Better Kansas – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Tag: money management

Better Kansas – April 8, 2021

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Better Kansas – April 8, 2021

Today in Better Kansas, I share valuable information about free webinars on money management, plus Alzheimer’s disease, in-season fruits and vegetables, rose care, emerging crop insects and prospective plantings on U.S. farms this year. This is a small glimpse of what K-State Research and Extension across the state has to offer. Share on social media and subscribe! – Mary Lou Peter mlpeter@ksu.edu

Better Living, Better Communities

GET A GROUP OF COMMITTED PEOPLE TOGETHER – in this case extension educators  who understand the value of teaching about money management – and the result is Wallet Wisdom, a series of free webinars on Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. starting April 22, open to everyone. Interested? Register once and you can watch just one or all six webinars. Topics are: A Financial Checkup; Emotions and Money; Spending Plans; Increasing Savings; Debt Management; and All About Credit. Can’t watch at that time? They’ll be recorded to watch later. Personal note: For years, I thought banks should provide this kind of education, but I’ve rarely seen that. Some of us learned these lessons the hard and costly way. Also, if you have grown or mostly grown kids, please share this information with them.

 

I’VE WRITTEN ABOUT THIS BEFORE but not in this context, so please indulge me. Like many, my family had its first big gathering in about 1-1/2 years last weekend. My, how the children have grown! It was a wonderful day with gorgeous weather. One of the many there was a beloved mom and grandmother, and a vibrant former business owner…. and she has Alzheimer’s disease. She has been in even stricter isolation than the rest of us this past year and we were so grateful to finally share a day with her again. We at K-State are fortunate to have a specialist in adult development and aging who has studied Alzheimer’s disease and has prioritized educating the public about this horrible disease that afflicts a shocking one in every 10 people, age 65 and older. Take a look at Alzheimer’s 101 to learn more.

 

WE KNOW THAT THE PRICE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IS OFTEN LOWER WHEN THOSE CROPS ARE BEING HARVESTED, ALSO KNOWN AS “IN SEASON.” But when are those crops harvested in a typical year? A handy guide, What’s in Season was produced for the Walk Kansas program. Discover what’s in season when, plus cooking tips and healthy recipes to take advantage of that bountiful carrot or plentiful pea crop. I just wish we could grow oranges here in Kansas. Thankfully, our neighbors to the south are happy to grow them for us.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

WHEN LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON PRUNING ROSES IN MY OWN YARD, I found the fact sheet Rose Care. In four pages, it covers planting, pruning, insect and disease management, and provides suggestions for rose varieties that have grown well in the Kansas City area. It was produced by Johnson County K-State Research and Extension and the Johnson County Extension Master Gardeners. I’ll write more in an upcoming post about Extension Master Gardeners, but in the meantime check out the program.

 

IT’S NOT JUST US! THE BUGS AROUND US ARE ENJOYING THE WARMER SPRING WEATHER, TOO. Some showing up in farmers’ fields are alfalfa weevils (pictured, credit U. of California-Davis) and army cutworms. That’s prompted the first Entomology Newsletter of the season. For details about what to watch for, as well as management information so they don’t chomp their way through your smorgasbord … also known as your crop, take a look. I didn’t know that skunks are a way to detect army cutworms!

 

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED USDA REPORTS OF THE YEAR, PROSPECTIVE PLANTINGS, was released March 31. It indicated that U.S. farmers expect to plant corn on 91.1 million acres, up less than 1% from last year. Soybean and wheat acreage is expected to be up 5% and cotton down less than 1% this year. Listen in to an Agriculture Today radio interview with economist Dan O’Brien on the topic and its implications for those commodity markets. Also, take a look at the USDA’s Prospective Plantings information.

