Better Kansas - Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Better Kansas – July 9, 2020

Posted on July 9, 2020July 8, 2020 by Mary Lou Peter

In today’s Better Kansas, we address timely financial topics, support for small businesses, food safety resources, feeding a growing global population, rates for custom farm work and a classic radio broadcast. 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

MAYBE YOU CAN IDENTIFY WITH THIS, TOO?!? Apparently some of us are spending more money while socially distancing despite the fact that we’re going out less, according to a “Financially Speaking” blog post. WalletHub calls it “comfort buying” or shopping as a way to relieve stress or boredom. There’s some odd comfort in knowing that it’s not just me. Anyway, take a look at the post and other Financially Speaking entries, such as managing the financial implications of furloughs, Coronavirus and student loans and other timely topics written by extension agents and specialists across the state. Good stuff. Now I just need to figure out where I’ll wear that dress from Banana Republic. Kind of tough when your car hasn’t left the garage in days. Too dressy for neighborhood walks?

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS DON’T OFTEN HAVE THE LUXURY of traveling to multi-day meetings in expensive hotels for in-depth seminars on how to attract and retain customers. That’s all nice but who will run the store? Who will help with that special order? Enter First Friday e-Calls, which can be accessed online right from your home or business and are designed to bring relevant topics to businesses for free. The program is part of K-State Research and Extension’s commitment to supporting community vitality. Upcoming First Friday e-Call topics and speakers include:

Friday, Aug. 7 – 9:30 a.m.: Deb Brown, Co-Founder, SaveYour.Town, “Growing Your Own Entrepreneurs.”

Friday, Sept. 4 – 9:30 a.m.: Becky McCray, Co-Founder, SaveYour.Town, “Idea Friendly Communities.”

Previous calls have included Creating an Online Sales Presence for your Business; Emergency Programs to Help Small Businesses and Displaced Employees During COVID19; Filling Empty Buildings and more. To register for upcoming e-Calls or to listen to previous sessions, take a look at First Friday e-Calls. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting. Check it out!

AREN’T WE ALL JUST A LITTLE WEARY OF COVID-19? Unfortunately, COVID-19 is not done with us. Our understanding of the pandemic and its implications for food safety are evolving, as are the resources on the Food Safety and COVID-19 page. It covers everything from guidance for restaurant re-openings, county fairs, social distancing and much more. Whether you’re a restaurant owner concerned about the health of your employees or a casual shopper (or vendor) at your local farmer’s market, there’s information for you.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

IT’S EASY TO GET BOGGED DOWN IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY SITUATION, but a recent video presentation provides a glimpse of the long view. In “The Global Agricultural Landscape: Feeding more than 9 Billion People,” the head of K-State’s Department of Agricultural Economics shares a two-part presentation available to us online. Globally, we have a population of about 7.8 billion people, but that number is growing and to some extent, in places least able to grow their own food. Listening in to these sessions is like listening in to college classes for free on a topic important to us all, whether you help grow the food or are a consumer like me. No, that tomato plant in the back yard doesn’t count :). Check out The Global Agricultural Landscape: Feeding More Than 9 Billion People: Part 1 and Part 2.

THIS JUST IN FOR FARMERS: HAVE YOU WONDERED WHAT YOUR NEIGHBORS (or for that matter, growers on the other side of the state) pay for custom work done on their farms? The results of the 2020 Custom Rates Survey have just been posted. The report shows the average rate paid in different regions of Kansas for such work as grain harvesting, seed cleaning, grain hauling and haying. For comparison purposes, the page also shows the 2018 rates for the same categories. The survey was conducted by K-State’s Land Use Survey program in the Department of Agricultural Economics in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

SINCE WE WORK TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURE ACROSS THE STATE, not to mention nationally and globally, I thought I’d throw this into this week’s Better Kansas. Just something I thought worth highlighting. Remember Paul Harvey and his “The Rest of the Story” segments? A friend reminded me recently about the iconic radio broadcaster’s tribute to farmers in “God Made a Farmer” that he wrote more than 40 years ago. Agriculture has changed a lot since then, but much remains the same. Paul Harvey died in 2009 at the age of 90, but his words and that voice live on.

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 – July 2, 2020

Posted on July 2, 2020July 1, 2020 by Mary Lou Peter

Better Kansas – July 2, 2020

In today’s Better Kansas, we touch on unusual foods, reading suggestions for kids, Japanese beetles in lawns and gardens, irrigating crops and the effect of high temperature on corn. 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

EVER HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE? YOU’RE LOOKING OVER THE MENU AT A NEW RESTAURANT and you come across an ingredient that has you stumped. You’re reluctant to ask your server what it is, but will you like it? Is it spicy? To help you know your spelt from your couscous and your chia seeds from your ugli fruit (apparently, there is such a thing :), check out Fixing Funky Foods. The article covers unusual fruits, vegetables and grains, including nutrition considerations, facts about food origins and cooking methods. For instance, spelt, also known as dinkel wheat or hulled wheat, has been around since 5,000 BC. This is not to be confused with smelt, a small fish I’d never heard of until I lived in the Chicago area. There’s actually a smelt season!

