K-State in the news
Recent news highlights
Read some of today's top stories mentioning Kansas State University. See more K-State faculty, staff and students in the news in the clip archives.
Monday, Oct. 12, 2026
National/International
Insect Eavesdropper Helps Farmers Spot Pests Earlier
10/9/2026 Farms.com
Researchers at Kansas State University (K-State) are testing the Insect Eavesdropper, a technology that uses microphones, artificial intelligence, and data analysis to detect hidden insect activity in crops. The system could help farmers identify pest problems earlier and improve crop monitoring.
Tricky-to-track farm debt spurs USDA search for new measures
10/9/2026 Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Jenny Ifft, a Kansas State University agricultural finance professor currently working on a research project with USDA studying nontraditional farm lenders, estimates there could be two to three times as much debt as what USDA reports in its "individual and others" category, which the agency pegged at $45 billion in 2025.
State/Regional
SatRAP project tests satellite data for irrigation decisions
10/9/2026 High Plains Journal
As water supplies decline across the High Plains, researchers are testing whether satellite data can provide producers with information useful for making irrigation decisions. The Satellite Enabled Resilient Ag Project, known as SatRAP, is a five-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that began in 2025. The project brings together researchers from Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, Oklahoma State University, Texas Tech, Texas A&M University and West Texas A&M University, along with OpenET and NASA-affiliated researchers.
Food and mood? What you eat often affects how you feel
10/9/2026 Rural Messenger
Many Americans understand that the foods they eat influence their physical health, but a Kansas State University nutrition expert says diet also can play a role in mood and mental well-being. Chelsea King, a nutrition, food safety and health agent for K-State Extension’s office in Johnson County, said healthy eating is often discussed in the context of preventing chronic diseases, but nutrition also supports the brain and mental health.
Local
K-State gains ground in 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings
10/9/2026 The Mercury
Kansas State University moved into the top 80 public universities in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, with several undergraduate programs also moving up in this year’s rankings.
'Let markets work' | K-State researchers explain increased beef prices
10/9/2026 The Collegian
Brian Coffey and Glynn Tonsor, professors in the Department of Agricultural Economics, have conducted research to provide answers on where the price increase came from. The two K-State agricultural economists' work has served to make something clear: consumer demand for beef has played a bigger role in price increases than people realize. Tonsor and Coffey co-authored an assessment of the U.S. beef market. According to the assessment, although it is true that the low herd size contributes to prices, their data revealed that market changes have been "anything but one-dimensional" and are decades in the making.