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For more resources and activities, contact the K-State Research and Extension office in your area. Check out our other blogs and subscribe to our weekly emails here: https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/blogs/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Better Kansas – March 5, 2020

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In this week’s Better Kansas, we take a look at managing sugar cravings, smart grocery shopping, personal money management, basic gardening guidelines, spring wheat, and beef cattle production – in other words more events, resources and other information designed to make your life, businesses, communities and state better. This is a small glimpse of what K-State Research and Extension across the state has to offer. Share on social media and subscribe! – Mary Lou Peter mlpeter@ksu.edu

Better Living, Better Communities

COMING OUT OF THE WINTER HOLIDAYS, it’s easy to stay in that mode where eating sweets is routine. It seems like sugar cravings beget sugar cravings. And no wonder! I’ve just learned that carbohydrates, especially sugar, stimulate the “feel good” chemical dopamine in the brain. That explains why it’s so hard to pass up that Kit Kat bar staring at me in the checkout line! Sugar-sweetened beverages are by far the greatest sources of added sugar in our diet, but plenty of other foods have added sugar, including breakfast cereals, yogurt and even my favorite pasta sauce. The article Taming Those Sugar Cravings has tips to help curb the Cookie Monster within us. One of them is to eat just a little of what you’re craving. An idea that works for me is to keep a bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels in the pantry. When the craving hits, eat just a few of them. The fat and calories can add up fast, but still beats eating that same number of morsels in cookies. Eating a few grapes sometimes works, too.

 

HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT THE HEALTHIER FOODS at your grocery store tend to be around the perimeter of the store, while more processed foods are in the center aisles? Think fresh produce, lean meat, fresh dairy … and then think about where the cookies, cake mixes and canned foods are. Some of the ways we can shop smarter, cut down on food waste, eat healthier and save money involve planning meals ahead of time, checking what we already have on hand, and making a list before we even set out for the store. Listen to this Sound Living segment on Navigating the Grocery Store. I love the part about looking down. Check it out. And where’s that milk that we always seem to run into the store for? Typically, at the very back of the store, right?!

 

I GREW UP IN A WONDERFUL FAMILY, but there was never really talk about money – good, bad or ugly. And financial education? No way! So, for those of us who missed out on some of those Adulting 101 lessons, or even if you could use a refresher or reminder, take a look at the Financially $peaking page, produced by extension agents and specialists from across the state who are focused on supporting individuals and families with their financial health and wellness. I’ll be mentioning some of the nuggets they come up with from time to time, like this April 2019 article with financial tips on navigating disasters. If you find yourself buying supplies to clean up after a flood, for example, one of the key things to remember, says a FEMA official, is to save receipts from those purchases!

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

WE HAVE A NEW BIG BOX LUMBER/HARDWARE STORE NOT FAR FROM WHERE I LIVE and not surprisingly on my first trip there, I was drawn to the garden section. It’s early March, but like many of you, I’m so eager to get outside and try growing new flowers and maybe some vegetables in my little postage stamp of a back yard. Over the next few months I’ll be sharing many resources aimed at helping you do everything from growing healthier lawns to pest management to pruning shrubs and more. I found this short article on Good Gardening Practices to get us started. Let the season begin!!!! (Surely, if we think it, it must be so.)

 

WE GROW A LOT OF EXCELLENT HARD RED WINTER WHEAT in Kansas – in fact it’s what we’re known for. But what about spring wheat? Our HRW wheat, which is typically planted in September or October, vernalizes (goes dormant) in the winter, and is harvested in early summer of the following year. HRW wheat often ends up as yeast breads and rolls, but is also suited for other things. About 95% of the wheat grown in Kansas is HRW. Alternatively, hard red spring wheat is planted in early spring, has a shorter growing season and does not vernalize over the winter. Its high protein and strong gluten make it a good ingredient for artisan breads, rolls, croissants, bagels and pizza crust. To help growers in northwest Kansas who may be considering giving HRS wheat a try, K-State has tested some potential varieties. Take a look at a summary of what they’ve learned and other things to consider if thinking of growing hard red spring wheat in northwest Kansas or if you just want to learn more about HRS wheat.

 

FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE BEEF CATTLE BUSINESS (there are just a few of you in Kansas, right?), this month’s Beef Tips has articles highlighting a Stock Growers Field Day on March 31 in Beloit, rules of thumb for grazing management, an estrus synchronization tool, supplementing cows during cold weather and much more. I always appreciate the Management Minute section. Much of what’s written in that segment can be applied to many workplaces besides cattle production operations.

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For more resources and activities, contact the K-State Research and Extension office in your area. Check out our other blogs and subscribe to our weekly emails here: https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/blogs/