it an environmentally friendly practice that also boosts the bottom line.Black patches will soon dot the prairies, followed by a carpet of green grass reaching out through the ash and soot. There will be fewer Callery pears and other invasive species because of purposely set fires. Smoke billowing on the horizon is yet another sign of spring in Kansas. We can look forward to increasing warmth, new growth and, hopefully, ridding ourselves of the things that just don’t belong."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.

Insight Kansas: Smoke in the Spring

By RUDI KELLER,&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

The annual markets outlook from the Food &amp; Agricultural Policy Research Institute anticipates declining farm income, higher costs for producers

U.S. farm income is falling from record highs as low commodity prices, trade headwinds and higher costs squeeze profits, according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fapri.missouri.edu/publications/2024-us-agricultural-market-outlook/?utm_campaign=485145_FAPRI%20Baseline%20Report%20%28March%202024%29&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Child%20account%20for%20The%20Curators%20of%20the%20University%20of%20Missouri&amp;dm_i=7JGU,AEC9,4NFRO6,1HPH8,1">new report from the University of Missouri</a>.

The 2024&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fapri.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-Baseline-Outlook.pdf">U.S. Agricultural Market Outlook</a>&nbsp;report released Tuesday by the Food &amp; Agricultural Policy Research Institute, also known as FAPRI, is a 10-year projection of the agriculture economy. It examines production trends and pricing for commodity and specialty crops and livestock and discusses issues like interest rates, consumer prices and biofuel production that impact on farming as a whole.

For producers, the news isn’t especially welcome.

“We got lower commodity prices kind of across the board, except for cattle,” said Pat Westhoff, the agricultural economics professor who serves as the institute’s director.

The annual report is eagerly anticipated in the agriculture industry and its findings have extra significance this year as Congress tries to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4467907-farm-bill-tensions-conservation-fire-food-aid/">pass a farm bill</a>&nbsp;renewing producer support and food distribution programs.

Net farm income nationally is expected to be about $118.2 billion this year, down from a record of about $162 billion in 2022.

Westhoff said he briefed Congressional staff on the report Tuesday and the reaction was a classic glass half-empty, glass half-full split. Some saw the large decline in farm income as a problem, while others noted that income is expected to remain above the average from 2015 to 2019.

“People were using the same numbers and making the opposite arguments,” Westhoff said.

Missouri is second only to Texas in the number of farms, with 87,887 farms that sold $14.7 billion in agricultural products in 2022, up from $10.5 billion in 2017 according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_2_US_State_Level/st99_2_001_001.pdf">the Census of Agriculture</a>. Missouri farms also received nearly $1 billion in government payments or other income.

With farm production expenses of $10.7 billion, Missouri farms had net cash income of $5 billion.

The 5,596 largest Missouri farms, with sales of $500,000 or more, sold more than $11.6 billion of products in 2022. The 67,400 Missouri farms with sales of less than $50,000 sold&nbsp;$685 million agricultural products.

Prices for grain and oil crops have fallen dramatically in the past year. Missouri farmers were receiving $14.90 a bushel for soybeans in January 2023, and $6.94 a bushel for corn. According to the monthly agricultural prices report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the price received for soybeans in January was $12.90 a bushel and for corn it was $4.79.

The issues facing farmers nationally, Westhoff said, are true in Missouri, where corn, soybeans and wheat are the major cash crops.&nbsp;

The FAPRI report projects the decline in commodity grain prices will slow, but continue.

Missouri farmers get a slightly better price than the national average for corn and soybeans because of proximity to large rivers and industries such as ethanol and biodiesel that buy commodities locally, Westhoff said.

“Where you have crushing facilities for soybeans matters tremendously,” Westhoff said. “Where you have ethanol plants matters as well.”

Missouri produced 264.9 million bushels of soybeans in 2023. A decline of $2 per bushel means the farmers producing those beans received more than $500 million less than they did for the same commodity the previous year.

