When Koch Industries announced a $3.6 billion dollar deal in December to buy OCI’s Iowa Fertilizer Co. in far southeast Iowa, Jason Sporrer said he was shocked. The sales manager for a co-op that provides…

Call it a “happy accident.” Jaydon Morrison discovered FFA thanks to a scheduling error. He unintentionally found himself taking an agri-science class when he first entered Iola High School as a freshman. He sat in…

Humboldt senior Garren Goodner’s journey into the world of FFA began his freshman year when he enrolled in a horticulture class. Little did he know that this initial step would sow the seeds for a…

With four years of active participation in FFA under her belt, including two years in officer roles, Brooklyn Adams has seen personal growth through her experience in the organization.  The Marmaton Valley High School senior…

Ryan Golden, a senior at Crest High School, describes himself as “extremely competitive.” He’s an athlete who has played football, basketball and baseball all four years at Crest. The summer before his freshman year, he…

The average age of farmers in the U.S. is continuing to increase while the number of farms declines, according to new numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture. “This survey, in addition…

This story, the first in an occasional series about water challenges facing the American heartland, is a partnership between Stateline and the Kansas Reflector. MOSCOW, Kansas — Brownie Wilson pulls off a remote dirt road…

PITTSBURG — Starting next fall, Iola High School students will be able to grow up to 500 heads of lettuce each week, all year long.  It will happen courtesy of a hydroponic growing container offered…

Students at Marmaton Valley USD 256 are learning, quite literally, that you reap what you sow. The district is spearheading an effort to promote resourceful and healthy eating as part of its curriculum. According to…

It is hard to prepare for extreme winter weather when December in Kansas may be one of the warmest on record. However, variability seems to be a characteristic of our weather lately and a drop…