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The interaction between animals and humans secures the continuous demand for practicing veterinarians, and the fewer veterinarians we have, the larger potential for catastrophic disease. But, newly practicing veterinarians are facing financial struggles today, due to high student loan debt and low starting salaries. Additionally, experts say some rural areas are in need of veterinarians but do not have enough animals to financially support a full-veterinarian for that particular area.

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A patent-pending technology at Kansas State University has built resistance to certain viruses in wheat plants. These viruses can be an economic drain to wheat farmers by costing them 5 to 10 percent or more in yield reductions per crop. Although the technology involves genetic engineering, which is not an option for wheat in today's market, the research has extended to building this resistance in non-genetically engineered wheat lines as well.

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Knowing that their county had rank toward the bottom of healthy counties in Kansas, citizens got together to enhance access to more healthy foods, specifically produce. Now a rural grocer partners with a local farmers' market to provide more fresh produce to people and promises to buy leftover produce from market night to sell in his store.

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Ticks can be a problem year-round, but they pose the most threat in warmer summer months. These disease carriers could be harmful to humans and pets alike. A veterinarian and renowned tick expert explains common myths about ticks and how people can protect themselves and their pets from the blood-sucking pests.

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Researchers at Kansas State University in Olathe have found that four out of 10 bulk spices purchased in the Kansas City metro area contain contaminants that include heavy metals, mycotoxins and/or bacteria. Four bulk spices typically associated with salmonella contamination included black pepper, thyme, oregano and turmeric. Cooking bulk spices to at least 160 degrees can kill the bacteria; however, putting bulk spices on already prepared foods could contaminate the foods and lead to foodborne illness.

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A research team at Kansas State University recently confirmed that insects, such as house flies and cockroaches, can carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria from places such as food animal farms and wastewater treatment facilities, and disseminate them to urban areas. The transmission could be a contributor to the increasing problem with human antibiotic resistance.

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Warmer, spring weather has many of us getting out and becoming more active, and the brown recluse spider is no exception. Kansas State University scientists shared 10 facts about the somewhat small, shy spider.

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The recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcement, listing the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species, brings to mind how agricultural producers, livestock ranchers and those with land enrolled in CRP could be affected.

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Changing agricultural practices and ending food waste around the world are among recommendations made by scientists charged with looking at ways to mitigate global climate change. The scientists were authors who contributed to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

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A recent nationwide online survey of U.S. consumers by Kansas State University found that freshness and safety were the most important values consumers placed on buying popular livestock products, including milk, ground beef, beef steak and chicken breast. Consumers felt environmental impact, animal welfare, origin and convenience were least important when making food purchasing decisions.

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Sorry, boys. In the end, mothers favor daughters – at least when it comes to Holstein dairy cows and how much milk they produce for their offspring, according to a new study by Kansas State University and Harvard University researchers. The research may have implications for humans.

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FDA-approved beta-agonists in cattle feed are widely used to help feedlot cattle efficiently produce more lean muscle, but one beta-agonist, Zilmax, was voluntarily suspended by its manufacturer due to animal welfare concerns. K-State researchers are looking into how heat stress and other environmental factors might play a role in this issue and affect cattle mobility and feed intake.

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FDA-approved beta-agonists in cattle feed are widely used to help feedlot cattle efficiently produce more lean muscle, but one beta-agonist, Zilmax, was voluntarily suspended by its manufacturer due to animal welfare concerns. K-State researchers are looking into how heat stress and other environmental factors might play a role in this issue and affect cattle mobility and feed intake.

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Kansas State University researchers are looking for new ways to fight malaria through mosquito control. In 2011, 1,925 malaria cases were reported in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This number is the highest seen since 1971 and represents a 48 percent increase from 2008. The majority of malaria infections in the U.S. occur among people who have traveled to regions with malaria endemic.

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Reading with your child is the key to building a child’s literacy skills. Emergent literacy begins at birth and continues through preschool and kindergarten. Learning is unbelievably powerful in early childhood development, according to Bradford Wiles, Kansas State University early childhood development assistant professor.

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Wheat producers know that growing a healthy, high-yielding wheat crop takes skill and hard work. Quality drought-tolerant varieties that are resistant to pests and disease are important. And cooperation from Mother Nature in terms of temperature and precipitation doesn’t hurt, either. To quantify the impact of genetic improvement in wheat, disease and climate change over a 26-year period, a team of researchers at Kansas State University examined wheat variety yield data from Kansas performance tests, along with location-specific weather and disease data.

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Thirty inmates at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas have created the Garden for Good, a project that in 2012 allowed them to donate more than 6,700 pounds of produce and $2,500 to needy groups in their community. Prison officials say that the inmates receive training to become Extension Master Gardeners and earn credit toward good behavior, while the inmates say the project is helping them better themselves and make good with their community. The project is supported by Kansas State University and several local volunteers.

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The word "inflammation" typically has a negative connotation. Arthritis ... infection ... numerous maladies come to mind. But a Kansas State University researcher found that inflammation that occurs naturally in dairy cows the first few days after giving birth may play a surprisingly beneficial role in the complex process of going from late pregnancy to lactation.

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An increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause pneumonia in cattle prompted scientists at the Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to survey records of pneumonia (also called bovine respiratory disease or BRD) cases over a three-year period. They discovered that drug resistance in one of the primary pathogens that cause BRD, Mannheimia haemolytica, increased over the three-year period 2009 to 2011.

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Like a stealthy enemy, blast disease invades rice crops around the world, killing plants and cutting production of one of the most important global food sources. Now, a study by an international team of researchers sheds light on how the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, invades plant tissue. The finding is a step toward learning how to control the disease, which by some estimates destroys enough rice to feed 60 million people annually.