WE HAVE WEEKS OF SUMMER TO GO AND KEEPING YOUNG KIDDOS BUSY IS EVEN MORE CHALLENGING THAN USUAL. Many community pools and other recreational venues remain closed because of the pandemic, while others have opened but with increased restrictions. Now is a great time to nurture an interest in reading. Not everyone shares my love of reading, but this is always an easy sell for me. I once heard someone say they didn’t encourage their children to read during the summer because they were on vacation. Interesting … I’ve always thought of reading as “a vacation of the mind.” A book can take you places in your mind even when you can’t physically go to those places. Take a look at Suddenly in Charge: Reading with Young Children for suggestions, including specific books and related activities. The fact sheet is in both English and Spanish.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

THIS WARM, SUNNY WEATHER MAY BE SPARKING A QUIET INVASION ACROSS OUR LAWNS AND GARDENS … an invasion of Japanese beetles, that is. And they’re not exactly picky about what they eat. Flowers, trees, shrubs and turfgrass, they love it all and can cause a lot of damage to our lawns and gardens. To learn more, read the entry about this invasive pest in a recent Horticulture Newsletter, which also includes short entries on brown patch in tall fescue lawns, a lack of vegetables on otherwise healthy-looking plants, harvesting garlic and more. Additional information about Japanese beetles is available in the entomology blog. A reminder, if you have a problem with your lawn or garden and are not sure what it is, check with your local K-State Research and Extension office for help in identifying the culprit.

IRRIGATING HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF CROPS IS NO EASY OR INEXPENSIVE PROPOSITION, so farmers want to use that precious water as efficiently as possible. On a recent Agriculture Today podcast, a western Kansas-based K-State specialist offers considerations on striving for top efficiency in crop irrigation this summer. He suggests that producers look at the frequency of watering, touting the idea of irrigating more volume less frequently. Other podcast topics include a segment with a Farm Service Agency official on adjustments that have been made in managing USDA loans for existing borrowers, plus a reminder that the FSA continues to take applications for new direct and guaranteed loans. A segment on how the Kansas wheat harvest is progressing rounds out the program.

KANSAS TEMPERATURES ARE CLIMBING AND WE’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES AFFECTED. Livestock and crops get stressed, too, and corn is at a particularly vulnerable stage of development, especially in the southeast part of the state. For a discussion on heat stress in corn and what it means for vegetative phases, tasseling, pollen shed and silk extrusion, check out June Heat in Kansas, a part of the weekly Agronomy eUpdate newsletter. While you’re there, you might want to take a look at other crop production-related articles.

Better Kansas – June 25, 2020

Posted on June 25, 2020June 24, 2020 by Mary Lou Peter

In today’s Better Kansas, we explore insects, counting change, Alzheimer’s, garden topics, a weed survey and a swine nutrition study. 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

A COUPLE OF BEES HAVE BEEN VISITING SPIREA BUSHES IN MY BACK YARD LATELY, but my granddaughter is afraid of them. I tried to explain how they were just going about their business flitting from one flower to the next gathering nectar and pollen, but she wasn’t convinced. There’s probably a reason I didn’t become a teacher! Fortunately, there are good entomology specialists and extension agents across the state who ARE good teachers. They routinely give presentations and write articles for homeowners, gardeners, farmers and ranchers about those tiny insect creatures who are patient enough to share their world with us. Plus, they give us bug jokes! Q: How do police departments control bugs? A: With their SWAT teams! Check out the latest Kansas Insect Newsletter. And for more in depth information, take a look at Household Pests of Kansas.

REMEMBER WHEN THE GROCERY STORE CASHIER COUNTED YOUR CHANGE BACK after a purchase? Some may be surprised to know that cash registers didn’t always tell store clerks how much change they were to give back. Instead, they counted the change back rather than hand you a wad of bills, pennies and nickels. That ensured to both buyer and seller that the amount of money coming back was accurate. I came across Counting Change the Old-Fashioned Way and thought you might want to give it a try with your kiddos or just give yourself a refresher. This brings back great memories of one of my first jobs … at a western store where I learned such valuable lessons! With debit cards and other ways to pay, it may be a moot point, but I still think it’s good to exercise that gray matter sometimes! An audio version of this information is also available.

MANY OF US HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE … MAYBE A FRIEND, AN UNCLE OR A NEIGHBOR. Incredibly, one in every 10 people over the age of 65, and a total of 5.5 million Americans, has this dreaded disease. Some of the signs MAY BE memory loss that disrupts your daily life, challenges in solving problems, difficulty completing familiar tasks at home or work or new problems with words in speaking or writing. If you have any question at all about your own health, it’s best to be checked by your medical provider. Whether the disease has touched your life or not, it’s good to know more about it. Alzheimer’s 101 provides basic information, including what you can do to stay as healthy as possible at any age.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

SOMETIMES, OUT OF BAD THINGS COME REALLY GOOD THINGS. Because of COVID-19, we haven’t been able to attend garden tours and lectures in person this year, but a great alternative was created for us to learn from the comfort of our homes. K-State Garden Hour webinars have proven extremely popular and more topics have been added to the lineup this summer, including identifying garden insects, managing pesky weeds, nuisance wildlife, growing hydrangeas and more. For those who can’t participate live, the webinars are recorded, so you can go online any time to catch some good information, ALL FOR FREE! So much good stuff.