The sharp decline in market prices for soybeans hasn’t been accompanied by a similar decline in prices for fertilizer, fuel and other supplies, said Casey Wasser, chief operating officer of Missouri Soybeans, the industry lobbying association.

“The input prices have not come down at all with the other prices,” Wasser said. “So that’s where that net farm income is going to hit producers pretty tight.”

Missouri has the nation’s sixth largest cattle herd. It also is home to the sixth largest number of hogs, and its farmers sold the seventh largest number of chickens for meat consumption and had the nation’s 12th largest flock of laying hens.

But Missouri is losing farmers – and farmland – faster than the national average.

The number of farms declined 7.8% since the 2017 farm census while nationally the number fell 6.9%. Nationally, 2.2% of farmland was converted to other uses between the surveys, while in Missouri the acreage in farming declined 2.7%.

The smallest producers are being squeezed the tightest, said Tim Gibbons of the Missouri Rural Crisis Center. In a telephone interview after he spent a day lobbying in Washington for changes in national farm programs, Gibbons said the issues facing farmers go well beyond commodity prices and interest rates.

Control of agriculture continues to be concentrated in large corporations, he said. Farm programs are designed to support cheap commodities and large producers, he said.

“What I’m hearing on the Hill is a joke relative to the situation that is farming in Missouri and in the United States right now,” Gibbons said.

Corporate-backed buyers are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/01/boom-or-bubble-high-missouri-farmland-prices-encourage-investors-concern-farmers/">outbidding local residents</a>&nbsp;for farmland and the concentration in meatpacking means producers become dependent on contracts that can be canceled when profits narrow. The decision by Tyson Foods to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/03/11/tyson-to-close-perry-pork-plant-in-june/">close a plant in Perry, Iowa</a>, that employs 1,300 people will have a ripple effect on the farmers who raise hogs under contract, Gibbons said.

Missouri has lost more than 1,000 cattle producers a year over the past 25 years, a trend that accelerated to about 2,000 per year in the past five years, according to the farm census. The number of farms producing hogs has declined from 12,133 in 1992 to 2,184 in 2022.

“The policies that have been in recent past farm bills have been written by and for these multinational corporations and lobbyists that lobby for them,” Gibbons said. “We need a very different vision and a farm bill.”

The only area where prices are increasing in the past year are for cattle. That’s because the national herd is at its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/19/droughts-complicated-by-climate-change-result-in-us-beef-herd-hitting-historic-low/">lowest number since the 1960s</a>, in large part due to pastureland drying up because of droughts starting in 2020.

“It’s causing liquidation and we’re not seeing rebuilding right now,” Gibbons said. “That connects with interest rates as well.”

Higher interest rates in the United States, which increase costs for farmers as they borrow to finance annual operations or add land and equipment, put farmers at a disadvantage internationally by making the dollar worth more in exchange, Westhoff said.

One indicator of the impact is that the U.S. has become a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/the-us-agricultural-trade-deficit-could-reach-record-highs-for-2023-is-there-cause-for-concern/">net importer of food and agricultural products</a>, reversing decades of a surplus in the balance of farm trade.

“We are importing lots of value-added products that might otherwise be produced here and of course that has spillover effects,” Westhoff said.

