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Kansas Farm Bureau Campaign School opens registrationKansas Farm Bureau Campaign School opens registration

Kansas Digest: Campaign School; new BQA Manual; climate-smart cotton; upcoming crop seminars.

Jennifer M. Latzke, Editor

January 22, 2025

5 Min Read
Cattle ranch
BQA MANUAL: The Beef Checkoff recently updated the Beef Quality Assurance National Manual, a resource for science-based cattle production information. Jennifer M. Latzke

The Kansas Farm Bureau’s (KFB) Campaign School will hold its comprehensive two-day training at the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce on April 16 and 17. It also will offer seven mini sessions around the state from March to September. The sessions are for current officeholders, future candidates, campaign managers and volunteer leaders on how to mount a successful campaign.

This nonpartisan, unbiased program offers in-depth instruction from national, state and local political experts on topics such as strategy, tactics, selecting issues, budgeting, fundraising and identifying voters. The KFB Campaign School was designed to give potential candidates a solid foundation as they seek elected office. It also offers incumbents an opportunity to enhance their campaign skills.
The two-day KFB Campaign School is limited to 20 participants. Farm Bureau members of Kansas can attend for $300, and nonmembers can join for $350.
Mini sessions are condensed opportunities to learn the fundamentals of campaign management skills and cost $60 for KFB members and $85 for nonmembers. Up to 20 participants can take part in each session. They will be offered on the following dates and locations:

  • March 5, Minneapolis Public Library, 519 Delia Ave., Minneapolis

  • March 27, NCCC Ottawa Campus, 900 E. Logan St., Ottawa

  • April 30, Scott County Library, 110 W. Eighth St., Scott City

  • May 13, Kansas Oil Museum, 383 E. Central Ave., El Dorado

  • July 10, Jackson County Courthouse Memorial Hall, 400 New York Ave., Holton

  • July 16, Huck Boyd Community Center, 860 Park St., Phillipsburg

  • Sept. 4, American Ag Credit, 5634 10th St., Great Bend

Related:Federal grant dollars to improve roads around southwest Kansas dairies

To learn about KFB’s Campaign School or to register for any of the upcoming sessions, visit www.kfb.org/CampaignSchool.

Updated BQA National Manual now available

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, recently updated the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) National Manual, a resource for science-based cattle production information. The manual is available for free at bqa.org/resources/manuals.

More than 30 cattle producers, industry leaders and stakeholders from across the country spent the last year updating the manual based on the latest science-based research, including the most recent National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA). The NBQA, conducted about every five years, continues to drive continuous improvement in the cattle industry.

An abbreviated “Field Guide” version of the manual will be updated and available for cattle producers and on-farm/ranch workers in the summer. For more information and to view the updated National Beef Quality Assurance Manual, visit www.bqa.org/resources/manuals.

Related:K-State and Garden City Community College to offer four-year ag degrees

Enrollment open for 2025 U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and Climate Smart Cotton Program

U.S. cotton growers can now enroll in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and apply for the Climate Smart Cotton Program for the 2025 crop year. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is the voluntary sustainability program for U.S. cotton growers and traceability platform for all U.S. cotton.

The Trust Protocol provides growers with data and resources to choose practices that are best for their land and business. By tracking key metrics such as water use, land use and greenhouse gas emissions, growers gain valuable insights into their farm’s environmental footprint. This information empowers them to make informed decisions, optimize practices and demonstrate progress toward a more sustainable future.  

The Climate Smart Cotton Program, led by the Trust Protocol, offers additional financial support, with three levels of involvement:

  • Level 1 — U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol membership: This foundational level provides $5 per acre up to 706 acres for enrolling in the Trust Protocol, uploading bales to the Protocol platform, and exploring the feasibility of new climate-smart practices.

  • Level 2 — Implement a climate-smart practice change: Growers can receive up to $45 financial risk-share for up to three years for adopting a new climate-smart agriculture practice change such as cover crops, no-till, strip-till or a nutrient management plan.

