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Better Kansas – April 8, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

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 – April 1, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

Welcome to Better Kansas, where this week we pull out positive nuggets from this past year, plus grant writing workshops, the dollars and cents of gardening, swine research into a devastating disease and wheat growers, do you know where your cattle are? 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

WE’RE MORE THAN A YEAR INTO THIS PANDEMIC and although we’ve seen hopeful signs, there is plenty of reason to stay vigilant. I’ve often thought that sometimes out of bad things, come good things. It doesn’t mean we welcomed the bad experiences or wanted them to happen. But we can acknowledge how we may have changed or learned as a result of those experiences. A K-State nutrition specialist covers a bit of that in Healthy Living: Specialist shares possible pandemic positives. Many of us in fact, are washing our hands more often and are more intentional when we go shopping. Of course, given this past year, I still feel like going to the grocery store is a big outing!

 

A PASTOR, A VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTER AND A NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVIST WALK INTO A BAR …. No wait, that’s a different story! Seriously though, they may have all walked into (or logged into) a grant writing workshop where they learned how to write proposals to fund everything from new playground equipment to safety equipment for firefighters. Because there’s money out there to fund all kinds of projects, K-State Research and Extension has hosted more than 60 grant writing workshops across the state since 2016 and thanks to the internet, the pandemic hasn’t stopped them. More are coming up April 14 & 21 hosted by the Central Kansas Extension District and April 27 & 29 hosted by the Chisholm Trail Extension District. They are for veteran grant writers, as well as rookies. More information about the effort in general is available in Changing the future of communities, one grant at a time.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

IF YOU’RE STILL DECIDING WHETHER TO START A FOOD GARDEN this year, Gardening 9-1-1: Costs and Benefits of Home Gardening may be beneficial. It sheds light on the average cost of a garden, including soil, amendments, seed, tools and such ($167 to $322), plus how to put a value on the produce after harvest. For me, the intangible benefit is how good you feel when you’ve grown something successfully. I’m still thinking of that wonderful cantaloupe I grew years ago … that variety I forgot to save the label for, so didn’t remember what to buy the next year. Don’t be like me … hang onto those labels at least until you know if the outcome is tasty! The fact sheet also touches on the topic of “locally grown” foods.

 

EIGHT YEARS OF K-STATE RESEARCH LED TO “A DISQUIETING SCENARIO” FOR SWINE PRODUCERS, that feed and feed ingredients could potentially serve as a means for the introduction and transmission of foreign animal diseases in swine. Of particular concern is the possibility of African Swine Fever, a highly contagious and deadly virus. At this point, ASF has not been identified in the U.S. and researchers are working to keep it that way. The disease is not a food safety issue and not a threat to human health but could devastate a country’s swine industry. Read more about the research, plus a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service resource page on the topic.

 

ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES TO GROWING WINTER WHEAT is that in addition to its value as a grain crop to be harvested in early summer, a grower can also graze cattle on it … up to a point. And in parts of Kansas some wheat varieties have reached that point. That point is known as first hollow stem or FHS of development. After the crop hits FHS, leaving cattle to graze it can impede optimal grain yield at harvest time. Check out this Agronomy eUpdate article for details on this topic in general, as well as a recent update.

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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 18, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

Welcome to Better Kansas where this week we share information on readily accessible education for managing Type 2 diabetes, handling conflict, raised beds in gardens, maps showing crops in every Kansas county and tons of information for livestock producers. 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

 

IMAGINE A GATHERING OF 10 OF YOUR CLOSEST FAMILY AND FRIENDS. Now imagine learning that one of you has a disease that may lead to heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and limb amputations. And it’s the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. That’s the reality of Type 2 diabetes, and nearly one in 10 Kansans has it. But proper nutrition and exercise go a long way toward managing it and to that end, the popular Kansas Dining with Diabetes program is now available as a self-paced educational resource online. Don’t be dissuaded by the fact upcoming programs are hosted by a particular county. That’s the beauty of virtual learning. You can be anywhere and participate. Questions? Check with your local K-State Research and Extension office.

 

FOR MANY OF US, IT’S A LIFELONG STRUGGLE … figuring out ways to deal with conflict. The article Mindful Conflict Resilience, Not Reactivity resonated with me. The first suggestion, “Always pause” seems so obvious but in reality isn’t always my first response. Some people have learned to go to their workshop and build something. Others go shopping. For me, I’ve found that taking a walk helps. Unfortunately, and with apologies to my children with whom I didn’t have near enough patience when they were teenagers, I’m better at this as I’ve ummm … matured. For more suggestions, take a look.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

I’VE NOTICED MORE AND MORE PEOPLE USING RAISED BEDS IN THEIR GARDENS IN RECENT YEARS and understandably so. Soil raised above ground level warms more quickly in the spring so gardeners can plant earlier, plus the beds are often filled with higher quality soil than found in many yards. I personally like the idea of being able to reach all the plants! The fact sheet Raised Bed Gardening offers information on construction, size, location, plant selection, soil mix, planting dates, fertilization and more.

