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By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau Some environmental groups have been less than kind to agriculture. They have bombarded the public with figures on soil loss, pesticide-related mishaps and alleged failed attempts at using pesticides to reduce infestation. Their figures are oftentimes unverifiable. Technology has often been labeled the No. 1 environmental enemy by some of these groups. Food producers – farmers and ranchers – view technology as the application of knowledge. As humans, we survive by adapting the environment to our needs.
By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau
By Glenn Brunkow, Kansas Farmer Recently I had a meeting at the Agriculture Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs. There are many places that fascinate me and this is one of them. I am not sure how many times I have been to the Hall of Fame, several over the past twenty years or so and I never fail to see something new and this time was no exception. The Hall of Fame has a new director, new direction and new life and it is something everyone should go see. Of course, my favorite part is all of the old farm equipment on display. I jokingly told those around me that it was like going into our machine shed and there may have been some truth to that. Like any farmer the old implements, tractors and combines of the past catch my attention and I try to think about what it must have been like to use them. My conclusion is that farming now is pretty cushy compared to back then.
By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau
By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau Almost every farmer has said in one way or another, “My life begins with the land.” Look at it any way you want but this bedrock principle remains as it has for generations. Land ownership is the key to farming and ranching. Farmers are proud of the crops they grow and the land they work. From the time our first ancestors dropped seeds into the ground to today’s farmer who uses global positioning satellite, they were and are linked to the land. It’s who they are and defines the vocation they have chosen.
By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau Every spring, the ritual continues. Farmers, stock men and landowners continue to use fire as a range management tool while maintaining the economic viability of the Flint Hills. Viewed up close or at a distance, prairie fires are riveting. Across the vast, open grasslands we call the Flint Hills, fires can be seen for miles. The flames lick at the blue Kansas sky as the brown, dry grass crinkles, crackles and bursts into orange.
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April 2016
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