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Several south-central Kansas counties are seeing a dramatic increase in groundwater contamination. The region’s nitrate pollution comes primarily from agriculture.
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New research suggests silage has been overlooked as a substantial producer of nitrous oxide. A team at Kansas State University figured out why – and a potential way to tackle the problem.
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Natural birth centers that aren’t affiliated with hospitals are becoming more popular, but patients across the Kansas City area are left with few options after a local center closed. Plus: Kernza is a relatively new grain with a budding future as a sustainable crop, but it's struggling to find a market.
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New research suggests silage has been overlooked as a substantial producer of nitrous oxide. A team at K-State figured out why – and a potential way to tackle the problem.
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Programs that provide drought relief to farmers use the U.S. Drought Monitor to determine eligibility, but some experts say it doesn’t always capture local conditions.
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Kernza is a perennial grain that can produce an annual crop, even as it stays in the ground for up to four years. Its deep root system make it a sustainable crop, but the grain doesn't have many markets.
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Crop prices have returned to more normal levels this year — down from record highs. As farmers expect less income this year, that's likely to send ripples through the larger agricultural economy.
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Missouri has a tropical fruit of its very own: the pawpaw. Although this Midwest native is getting more popular, you're unlikely to find them in a grocery store yet. Plus: While corn and soybeans dominate the Midwestern landscape today, some farmers are integrating strips of native prairie back into their fields.
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When Tyson closed a chicken processing facility in southeast Missouri, it also ended contracts with nearby chicken farmers. Now, some of those farmers are suing. Plus: Kansas farms are consolidating, pushing people to leave the region and making rural life even lonelier.
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Kansas farms have expanded their operations and are now bigger than ever, which has led to an economic boom. But that also means fewer farmers, and that has contributed to depopulation in rural parts of the state that were socially isolated to begin with.
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Even as the tropical-tasting fruit gains popularity through farmer's markets and festivals, the pawpaw faces big hurdles to reaching a mass market.
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Researchers at the University of Missouri say they’ve created a new vaccine to protect cattle from bovine anaplasmosis. The disease is estimated to cost U.S. ranchers millions each year.