A BATTLE FARMERS FACE EVERY YEAR IS HOW TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT OF MOISTURE- AND NUTRIENT-ROBBING WEEDS IN THEIR CROPS. And compounding the problem is the fact that even as herbicides are developed to keep weeds out of farm fields, the weeds adapt to resist those herbicides. At stake are billions of dollars in economic losses in North America alone, according to a seven-year study conducted by the Weed Science Society of America. To help researchers determine which weeds pose the most serious threats to Kansas farmers and what they are doing currently to manage the problem, K-State scientists are asking producers to complete a short online survey. The information gathered will help guide research on innovative, cost effective and integrated weed management practices and to further improve outreach programs across the state. For more information on the WSSA study, take a look at a 2016 news article on the subject.

TEMPORARY CLOSURES AND SLOWDOWNS IN THE PORK PROCESSING INDUSTRY linked to the new coronavirus left a lot of hog farmers with market-ready animals and no place to take them for a time. But those animals still needed to be fed while producers waited for a time to take them to market. Any disruption to the marketing pipeline like that, even at a single processing plant, can cut into a producer’s bottom line and result in overweight animals. Listen in to a new Agriculture Today podcast featuring swine nutritionists as they describe a new K-State feeding trial aimed at keeping pigs healthy while slowing the rate of growth to manage backlogs of market-ready hogs. Other topics covered include nutrient management for grain sorghum, wheat harvest update, “Milk Lines” and a promising new method to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.

Better Kansas – June 11, 2020

Posted on June 11, 2020June 9, 2020 by Mary Lou Peter

NOTE: I’ll be taking a short break next week so there will not be a June 18 Better Kansas. In the meantime, stay cool, stay safe and enjoy these longer hours of daylight!

In today’s Better Kansas, we highlight the benefits of dancing, summer food safety, tick research, deadheading flowers, the state’s pork industry and pinkeye in cattle. 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

LET’S LIGHTEN THINGS UP! FAMILY DANCE is a reminder how important it is for all of us, no matter the age, to move. Whether it’s silly dance or you’re seriously perfecting your salsa steps, remember how freeing it feels to move to music? The article focuses on the benefits of dancing with your children, but even if you don’t have young kiddos around, take a look. And there are links to videos with music. Hey, it’s a way to work off the COVID15 or Quarantine 15 (you know, those extra pounds). Even the Mayo Clinic addressed that this week.

FOR MANY OF US, THIS IS GRILLING SEASON! There’s really nothing like the aroma and taste of meat, poultry or fish cooked on the outdoor grill. Listen in to a recent Sound Living podcast for food safety tips when cooking outdoors. And whether you’re camping, hosting a gathering on the deck or tailgating before a game, check out resources on Outdoor Food Safety.

LAST WEEK WE CONNECTED WITH INFORMATION ABOUT TICKS AND WAYS TO AVOID THEM, and this week we learn that a K-State researcher has received further funding from the National Institutes of Health for further research into ticks and to develop vaccines for tick-borne illnesses. Check out the article for details on how the $3.125 million grant will be used. Even as we’ve been so focused on the new coronavirus, there are still these ever-present other challenges to consider.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

OVER THE WEEKEND I FOUND MYSELF PULLING FADED PETALS FROM THE FIRST FLUSH OF ROSES IN MY YARD. I’ve heard that removing dead flowers encourages the growth of new ones and a recent Horticulture Newsletter confirmed it. Roses, hardy geraniums, petunias, coreopsis and other flowers benefit from the practice commonly referred to as deadheading. It’s about the only encounters I have with roses where the thorns don’t jump out and grab me! But deadheading isn’t helpful for other flowers, such as impatiens and sedum. Check out the Horticulture Newsletter for information on this and other topics, including fruit disease, mums, fertilizing annual flowers and other topics. I confess, it’s difficult for me to write about deadheading without thinking of Dead Heads (a little nostalgia for some of us if you can skip through the ads).

MANY THINK OF KANSAS AS CATTLE COUNTRY, BUT THERE ARE 1,000 HOG FARMS in the state that last year sold almost $495 million worth of animals, according to the Kansas Pork Association. Take a look at what a team of researchers and extension specialists and agents are doing to support this important component of our agricultural industry. That includes nutrition, animal health, marketing, environmental management of facilities and more.

INFECTIOUS BOVINE KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS (IBK), KNOWN TO MOST OF US AS PINKEYE, is a bacterial disease common in cattle. The painful, highly contagious disease can swiftly affect a herd and reduce feed intake. A recent Agriculture Today podcast covered the topic. Listen in and hear about how and why to manage pinkeye in cattle herds, along with separate segments on breeding bulls, wheat variety selection and bagworm control.

K-State Research and Extension