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Better Kansas – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Tag: community vitality

Better Kansas – Feb. 11, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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In Better Kansas this week, we touch on fruit consumption, supporting healthy choices in communities, the possibility of spring wheat in Kansas, monitoring meat demand and the Bluestem Pasture Survey. It’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

THE PROSPECT OF BEING IN THE DEEP FREEZE FOR WEEKS often has me craving fruit this time of year. Citrus, particularly, evokes thoughts of a lovely summer day. But many fruits are out of season right now, so those berries, kiwis and apples can be expensive. Check out the short publication Fruit: Spend Smart. Eat Smart for ideas on how to enjoy fruits this time of year and still stay within your grocery budget. Don’t oranges sound good right now?  

K-STATE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION has always worked to keep Kansans healthy and in recent years sharpened its focus on helping the state’s communities thrive – community vitality, we call it. Policy, systems and environmental change, or PSE, is a new way of thinking about how to improve health in a community. The idea is that the environments in which we live, learn, work and play must make healthy choices easy, accessible, safe and affordable. For example, if a community wants to encourage physical activity, it might host a community bike ride, work to ensure roads are safe for walking, bicycling and driving, enhance parks and make sure community buildings have accessible stairs as well as elevators. Take a look at Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change to learn more. It’s hard to take walks or teach a child to ride a bike without a safe place to do so.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

TYPICALLY, WHEN WE THINK OF KANSAS WHEAT, we’re thinking of hard red winter wheat, planted in the fall and harvested in early summer. But spring wheat, traditionally grown in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana, may also be an option for growers in northwest Kansas. Spring wheat is usually planted in early spring and harvested in late summer. It is valued for protein content and milling and baking purposes, so agronomy researchers in Colby have been taking a look. Check the article, Is spring wheat a viable option for Northwest Kansas?, in a recent Agronomy eUpdate newsletter. Other eUpdate topics include topdressing wheat with nitrogen, topdressing canola, kochia control, Palmer amaranth control, Cattle Comfort Tool, ag climate update, Great Plains Cotton Conference (more on this next week), soybean cyst nematode webinar and Crop Talk webinars for northwest and north central Kansas. A lot of good topics! Check it out.

 

IF YOU RAISE LIVESTOCK, PROCESS OR MARKET MEAT or even meat alternatives, the Meat Demand Monitor will speak your language. It’s a monthly look at average prices people are willing to pay on such items as ribeye steak, ground beef, pork chops, bacon, plant-based patties and even shrimp. The averages are calculated from more than 2,000 respondents and include retail and foodservice categories. Maybe it’s just me, but even as a curious consumer, I find this interesting.

 

CATTLE PRODUCERS AND LANDOWNERS, PLEASE CONSIDER TAKING THE BLUESTEM PASTURE SURVEY ahead of the March 31, 2021 deadline. It’s a way for K-State’s Land Use Survey Center to collect information on native tallgrass use and practices. The survey is voluntary and anonymous and asks about pasture availability, leasing rates, and fencing rates. It should take less than 15 minutes to complete. Why participate? The responses are important to providing reliable, accurate information to Kansas ranchers and the agricultural community as a whole.

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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 – Jan. 14, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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Welcome to this week’s Better Kansas, where I touch on resources for caregivers, cooking basics, parenting during the coronavirus pandemic, Cheyenne Bottoms (and community vitality resources), the Women Managing the Farm conference, and beef herd management. That’s quite a wide range of topics! This is a small glimpse of what K-State Research and Extension across the state has to offer. Feel free to share on social media and subscribe! – Mary Lou Peter mlpeter@ksu.edu