 

I’VE WRITTEN A LOT ABOUT AGRICULTURE IN THIS SPACE AND find these maps showing what crops are grown across every county in Kansas interesting. You all in Russell County have a lot of grass/pasture and wheat, plus a whole lot of other crops! And Woodson County, you rock with grass/pasture and soybeans and more. Even Sedgwick County, home to Wichita, has a lot of pasture, winter wheat, soybeans and other. The County Cropland Data Layer Maps, produced by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and brought to us by K-State’s Agmanager.info also show land in deciduous forest, developed land, open water and wetlands. This would be a great resource for teachers to begin a conversation to show students what crops are grown right around them.

 

EVEN WITH THE PANDEMIC AND ALL ITS IMPLICATIONS, LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS are still tending their animals: cattle are calving, sows are farrowing and chicks are hatching and extension agents, specialists and researchers are still working to support them. A recent News from KSU Animal Sciences is full of short items about K-State student activities, educational opportunities for producers, management tips, and research findings, plus get to know a couple of faculty members via short profiles. As usual, the Management Minute section which highlights how failure can be an excellent teacher applies to pretty much all of us, no matter what we do for a living. And don’t miss “What (beef) producers should be thinking about in May.”

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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 11, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

This week in Better Kansas we highlight the Walk Kansas program, financial planning ahead of weddings, and that February frigid weather and if it will affect our insect population, landscape plants and wheat. That’s 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

DON’T FORGET, DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME STARTS THIS WEEKEND!

IF EVER there was a time to get outdoors and burn off pent up energy, this is it! After a year of COVID-19, a tumultuous election and last month’s brutal cold snap, the timing for the 2021 Walk Kansas program couldn’t be better. The eight-week program starts March 28, and this year focuses on how physical activity and healthy eating can help us prevent and manage chronic health challenges. They include mental health problems, heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s and brain health, obesity, arthritis, diabetes and cancer. Activities besides walking count, too. To learn more or register, contact your local K-State Research and Extension office or go to the program website and click on the picture of shoes. Email me at mlpeter@ksu.edu and let me know how it goes if this is your first year to participate.

 

COVID UPSET PLENTY LAST YEAR, INCLUDING SOME COUPLES’ WEDDING PLANS. Maybe we’ll have a big surge in the number of weddings this year? Those planning to take that big step may want to read With This Ring, We Plan. It reminds us that there are way bigger financial considerations than wedding cakes and reception venues, plus gives tips on strategies to save money on the big day. It offers suggestions about those sometimes difficult, but important conversations that couples should have before tying the knot, including financial goals, creating spending plans and credit card debt – yours? mine? ours? Take a look.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

NO, IT WASN’T JUST OUR IMAGINATION! Last month we shivered our way through the 5th coldest February on record, according to the Kansas Weather Data Library, the keeper of all such records. The statewide average temperature was 22.9 degrees F. That’s 11 degrees below normal! In addition to cold, February was also a dry month, which extended drought conditions in the western part of the state. For more detail, take a look at the Kansas Ag Climate Update for February 2021. Also, the USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service rated that all-important Kansas topsoil moisture as 4% surplus, 49% adequate, 33% short and 14% very short as of the week ended March 7. Subsoil moisture was 1% surplus, 51% adequate, 32% short and 16% very short.

 

DID LAST MONTH’S EXTREME COLD SPELL result in something good – like fewer bugs? Take a look at Will Brutal Cold Mean Fewer Insects? to get the answer. I would be happy if those wasps who’ve been hanging around my front porch the last couple of summers crossed over to the “other side” or wherever insects go when they die. I’m not heartless. They are also welcome to move a couple of miles away. That brings up another question. What effect did the brutal cold have on the plants in our landscapes? Read Did the Polar Vortex Result in Dead Plants? to learn more on that topic.

 

AND WHAT DID THOSE LOW TEMPERATURES DO TO KANSAS WHEAT? They certainly upped the possibility of winterkill, but that depends on several factors, including how cold hardened the crop was, plants’ root system development and its condition as related to pests. In addition, snow cover, soil moisture content, and of course, air temperature and soil temperature all play a role. Check Potential for winterkill to the Kansas wheat crop in a recent Agronomy eUpdate newsletter to learn more. BTW, Kansas winter wheat was rated 3% excellent, 33% good, 37% fair, 19% poor and 8% very poor for the week ended March 7, according to the USDA Kansas Crop Progress report.

See you next week!

Mary Lou

mlpeter@ksu.edu

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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/