Two more Wheat Rx schools will be held in early March in Kansas. The first event will take place on March 7 in McPherson. The second seminar is scheduled for March 8 in Russell. Wheat Rx is a partnership between Kansas Wheat Commission and Kansas State University Research and Extension to disseminate the latest research recommendations for high-yielding and high-quality wheat to Kansas wheat farmers.

These two Wheat Rx schools will have speakers sharing up-to-date wheat research information on how to manage your wheat crop: not only for yield but also for quality and sustainability, as well as industry partners sharing how growers can capitalize on high-protein wheat. Detailed agendas for each school are being finalized and will be shared soon.

Registration for the event is $110 for nonmembers of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. However, members (including new members) will receive one free registration. Lunch and meeting materials are included with the registration fee.

Online registration is open at kswheat.com/wheat-rx.

New corn growers CEO

Neil Caskey, a longtime professional in the agricultural arena, has been tapped to lead the National Corn Growers Association as its new CEO, according to the organization’s board of directors. Caskey assumed the role Monday.

“Neil’s experience in agriculture is extensive, and he is well-known as someone who gets the job done well,” says Tom Haag, NCGA president. “The board and I are certain that Neil will usher in new ideas and take the organization to new heights.”

Caskey has served as NCGA’s vice president of communications and industry relations for more than four years and spent over a decade promoting agricultural issues as executive vice president at OBP Agency, an advertising and public relations firm. His professional background also includes work for the American Soybean Association and as a legislative aide for a U.S. member of Congress.

K-State crop performance test results announced

Kansas State University’s 2022 tests for four major crops — corn, sorghum, soybeans and sunflowers — were hindered by drought across most of the state. And when dry conditions weren’t the nemesis, untimely weather events, such as hail that wiped out all but one of the sunflower trials, played a part, too.

“It was a rough year for our crop trials,” says Jane Lingenfelser, a K-State assistant agronomist who manages the university's crop performance tests each year. “2022 was categorized as the worst weather year that Kansas has seen in nearly a decade, and the western half of the state was the hardest-hit.

“This was the driest growing season in Garden City in about 130 years of record keeping,” according to the Kansas Mesonet, “with less than 5 inches of precipitation recorded by the end of September. In other areas of the state, the period of June through August was the driest on record for southeast Kansas, and the second-driest for south-central Kansas.”

In addition to drought, temperatures routinely hovered around 90 degrees F or higher. Dodge City and Wichita recorded the fourth-warmest year on record; Ashland recorded 112 days of 90-degree-plus temperatures, and 43 that topped 100.

Detailed results of the 2022 Kansas Crop Performance Tests are available online for each major crop grown in the state. Copies of individual reports can also be viewed online or purchased from the K-State Research and Extension bookstore, or information is available at local Extension offices in Kansas. 

Broadband listening tour

The Kansas Office of Broadband Development wants Kansans to share their thoughts on internet connectivity in their neighborhoods. It’s embarking on a statewide listening tour to gather input for the State Digital Equity Plan and Five-Year Strategic Broadband Action Plan.

Topics to be covered include internet access and availability, public access, inclusive design, adoption, speeds, safety, privacy, digital skills training, devices and much more.

The listening tours will consist of both on-site and virtual focus groups. Visit kansascommerce.gov/officeofbroadbanddevelopment for registration details.

Scheduled public engagement sessions include: