K-State in the news — January 2025
Some of the top stories mentioning Kansas State University are posted below. Download an Excel file (xls) with all of this month's news stories.
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025
National/International
AAFCO MEMBERSHIP VOTES YES ON NEW REGULATORY PATHWAY FOR ANIMAL FOOD INGREDIENTS
1/22/25 AP News
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) membership approved a proposal from Kansas State University’s Olathe Innovation Campus (K-State Olathe) to provide the scientific review for a new animal food ingredient submission pathway. The new pathway replaces AAFCO’s former Ingredient Definition Request process that ended with the expiration of AAFCO’s Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year.
The right communication can improve remote work
1/22/25 Futurity
The research team—which included experts from the Novak Leadership Institute, the Mizzou Department of Communication and Kansas State University—surveyed 1,258 full-time US workers with flexible work arrangements.
State/Regional
K-State invites innovative startups to apply for 2025 Accelerator program
1/22/25 Sunflower State Radio
Kansas State University’s College of Business Administration is now accepting applications for the 2025 Center for Entrepreneurship Accelerator program, a premier initiative designed to support early-stage startups in Kansas. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply by Feb. 24.
USDA ARS chief innovation officer to present lecture for K-State's MLK Observance Week
1/22/25 Farms.com
Chavonda Jacobs-Young, chief innovation officer for the Agricultural Research Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will be the keynote speaker at Kansas State University's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week luncheon.
Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025
State/Regional
K-State opens physical innovation hub space to boost research, economic development
01/21/25 Startland News
A newly unveiled collaborative office space at Kansas State University is expected to catalyze research commercialization, industry partnerships and economic growth, said Richard Linton.
Local
Regents approve K-State cattle facility construction to start next year
01/20/25 1350 KMAN
Construction of a new cattle facility at K-State will begin next year.
Konza Prairie and Geary County CVB announce partnership
01/21/25 Manhattan Mercury
Konza Prairie Biological Station is a 8,617-acre native tallgrass prairie preserve jointly owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University.
Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025
National/International
Why Accurate Energy Values of Swine Feed Ingredients Are So Important
01/20/25 Farms.com
Rafe Royall, a PhD student in swine nutrition at Kansas State University, explained at KSU Swine Day, “The effect of increasing dietary energy content on performance has been extensively studied. However, as we think about dramatic reductions on net energy, there’s relatively little published data. Elevated ingredient costs have led the industry to shift toward using more high-fiber, low energy diets.” Kansas State University conducted a study to evaluate the effect of dietary net energy (NE) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and removal and mortality rates of grow-finish pigs and compare different net energy (NE) systems by using caloric efficiency.
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $6.2 Million to Support Forestry in Kansas
01/16/25 Tree Frog Forestry News
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is investing $6.2 million in the state of Kansas to support forestry and construction industry workforce development. The EDA forestry investments announced today are: Kansas State University in Manhattan will receive a $3.2 million grant to bolster natural resource and wildfire risk management workforce development through construction of a modernized training facility.
State/Regional
Senator Marshall Celebrates Kansas Workforce Development Funding to Support Wildfire Risk Management
01/17/25 United States Senate
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. is proud to announce $3,263,176 in federal funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to the Kansas Forest Service, in partnership with Kansas State University, for the construction of a new workforce development facility to support natural resource and wildfire risk management.
K-State will build new $16m Beef Cattle Research Center with donor gifts
01/21/25 The Topeka Capital-Journal
Kansas State University is building a new Beef Cattle Research Center on the north side of Manhattan. The Kansas Board of Regents last week approved the capital improvement project to construct the new research center, which was on the consent agenda. The new, modernized facility will replace an outdated existing facility at the same location at 3115 College Ave., which is about a mile north of Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The new facility includes a feedlot and has a capacity of 1,200 head of cattle, which is less than the old facility's capacity.
5th Annual Barton County Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge seeks students, mentors, judges, and sponsors to inspire young innovators
01/17/25 Great Bend Tribune
Great Bend Economic Development and the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce announce the return of the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) for Barton County students in grades 7-12. This unique competition empowers middle and high school students to develop and pitch business ideas while competing for $2,500 in cash prizes. The 5th Annual YEC will take place on March 5, at the Great Bend Events Center. This year, Network Kansas and K-State Research and Extension have joined as partners, bringing additional resources and expertise to help students succeed.
Local
K-State experts team up to educate Kansans about alpha-gal syndrome
01/20/25 The Times
Kansas State University researchers and extension specialists have teamed up on a project to help alleviate the negative impacts of an allergy to red meat that affects a growing number of people. K-State Research and Extension nutrition and wellness specialist Priscilla Brenes said alpha-gal syndrome – the term used to describe patients who develop an allergic reaction to dietary red meats and mammalian related products – is becoming more common across Kansas, especially in rural areas.
Friday, Jan. 17, 2025
State/Regional
Local start-ups, businesses invited to apply for 4th annual Charlie Walker Pitch Challenge
01/16/25 Salina Post
StartUp Salina is announcing that applications are now open for the 4th Annual Charlie Walker Pitch Challenge to be held Wednesday, March 26, at Kansas State University-Salina. The Challenge is open to start-up businesses as well as young businesses who have been operating for three years or less and offers an opportunity to win up to $6,000 in cash prizes. Last year’s event gave out $16,000 in prizes to the five top-place finishers.
U.S. AID grant to K-State has a goal to boost food security
01/17/24 High Plains Journal
Kansas State University was recently awarded a $50 million grant that will draw upon research from around the world that can also help High Plains producers who deal with extreme weather events, drought and climate challenges. The funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development can be deployed over multiple years.
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025
State/Regional
Federal aid for farmers aims to offset losses on farms. Will it help?
1/15/25 Harvert Public Media/NPR stations
Farmers can use the money to catch up or prepare for the next season, said Jennifer Ifft, a professor and agricultural policy specialist with the Kansas State University Extension.
Work to begin on new Border Queen Harvest Hub commercial kitchen in Caldwell
1/15/25 SumnerNewsCow
Construction will soon begin on a public-use commercial kitchen in the Caldwell Workspace thanks to a grant from K-State 105 given to the Sumner County Economic Development (SCED) as part of the Border Queen Harvest Hub (BQHH).
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025
State/Regional
K-State engineers help Kansas waterslide company bring products to the Middle East
1/14/2025 Sunflower State Radio
Kansas State University’s Technology Development Institute and department of civil engineering recently teamed up to help a local waterslide company enter new global markets.
K-State opens innovation hub to advance research, economic development
1/14/2025
Kansas State University has unveiled a new collaborative office space that will catalyze research commercialization, industry partnerships and economic growth.
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025
State/Regional
Emporia Main Street director sees numerous benefits with involvement in K-State 105 Entrepreneurial Blueprint Initiative
1/14/2025 KVOE - Emporia
Emporia Main Street’s inclusion in the K-State 105 Entrepreneurial Blueprint Initiative’s first cohort of partners keeps the Fabrication Lab on its current trajectory while giving it the technology to speed up production.
Local
K-State opens innovation hub to advance research and economic development
1/13/2025 KMAN/The Mercury
K-State on Friday unveiled a collaborative office space meant to facilitate cooperation between the university and the private sector. The facility is in the Kansas State University Foundation’s Edge District and brings together three entities: the Kansas State University Research Foundation, the Office of Corporate Engagement and K-State 105.
SESQUICENTENNIAL | K-State Gardens starts year-long 150th anniversary celebration
1/11/2025 The Mercury
K-State President Richard Linton announced a $150,000 donation to the gardens from the university to celebrate 150 years. In his welcoming remarks, he said he and his wife, Sally, walk the campus each week — except last week because there were 15 inches of snow on the ground — and several of their routes include the gardens at 1500 Denison Ave.
Monday, Jan. 13, 2025
State/Regional
KSU lab advises vigilance for emerging cattle parasite
1/10/2025 Great Bend Tribune
The Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is advising livestock producers to be vigilant for a new red blood cell parasite that has been diagnosed in calves imported to Kansas. The parasite, Theileria orientalis Ikeda, causes anemia and other serious health issues in cattle. It has been present in the eastern U.S. for some time but was only recently diagnosed for the first time in Kansas, after affected calves were purchased and imported to Kansas from the east for feeding.
Winter Weather Wallops US Farmers
1/10/2025 Insurance Journal
Biting wind and big drifts from almost a whole year's average snowfall in a single storm are hitting farmers in some parts of Kansas "in ways that we haven't seen in this area for a very, very long time, potentially a lifetime," said Chip Redmond, a meteorologist at Kansas State University who developed an animal comfort tool. It includes an index of heat and cold that a farmer can use — along with their knowledge of their animals' age, coat, overall health and so forth — to watch for situations when they may need to get animals out of dangerous areas.