The FAPRI report section on government aid to farmers notes that the cost of the two main programs intended to shore up prices –&nbsp; agricultural risk coverage, or ARC, and price loss coverage, or PLC fell below $1 billion because of recent high commodity prices.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614189270972.jpeg" alt="Photo USDA" />
 <figcaption>Photo USDA</figcaption>
 </figure>By RUDI KELLER,&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a><h2>The annual markets outlook from the Food &amp; Agricultural Policy Research Institute anticipates declining farm income, higher costs for producers</h2>U.S. farm income is falling from record highs as low commodity prices, trade headwinds and higher costs squeeze profits, according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fapri.missouri.edu/publications/2024-us-agricultural-market-outlook/?utm_campaign=485145_FAPRI%20Baseline%20Report%20%28March%202024%29&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Child%20account%20for%20The%20Curators%20of%20the%20University%20of%20Missouri&amp;dm_i=7JGU,AEC9,4NFRO6,1HPH8,1">new report from the University of Missouri</a>.The 2024&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fapri.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-Baseline-Outlook.pdf">U.S. Agricultural Market Outlook</a>&nbsp;report released Tuesday by the Food &amp; Agricultural Policy Research Institute, also known as FAPRI, is a 10-year projection of the agriculture economy. It examines production trends and pricing for commodity and specialty crops and livestock and discusses issues like interest rates, consumer prices and biofuel production that impact on farming as a whole.For producers, the news isn’t especially welcome.“We got lower commodity prices kind of across the board, except for cattle,” said Pat Westhoff, the agricultural economics professor who serves as the institute’s director.The annual report is eagerly anticipated in the agriculture industry and its findings have extra significance this year as Congress tries to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4467907-farm-bill-tensions-conservation-fire-food-aid/">pass a farm bill</a>&nbsp;renewing producer support and food distribution programs.Net farm income nationally is expected to be about $118.2 billion this year, down from a record of about $162 billion in 2022.Westhoff said he briefed Congressional staff on the report Tuesday and the reaction was a classic glass half-empty, glass half-full split. Some saw the large decline in farm income as a problem, while others noted that income is expected to remain above the average from 2015 to 2019.“People were using the same numbers and making the opposite arguments,” Westhoff said.Missouri is second only to Texas in the number of farms, with 87,887 farms that sold $14.7 billion in agricultural products in 2022, up from $10.5 billion in 2017 according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_2_US_State_Level/st99_2_001_001.pdf">the Census of Agriculture</a>. Missouri farms also received nearly $1 billion in government payments or other income.With farm production expenses of $10.7 billion, Missouri farms had net cash income of $5 billion.The 5,596 largest Missouri farms, with sales of $500,000 or more, sold more than $11.6 billion of products in 2022. The 67,400 Missouri farms with sales of less than $50,000 sold&nbsp;$685 million agricultural products.Prices for grain and oil crops have fallen dramatically in the past year. Missouri farmers were receiving $14.90 a bushel for soybeans in January 2023, and $6.94 a bushel for corn. According to the monthly agricultural prices report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the price received for soybeans in January was $12.90 a bushel and for corn it was $4.79.The issues facing farmers nationally, Westhoff said, are true in Missouri, where corn, soybeans and wheat are the major cash crops.&nbsp;The FAPRI report projects the decline in commodity grain prices will slow, but continue.Missouri farmers get a slightly better price than the national average for corn and soybeans because of proximity to large rivers and industries such as ethanol and biodiesel that buy commodities locally, Westhoff said.“Where you have crushing facilities for soybeans matters tremendously,” Westhoff said. “Where you have ethanol plants matters as well.”Missouri produced 264.9 million bushels of soybeans in 2023. A decline of $2 per bushel means the farmers producing those beans received more than $500 million less than they did for the same commodity the previous year.The sharp decline in market prices for soybeans hasn’t been accompanied by a similar decline in prices for fertilizer, fuel and other supplies, said Casey Wasser, chief operating officer of Missouri Soybeans, the industry lobbying association.