Better Living, Better Communities

AN ESTIMATED 65.7 MILLION AMERICANS ARE FAMILY CAREGIVERS FOR AN ILL OR DISABLED RELATIVE, according to the National Alliance of Caregiving. That’s 29% of the adult population and involves 31% of all U.S. households. And many of those caregivers are also holding down fulltime jobs, working to advance their careers and responsible for their own nuclear family. Stress can run high in the best of circumstances. Throw in a pandemic and its financial, health and social implications and political angst during election season, it’s no wonder that caregivers feel beyond pressured. K-State Research and Extension offers help for caregivers, including programs like Powerful Tools for Caregivers. Check with your local extension office to determine if a similar program is planned in your area. In the meantime, if you’re a caregiver, please take a break; forgive yourself – often; ask for and accept help when offered; and find your best way to relax, whether it’s reading a book, gardening or meditating. Also, check out Dr. Erin Yelland’s work in Adult Development and Aging resources and in the North Central Region Aging Network.

WE ALL KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUCH AN INNATE SENSE OF FOODS, HERBS, SPICES AND COOKING that they instinctively put meals together without a second thought. I’ve always been envious. I am not one of those people. For those of us who feel like we must follow a recipe to a T, take a look at Cooking Basics: Make a Meal from What’s on Hand. It’s similar to a guide I shared a year or so ago, breaking recipes into protein, vegetable, starch, liquid, sauce and flavor, but this one’s a little more comprehensive, I think. It provides suggestions for stir fry, soup, salad and more. This whole segment also conjures up thoughts of those who have an innate sense of fashion …. you know those people who can put on anything and look FABULOUS. But that’s another topic … another day.

IT’S BEEN AWHILE SINCE I’VE REFERENCED THE GROWING ARRAY OF RESOURCES IN ‘SUDDENLY IN CHARGE,’ an effort begun early last year as part of the K-State Research and Extension response to the coronavirus pandemic. This time, I was drawn to the resources for parents, which include talking to young children and teens about coronavirus. Now that we’re approaching our second year in this pandemic, it might be a good idea to go over the basics again, especially if they’re chafing at the idea of social distancing and not readily seeing friends or family members. Who can blame them?!

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

LAST FALL I HAD THE THRILL OF VISITING CHEYENNE BOTTOMS in the heart of  Kansas. I’d heard of it and driven by it but was always on my way to somewhere else, so had not actually driven into this incredible gem of nature right here in our own state. Thanks to a patient friend, that’s been remedied. Thousands of birds were stopping by this vast wetland that day … waves and waves of seemingly every kind of bird you can think of, including some surprises. Pelicans in Kansas? This photo was taken that day. Where had they been? Where were they going? I had visions of opening a bed and breakfast or other small business to accommodate the people who visit this site. Those of you with an entrepreneurial spirit might want to listen to Growing Kansas Agritourism, one of the many informative First Friday e-Call webinars offered to support businesses and community vitality across the state.

THE ‘WOMEN MANAGING THE FARM CONFERENCE’ set for Feb. 10-12 is going virtual this year. The conference offers a supportive setting where women can develop the skills, resources and knowledge needed for success in a competitive agricultural environment. Several keynote speakers are slated, plus breakout sessions on machinery and maintenance, fence building, fence law, estate planning, farm finances and more. New this year is a resource library to support attendees in maintaining a healthy and sustainable home and business life. I attended this conference a couple of years ago and met a woman from out of state who owned farmland in Kansas. She’d come back to check on the farm, which she was leasing to someone else, and to learn more about farm management at the conference. Take a look at the agenda and register at http://womenmanagingthefarm.com/.

 

THE JANUARY ‘BEEF TIPS’ NEWSLETTER IS OUT, and features information about K-State’s Winter Ranch Management Seminar series, heifer development program considerations, balanced nutrition and calving, recordkeeping and financial decisions (Tally Time), and sampling grain for mycotoxins – those naturally occurring toxins produced by certain molds that can be found in food or feed. Some of those mycotoxins can cause illness and death in humans and animals. Take a look.