  • Level 3 — Carbon inset payment: This level allows growers to contract for carbon inset sales based on the verified emission reductions achieved through their climate-smart agriculture practices.

Related:Land auctions showed buyer interest to December

Grower enrollment specialists are available to provide personalized, regional-specific support, answering questions and guiding farmers through the process for both the Trust Protocol and Climate Smart Cotton Program. Visit TrustUSCotton.org or email [email protected] to learn more.

Upcoming events

Winter can be a time to improve your knowledge and network with other farmers at seminars and conferences around the state. Be sure to keep these on your calendar:

  • Cover Your Acres. This winter conference will take place Jan. 21 and 22 at The Gateway in Oberlin, Kan. The full program will be offered both days, and registration includes lunch and educational materials. Speakers will cover a range of topics, from forage management to fertilizer management and more. Walk-in registration is $80 per day, cash or check. Learn more at wkrec.org/events/cover_your_acres.

  • Alternative Crop Schools. Learn more about raising and marketing canola, camelina and cowpeas at one of three locations of the Alternative Crop School. The seminars are presented by staff of the Kansas State Research and Extension Southwest Research Extension Center, Garden City. Locations include at 6 p.m. Jan. 28 in Ulysses, at noon Jan. 29 in Cimarron and at noon Jan. 30 in St. John.

  • K-State Soil Fertility Schools. Learn about new K-State soil fertility interpretations and fertilizer recommendations, as well as fertilizer additives and their role. Dates and locations include 9:30 a.m. Jan. 29, Russell County 4-H Building, Russell; 9:30 a.m. Jan. 29, United Christian Church, Osborne; 5:30 p.m. Jan. 29, Walnut Valley Sr. Citizen Court, Rush Center; 9:30 a.m. MST Jan. 30, Community Activity Building, Sharon Springs.

  • Southwest Cotton Physiology Conference. This three-day meeting from Feb. 11-13 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Lubbock, Texas, will offer updates from cotton researchers and Extension personnel.

About the Author

Jennifer M. Latzke

Editor, Kansas Farmer

Through all her travels, Jennifer M. Latzke knows that there is no place like Kansas.

Jennifer grew up on her family’s multigenerational registered Angus seedstock ranch and diversified farm just north of Woodbine, Kan., about 30 minutes south of Junction City on the edge of the Kansas Flint Hills. Rock Springs Ranch State 4-H Center was in her family’s backyard.

While at Kansas State University, Jennifer was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and a national officer for the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow. She graduated in May 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications and a minor in animal science. In August 2000 Jennifer started her 20-year agricultural writing career in Dodge City, Kan., on the far southwest corner of the state.

She’s traveled across the U.S. writing on wheat, sorghum, corn, cotton, dairy and beef stories as well as breaking news and policy at the local, state and national levels. Latzke has traveled across Mexico and South America with the U.S. Wheat Associates and toured Vietnam as a member of KARL Class X. She’s traveled to Argentina as one of 10 IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism. And she was part of a delegation of AAEA: The Ag Communicators Network members invited to Cuba.

Jennifer’s an award-winning writer, columnist, and podcaster, recognized by the Kansas Professional Communicators, Kansas Press Association, the National Federation of Presswomen, Livestock Publications Council, and AAEA. In 2019, Jennifer reached the pinnacle of achievements, earning the title of “Writer of Merit” from AAEA.

Trips and accolades are lovely, but Jennifer says she is happiest on the road talking to farmers and ranchers and gathering stories and photos to share with readers.

“It’s an honor and a great responsibility to be able to tell someone’s story and bring them recognition for their work on the land,” Jennifer says. “But my role is also evolving to help our more urban neighbors understand the issues our Kansas farmers face in bringing the food and fiber to their store shelves.”

She spends her time gardening, crafting, watching K-State football, and cheering on her nephews and niece in their 4-H projects. She can be found on Twitter at @Latzke.

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