Kansas Commodity Classic back January 31
1/10/2025 Salina Post
The Kansas Commodity Classic returns on Friday, January 31, 2025, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Salina, bringing together Kansas farmers and industry leaders for a day of valuable information and networking. … Marshall Stewart, executive vice president for external engagement and chief of staff at Kansas State University, and Ernie Minton, dean of the College of Agriculture, will brief attendees on K-State’s efforts to bring value to farmers in all 105 Kansas counties.
Protecting livestock from extreme cold
1/10/2025 Great Bend Tribune
Many of us are all too aware of the impact wind has on what it takes to keep warm in the winter. Wind speed, along with temperature, humidity, and solar radiation, have been combined into an animal comfort index that can be used to classify the level of weather-related stress for cattle. The K-State Mesonet now provides both current conditions and a 7-day forecast of the Animal Comfort Index that producers can use for planning.
Local
K-State opens new collaborative office space on Kimball Ave
1/10/2025 WIBW
K-State unveiled a new collaborative office space on Kimball Ave on Friday afternoon. The office space is a milestone in innovation and entrepreneurship for K-State. The space will bring together key university units focused on research commercialization, intellectual property, industry engagement, and economic development. "We know to be a next-generation Land Grant University, we need to be able to partner effectively with industry to be able to grow the economy and create jobs," K-State President Richard Linton told 13 NEWS. "The best way to be able to do that is to have a collaborative space that brings together a faculty, staff, and its students."
K-State kicks off 150th anniversary celebration of KSU Gardens
1/11/2025 WIBW
Kansas State University began a year’s worth of celebrations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the K-State Gardens on Saturday. Saturday's event was held at the Alumni Center, where several speakers talked about the history of the K-State gardens, how they can garner more support, and the potential for future growth. Speakers included University President Richard Linton, Gardens Director Scott McElwain, and Longwood Gardens Conservatory Manager Karl Gercens III. Attendees were given a packet of seeds from the garden to plant during the spring.
Friday, Jan. 10, 2025
State/Regional
Task force works to help alleviate vet shortage in rural Kansas
1/10/25 High Plains Journal
Stemming from the Ag Growth Summit in 2020, the animal health committee identified the need to focus on rural veterinary clinics and rural vet support. Kansas Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kelsey Olson credited K-State for taking the lead. “We hear on a daily basis what our producers are struggling with,” Olson said. “We then try to quantify that and see if there are things that we can do at the state level to make this a great place to work, a great place for our producers and a great place to simply do business and support our rural communities.”
Young Kansas inmates could get a second chance with proposed resentencing bill
1/10/25 KCUR
Kevin Steinmetz, a professor of criminology at Kansas State University, said youth are more impulsive and their brains just aren’t fully developed. They are less likely to understand or think about long-term consequences. “Kids are thrill-seeking, and a lot of crime, unfortunately, is fun,” he said. “They’re not thinking about the consequences of that as we do it.”
How to recycle your used Christmas trees
1/9/25 KTRS-AM, St. Louis
Kansas State University Forester Charlie Barden said that beside just putting the tree out to be picked up, there's several good ways you can use a Christmas tree. "(At my house), what we do is we quite often we will take a left over tree and tie it up to the corner of the deck right near our bird feeder," Barden said. "That gives birds a place to perch and get out of the wind on a cold night, or to get into the thick cover when when a cat comes by looking for an easy meal."
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025
National/International
Raccoons in urban areas
1/4/25 WPTF
Drew Ricketts is a wildlife management expert at Kansas State University, and he says in his state, they have an index system that tracks Wildlife, Asians and for raccoons that index has basically quadrupled from the late eighties up until the present time, and so we definitely have more raccoons causing more problems for more people, both in urban areas and out in rural area.
State/Regional
K-State selects Main Street’s ‘Fab Lab’ as recipient of 105 Entrepreneurial Blueprint Initiative
1/7/25 Emporia Gazette
Emporia Main Street’s ‘Entrepreneurs Intersection Fabrication Lab Expansion’ (Fab Lab), will be receiving a significant expansion as part of the K-State Entrepreneurial Blueprint Initiative. Main Street was one of 11 organizations chosen in a competitive process by K-State and Network Kansas for the initiative, and will receive $125,000 to expand opportunities and resources for entrepreneurs.