 

FARMERS HAVE ABOUT TWO MONTHS to make some important crop insurance decisions. The 2018 Farm Bill now allows producers to make an annual election for Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC).  The deadline to change your election with the Farm Service Agency from previous year’s selections is March 15, 2021 which will be the program elected for the crop harvested in 2021 (Marketing Year 2021/2022). The Agricultural Economics Department at K-State has again published the popular “Trade-off” spreadsheet to assist producers in making this election.

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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 – May 14, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

In today’s Better Kansas, we touch on stretching dollars, supporting communities, wind energy, tree and shrub challenges, meat supply disruptions and Kansas sunflower production. 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

NEWS THAT FOOD PRICES HAVE JUMPED, even as unemployment has skyrocketed largely due to COVID-19, just reinforces that we need to make the most of what we have. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index Summary reported May 12 that the price index for food at home in April posted its largest monthly increase since February, 1974. Resources that can help us be more efficient with what we have include Cook Once, Eat for a Month and When Your Income Drops, which include information about budgeting, resources and financial survival skills. These and much more are on the COVID-19 Resources page.

 

SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES and the individuals, families and businesses that comprise them is a focus of K-State Research and Extension. Through programs and activities, the Kansas PRIDE Program works with volunteers in communities across the state to make them even better places to live and work. Check out the May newsletter for more about what they’re up to. Kansas PRIDE is a partnership of KSRE, the Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas Masons and Kansas PRIDE, Inc. And what a good idea, painting address numbers on curbs – important for first responders, but also for people like me who still aren’t sure which house when my GPS says I’ve reached my destination.

 

LAST WEEK I TOUCHED ON SOLAR ENERGY AND HOW IT’S HARNESSED TO POWER OUR HOMES AND BUSINESSES. In discovering that, I also learned that wind energy is a form of solar energy. Wait. What?! It’s because air is affected by pressure and temperature so methods of heat transfer such as convection, conduction, radiation, and advection relieve the temperature imbalances and are the driving forces for wind. This two-page article takes a complex subject and makes it as easy to read and understand as these things can possibly get.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

AS TREES AND SHRUBS START TO PUT ON THEIR LEAFY SPRING SHOW, it’s easier than ever to identify problems with Tree and Shrub Problems in Kansas. It’s a handy guide to whatever might ail our landscape plants, including pests, diseases and environmental stresses, and ways to manage the problems. Plus, it includes great photos. Nobody really wants a picture of dying trees UNLESS it can help us identify what’s going on in our own backyards, right?! Pine wilt, powdery mildew and Japanese beetles … we’re onto you!

 

 

THE TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF SOME MEAT PACKING PLANTS LINKED TO COVID-19 is leaving grocery meat cases less full and on the other end of the supply chain, livestock producers with animals that were ready to go to market… like two weeks ago. Whether you’re a consumer or a producer … or just curious about how this all works, this fact sheet by experts  will shed light on the market disruption and what it means for the cattle industry.

 

MANY OF US LEARNED AS CHILDREN THAT THE SUNFLOWER IS OUR STATE FLOWER. The state legislature designated it so in 1903. But there’s a lot more to them than the gorgeous golden addition they add to our landscape. In fact, Kansas is the 4th largest commercial sunflower grower in the U.S. In 2018, 89 million pounds of sunflowers worth more than $16 million were grown on 65,000 acres across the state. Sunflower seeds make a healthy snack or salad topper and oil produced from them is used as cooking oil. And, oh yes, birds love them. Many commercial bird seed mixes have sunflower seeds as a main ingredient. If you’re a grower or are thinking about it, check out Agronomy’s Sunflowers page and 2019 Kansas Performance Tests with Sunflower Hybrids.