“The input prices have not come down at all with the other prices,” Wasser said. “So that’s where that net farm income is going to hit producers pretty tight.”Missouri has the nation’s sixth largest cattle herd. It also is home to the sixth largest number of hogs, and its farmers sold the seventh largest number of chickens for meat consumption and had the nation’s 12th largest flock of laying hens.But Missouri is losing farmers – and farmland – faster than the national average.The number of farms declined 7.8% since the 2017 farm census while nationally the number fell 6.9%. Nationally, 2.2% of farmland was converted to other uses between the surveys, while in Missouri the acreage in farming declined 2.7%.The smallest producers are being squeezed the tightest, said Tim Gibbons of the Missouri Rural Crisis Center. In a telephone interview after he spent a day lobbying in Washington for changes in national farm programs, Gibbons said the issues facing farmers go well beyond commodity prices and interest rates.Control of agriculture continues to be concentrated in large corporations, he said. Farm programs are designed to support cheap commodities and large producers, he said.“What I’m hearing on the Hill is a joke relative to the situation that is farming in Missouri and in the United States right now,” Gibbons said.Corporate-backed buyers are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/01/boom-or-bubble-high-missouri-farmland-prices-encourage-investors-concern-farmers/">outbidding local residents</a>&nbsp;for farmland and the concentration in meatpacking means producers become dependent on contracts that can be canceled when profits narrow. The decision by Tyson Foods to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/03/11/tyson-to-close-perry-pork-plant-in-june/">close a plant in Perry, Iowa</a>, that employs 1,300 people will have a ripple effect on the farmers who raise hogs under contract, Gibbons said.Missouri has lost more than 1,000 cattle producers a year over the past 25 years, a trend that accelerated to about 2,000 per year in the past five years, according to the farm census. The number of farms producing hogs has declined from 12,133 in 1992 to 2,184 in 2022.“The policies that have been in recent past farm bills have been written by and for these multinational corporations and lobbyists that lobby for them,” Gibbons said. “We need a very different vision and a farm bill.”The only area where prices are increasing in the past year are for cattle. That’s because the national herd is at its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/19/droughts-complicated-by-climate-change-result-in-us-beef-herd-hitting-historic-low/">lowest number since the 1960s</a>, in large part due to pastureland drying up because of droughts starting in 2020.Short supplies are pushing prices up.“It’s causing liquidation and we’re not seeing rebuilding right now,” Gibbons said. “That connects with interest rates as well.”Higher interest rates in the United States, which increase costs for farmers as they borrow to finance annual operations or add land and equipment, put farmers at a disadvantage internationally by making the dollar worth more in exchange, Westhoff said.One indicator of the impact is that the U.S. has become a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/the-us-agricultural-trade-deficit-could-reach-record-highs-for-2023-is-there-cause-for-concern/">net importer of food and agricultural products</a>, reversing decades of a surplus in the balance of farm trade.“We are importing lots of value-added products that might otherwise be produced here and of course that has spillover effects,” Westhoff said.The FAPRI report section on government aid to farmers notes that the cost of the two main programs intended to shore up prices –&nbsp; agricultural risk coverage, or ARC, and price loss coverage, or PLC fell below $1 billion because of recent high commodity prices.&nbsp;At the same time, crop insurance payments in 2023 totaled $9.3 billion.“We need to figure out a system of farmer-owned grain reserves and price floors and price ceilings to stop the volatility of the market, and keep that price floor at the cost of production,” Gibbons said.Missouri Soybean is pushing for changes in federal farm support programs to reset the protected prices at a higher level, Wasser said. Prices on beans could fall another $2 per bushel and Missouri farmers wouldn’t qualify for payments to make up any of the difference, he said.“We’re still not even close to a safety net, with inputs and $11 beans it’s tough for any farmer no matter what your size or your leverage to be making any profit on that,” Wasser said..FAPRI’s job is to provide information, not advise on policy decisions, Westhoff said.The difficulty of getting changes to the programs is cost, he said.Some “would like to do some changes that would improve the safety net from the perspective of producers but those changes all cost money,” he said. “And unless you’re going to reduce that spending or reduce spending on conservation programs, there’s not any obvious way to put those pieces together.”The decline in commodity prices should ease inflation in food costs and even reverse some recent increases, such as for eggs and pork, Westhoff said. Food purchased for consumption at home should not increase any faster than inflation generally, the report indicates.But consumers shouldn’t expect everything in the supermarket to get cheaper, he said.“For the most part, the share of those commodity prices that affect consumer food prices is pretty small,” Westhoff said. “Therefore even a significant decline in the farm level price doesn’t translate to any decline, or not a very big decline, in grocery store prices.”