Mass deportations could endanger Kansas’ meat economy: ‘It would be a ghost town’
1/6/25 KCUR
Kansas State University economist Glynn Tonsor said losses like those would spread broadly through southwest Kansas towns that depend on big feedlots, dairies and packing houses.
“They very often are one of the largest employers and local tax generators, so there's relevant implications for funding of schools, funding of libraries, funding of anything you want to talk about that's publicly funded in local areas,” said Tonsor.
Kansas State, Garden City CC striving to shrink bachelor’s degree ‘educational desert’
1/3/25 Kansas Reflector
A long-distance collaboration between Kansas State University and Garden City Community College offers residents of southwest Kansas the opportunity to earn a four-year college degree without relocating.
Local
K-State vet lab advises vigilance for emerging cattle parasite
1/7/25 Manhattan Mercury
The K-State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory officials are advising livestock producers to be vigilant for a new red blood cell parasite that has been diagnosed in calves imported to Kansas.
Friday, Jan. 3, 2025
State/Regional
Kansas State, Garden City CC striving to shrink bachelor’s degree ‘educational desert’
1/3/25 The Kansas Reflector
A long-distance collaboration between Kansas State University and Garden City Community College offers residents of southwest Kansas the opportunity to earn a four-year college degree without relocating.
Philip Nel on 'How to Draw the World: Harold and the Purple Crayon and the Making of a Children’s Classic'
1/2/25 KMUW
Philip Nel is professor of English at Kansas State University and his new book is titled, How to Draw the World: Harold and the Purple Crayon and the Making of a Children’s Classic. Nel spoke about the structure of the book, which is made up of 30 short chapters that highlight what readers might miss from a preliminary reading of Harold and the Purple Crayon, as well as some of the historical context surrounding the book’s publication.
Local
Manhattan City Commission to consider VeoRide e-bicycle agreement
1/3/25 KMAN/The Manhattan Mercury
Commissioners will vote to approve an agreement with VeoRide Inc. for the operation of e-scooters and e-bicycles on city streets, sidewalks and rights-of-way. VeoRide has agreed to a revenue share of 20 cents per trip. Kansas State University and city administrators have agreed to put their respective revenues for rides that originate on their property into the City University Fund.
Sunset Zoo's 17-year-old Malayan tiger Hakim dies
1/3/25 The Manhattan Mercury
"The collaboration between our keeper staff and the Kansas State University Exotic and Zoo Animal Medicine Service program provides the best care possible for all of our animals but especially monitors and navigates the care we need to provide animals at their later stages of life," zoo director Scott Schoemaker said. "We are very thankful for the compassion and expertise our animals like Hakim are given their entire time with us here at Sunset Zoo."
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025
National/International
Is ‘People Pleasing’ Giving You Money Problems? Here’s How to Fix Things.
12/21/24 New York Times
While the origins of people pleasing vary, there is one common thread: People pleasers tend to have a lot of anxiety, said Megan McCoy, a financial therapist at Kansas State University, who considers herself a member of the tribe.“In times of stress, people pleasing tendencies can become very unhealthy really quickly,” she said.
Bird flu Q&A: What to know to help protect yourself and your pets
12/30/24 NPR
Dr. Jürgen Richt, a veterinary microbiologist at Kansas State University, echoes that sentiment. "Is the mouse a good model for humans? I don't know," says Richt. "But don't become a guinea pig."
AAFCO board recommends KSU proposal
12/27/24 World Grain
At the beginning of October, K-State Olathe proposed a new pathway, detailing the university would serve as a scientific and technical advisor and assist AAFCO in reviewing ingredients. According to AAFCO, its task force reviewed public comments on the proposal and made “minor” changes.
State/Regional
Reintroducing bison to Kansas tallgrass prairies promotes biodiversity and resilience, study finds
12/27/24 Kansas Reflector
Reintroducing bison to tallgrass prairies can double biodiversity of native plants and increase drought resistance, a Kansas State University study found.
Local
Veterinarian provides tips to protect felines as bird flu persists across the country
12/28/24 WIBW
Kansas State veterinarian, Dr. Juergen Richt, specializes in emerging and zoonotic diseases and he says this is another reminder that as bird flu prevails and spreads in new ways, it’s important to stay vigilant.
K-State vet center won't treat poultry, wild birds with bird flu surge
12/30/24 Manhattan Mercury
The K-State Veterinary Health Center is putting a pause on treatment of poultry and wild birds with the resurgence of bird flu in Kansas and the rest of the country.