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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 – August 8, 2019

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

Welcome to Better Kansas, where every Thursday we shed light on events, resources and other information designed to make your life, businesses, communities and state better. Don’t forget to hit subscribe! – Mary Lou Peter mlpeter@ksu.edu

Better Living, Better Communities

IT’S SO GOOD TO DRIVE THROUGH A COMMUNITY and see thriving businesses, whether a store that’s taken an innovative approach or a restaurant that serves great food AND has figured out a way to market it. Running your own business, however, leaves little time to communicate with your peers in other communities who have similar challenges or successes, or ways to learn about technology or legislation that may affect your business. To support small businesses in communities across Kansas, First Friday e-Calls are available the first Friday of the month. It’s professional development information without leaving your business and the only cost is the time it takes to participate. Previous First Friday e-Calls are archived, and topics run the gamut from “Funding Options for Small Businesses” to “Effective Use of Social Media for Rural Organizations”; “Cyber Security Threat to Small Business”; “Innovative Rural Business Models”; “Business Valuation and Business Transition Planning” and many more. Take a look at the website or send an email to nkdaniels@ksu.edu to learn more or to be added to the notification list about upcoming e-Calls.

THINK OF ALL OF THE WAYS OUR LIVES HAVE BECOME CONVENIENT, the drive-throughs, the remote controls, and now the grocery delivery! But is that convenience always a good thing? A decline in physical activity is especially a problem for older adults, less than 20% of whom engage in adequate physical activity. That loss of muscle mass can sneak up on us and post-menopausal women can lose 1%-2% of their bone mass annually. To help get us back to where we should be, many K-State Research and Extension offices offer the Stay Strong, Stay Healthy program. Participants meet for one-hour sessions, twice a week for eight weeks. Activities include warm-up exercises, strengthening exercises with or without weights, and cool-down stretches. Class members are encouraged to do the exercises on their own once more per week. Benefits? A potential to restore bone density and reduce the risk of fractures, plus a decrease in arthritis pain, weight maintenance, and a reduction in the risk of diabetes, heart disease and depression.

DO YOU DREAD GETTING THOSE LATE SUMMER ELECTRIC BILLS as much as I do? Thank goodness for electricity and air conditioners, but some days they can barely keep up with our heat and humidity. Air conditioners use about 5% of all electricity produced in the United States, costing homeowners more than $29 billion a year. Save on cooling costs by installing a programmable thermostat and replacing your home’s air filter. Take a look at more tips to beat the heat or listen in.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO THIS TIME OF YEAR is to spend time on my patio with my flowers, something good to read and yes, the bees, flitting from flower to flower as though they’re trying to decide which classmate to ask to the prom. As a child I was afraid of bees, but that was when I was ignorant about the crucial role they play in our lives. Nearly 75% of the world’s food crops depend on honey bees and other pollinators. But bee populations have been declining and there is evidence to suggest that humans’ inappropriate use of pesticides may be part of the problem. For a closer look, including great photos, check out Pesticides and Bees. So yes, I’m happy to share my space with the bees. Certain other crawly creatures not so much, but I’m really trying to stick with the idea, can’t we all just get along?

SORGHUM (AKA MILO) IS ONE OF KANSAS’ MOST IMPORTANT CROPS, partly for its drought-resistant ways. It’s a key ingredient in livestock rations and increasingly food products, not to mention other uses. But some insects, such as chinch bugs and sugarcane aphids among others, also love sorghum and can take more than their share from a farmer’s yield (and the bottom line). For a whole lot of practical, research-based information on how to control the pesky bugs, take a look at Sorghum Insect Management. And for a radio interview on sugarcane aphids in sorghum, plus other ag related topics listen to Agriculture Today .

IF YOU EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES of farming in southwest Kansas, there’s a spot (or many spots) for you at the K-State Southwest Research-Extension Center Fall Field Day on Thursday, Aug. 22 in Garden City. It’s a place to come learn what scientists have found, including what’s working well and what isn’t in this part of the state, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions of researchers and your fellow producers. And this is one of those days where you tour the fields and see for yourself what the researchers are working on. Topics range from weed control, summer annual forages, irrigation efficiency, Bt corn refuges, beneficial insects, and several on control of the weed, kochia, that can cut crop yields by more than half. Industry exhibitors will be on site and did I mention, there’s lunch?!

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