The Association of Equipment Manufacturers stopped by CNH in Wichita, Kan., Aug. 5. The stop was part of its AEM Manufacturing Express, a multistate tour of equipment plants drawing attention to their economic boost to local and state economies. Annually, equipment manufacturing in Kansas generates $4.2 billion in tax revenue; it directly supports more than 8,000 jobs and indirectly supports 35,800 jobs.

Recently, CNH has invested in expansion of its facility to its current 80-acre, 550,000-square-footprint. CNH’s brand portfolio of ag and construction equipment includes Case, New Holland, Steyr and many more.

Grant funds bovine respiratory disease research

A $2.4 million research grant has been awarded to Brad White, director of the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University, to research solutions to bovine respiratory disease, also called “shipping fever.”

BRD is the costliest disease affecting beef cattle in North America, causing a loss of about $900 million annually from animal death, reduced feed efficiency and antibiotic treatment costs. It is a complex challenge for scientists, due to its multitude of causes — viruses, bacteria and environmental stressors. According to the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA), cattle affected by BRD generally die from late-day pulmonary disease triggered by such secondary bacterial diseases as acute interstitial pneumonia.

The current concern is antibiotic resistance from treating feedlot cattle for secondary infections. White’s team will sample 2,400 cattle in Kansas and Texas to assess mortalities in feedlots from late-day pulmonary disease, giving veterinarians and cattle producers better information for prevention and treatment that better stewards antibiotics. Part of this research will create tools that could identify high-risk cattle pens and forecast potential scenarios, and use predictive analytics.

Call for soybean contest entries            

The Kansas Soybean Association reminds farmers to plan their entries for the Kansas Soybean Yield Contest and the Kansas Soybean Value Contest.

New this year is an expedited postmark-by the date of Nov. 15 for entries. Results will be released in mid-December, followed by official winner recognition at the Kansas Soybean Celebration Jan. 31, in Salina.

Yield contest districts are determined by region, tillage method and irrigation status, with a total of 18 districts in consideration. No-till on the Plains supplies additional awards in the no-till categories. Farmers may enter multiple categories, but only one entry per field.

Eligible fields must consist of at least 5 contiguous acres as verified by the Farm Service Agency, GPS printout or manual measurement. A non-relative witness, either Kansas State Research and Extension personnel or a specified designee, must be present at harvest and should ensure that the combine grain hopper is empty prior to harvest. Official elevator-scale tickets with moisture percentage and foreign matter included must accompany entries to be considered.

The Kansas Soybean Commission sponsors a monetary prize for the top three finishers in each district, as well as an additional $1,000 for the overall dryland and irrigated winners, and any who top the 114.3-bushel-per-acre record. The amounts per district are: first place receives $300, second receives $200 and third receives $100.

Individuals looking to submit a value contest entry should send a 20-ounce sample, which is evaluated by Ag Processing Inc. to determine the value. Monetary awards are also given to the three highest-value entries.

A full guide of contest rules and regulations, as well as the digital entry form, is available at kansassoybeans.org/contests. Questions may be directed to the Kansas Soybean office by phone at 877-KS-SOYBEAN (877-577-6923) or to local KSRE offices.