Thoughts from someone who spends life amongst the weeds
Robert C Kniss Bob, to most. But also Bobby, Kniss Kid, Uncle Bob. Grandpa Bob. Dad. Born July 31, 1945, he would have turned 80 years old today. He knew every fishing hole on the Red Willow, and every dirt road in Morrill County. For as long as I can remember, he’d spend the better part of every day driving around in his pickup checking crops and checking on people. I suspect there are county road employees who didn’t put …
In memory of my dad Read More
State-level distribution of Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) as of October 12, 2022. Data assembled by Andrew Kniss.
Updated Palmer amaranth distribution Read More
I love agriculture. I grew up on an irrigated farm in the panhandle of Nebraska. My grandma & grandpa, my aunts & uncles, and my mom & dad all farmed together, and three of our families lived within 1 mile of each other. I grew up farming the same land that my grandparents farmed while raising my dad & his siblings. Most of my cousins and most of the friends I grew up with also grew up on farms. It …
Welcoming to who? Read More
Palmer amaranth is native to the southwestern United States, and has been recognized as a problematic weed in the southwest and southeastern US for many years. Each year, this species seems to move further north. I’ve been trying to keep an accurate state-level distribution map for this weed, and thought I’d post it here for anyone else who might be interested. Data sources: PLANTS database (https://plants.usda.gov) California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona , Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, …
Palmer amaranth – current state-level distribution in the US Read More
This has been a difficult year. One year ago, I learned that my best friend had died in a motorcycle accident. He was traveling to a meeting in California – a meeting that I was also attending. I found out about Gustavo’s passing just a few seconds before the flight attendant made me put my phone into airplane mode. I was alone, without the ability to communicate, and I’d just been told I would never again get to see the …
Remembering Gustavo Read MoreA new press release from WSSA was released a few days ago. The post is related to my recent post on cotton yields in the South. From the WSSA piece: “The current model simply isn’t sustainable,” says Stanley Culpepper, Ph.D., a professor in crop and soil science at the University of Georgia and member of WSSA. “Growers have gone to war, and they are making progress from a weed management perspective, but not from an economic or environmental perspective. We …
Cotton growers continue to battle herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth Read MoreAs we were driving from the research farm in Lingle back to Laramie yesterday, we had a little bit of excitement as we passed through Wheatland. The tornado sirens were blaring, and we saw a pretty dark cloud to the West. I took the photos below with my cell phone, as we drove South of the tornado on Highway 34.
Tornado near Wheatland Read More