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Better Kansas – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Tag: corn production

Better Kansas – Jan. 21, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

Welcome to Better Kansas! Today I shed a little light on eggs and oats, taking a hike, taking care of yourself (if you don’t, who will?!), pawpaws and other horticulture topics, corn production and a new podcast devoted to managing weeds – yes, weeds. 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

AS YOU CRACK EGGS FOR YOUR MORNING SCRAMBLE, HAVE YOU WONDERED WHAT THE WHITE SPOT ON THE YOLK IS? A recent You Asked It post from the Rapid Response Center explains that it’s there because the egg was not fertilized. That’s a good thing. There’s also an article on the history of oats. Incredible that humans were grinding wild oats to consume as far back as 32,000 years ago. I’ve never been a fan of hot cereal, although I know how good oatmeal is for us. But I do love granola that contains oats and oatmeal cookies are awesome, if that counts!? Take a look to learn more about these and other food-related topics.

 

SOME PEOPLE HEAR “TAKE A HIKE” AND THINK IT MEANS SCRAM! But it may carry a different, more literal positive meaning for so many of us largely house-bound because of the coronavirus pandemic. For that reason, I’m sharing a new resource, Take a Hike, produced by Kansas 4-H as a health and wellness project challenge. It has some great tips for young Kansans but also for anyone – adults included – who could benefit from getting outdoors, getting exercise and connecting with their community. Check with Kansas 4-H or your local K-State Research and Extension office to learn more about the Health and Wellness Challenge: Take a Hike and other 4-H projects.

Finally, to my friends, family and colleagues, if I say “take a hike,” I mean it in the most loving and caring of ways ;).

 

WHO’S TAKING CARE OF YOU? Whether you’re single and living alone or have a house full of toddlers, teens and in-betweens (you know … tweens), there are few times in recent memory that rival the stress so many are living in right now. And while you’re taking care of those around you in your family, friend and workplace sphere, who’s taking care of you? Take a little time and invest in your own well being by accessing a free K-State Research and Extension virtual session on Jan. 28, Who’s Taking Care of You? It’s one of a series of online educational programs titled Living Well Together launched late last year. Upcoming topics in February include A Parent’s Guide to Social Media (Feb. 4); Love Languages (Feb. 11); Make Active Habits Stick (Feb. 18); and Living Well With Diabetes (Feb. 25). Registration for the February programs is available online now. All sessions are recorded and available to those who register.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

PAWPAWS ANYONE? I tasted pawpaws for the first time a couple of years ago. I can’t say I was inspired to go out and plant a pawpaw tree but it’s interesting to try something new. They’re native to eastern Kansas but apparently, I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t tasted one all those years. If you’ve tried them or not … or just want to learn more, check out Pawpaw Trees: A Native Fruit in a recent K-State Horticulture Newsletter. For those of you who ARE interested in growing them, the Kansas Forest Service has seedling trees to sell. Other newsletter topics touch on frost and its effect on fruit trees, American elm trees that are resistant to Dutch Elm Disease (research done at our own John C. Pair Horticulture Center), starting newly-planted trees off right, bird feeding, plus an item on using these winter months to plan your landscape design. Take a look.

 

THE NEW KANSAS CORN MANAGEMENT 2021 GUIDE is now available online, with research-backed information on planting practices, weed management, nutrient management, diseases, insect management, machinery and more. In just seven pages (eight if you count the authors’ names), it provides a quick overview for growers who are planning this important crop for the upcoming season. Kind of important for a state that ranked No. 5 out of all 50 states in overall area planted to corn for all purposes in 2018, according to Kansas Corn and the USDA.

But wait, there’s more. Next week I’ll share information for soybean growers.

 

WEEDS ARE A PERENNIAL PROBLEM FOR OUR NATION’S FARMERS, consistently biting into profits and adapting to obstacles humans put in their way. To keep crop producers up on the latest weed management information, K-State extension weed scientists teamed with their counterparts from the University of Missouri and North Dakota State University to offer the “War Against Weeds” podcast. This first podcast introduces us to the specialists who host it and their goals in producing it. They’re an engaging group. Listen in . This may just become the next Car Talk. Again, I digress!

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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 2, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas BlogIn the latest Better Kansas, we explore alternatives to in-person learning, staying active at home, information for small businesses, online food safety workshops for produce growers, corn seeding rates and beef cattle research reports. 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

IN-PERSON CLASSES ARE A NO-NO RIGHT NOW, BUT THE LEARNING ISN’T STOPPING! In some cases, it’s just in a different format. Check out this video on YouTube with good, practical information on preparing dried beans in an electric pressure cooker. Take a look at your county or district extension office and on the K-State Research and Extension homepage for other ways we’re delivering research-based, practical information. Many of us are working from home right now, but we’re still here for you, figuring out new ways to do things and planning more good educational outreach when we are finally able to meet again the old fashioned way.    

 

HUNKERING DOWN AND STAYING AT HOME does not mean we should stop moving! In fact, my friends and I have shared on Facebook and text messages about how the refrigerator and pantry are a little too convenient right now and overeating is a definite possibility. Those butter croissants (so tasty, but oh so fattening) keep calling to me! In my defense, the store was all out of regular bread that day. Take a look at Move More, Sit Less: Tips for Staying Active While at Home. Fortunately, the cookies that were whispering to me from the pantry are no longer a temptation … because … you know … I ate them!

 

SMALL BUSINESS ALERT: There’s no better time to take advantage of free monthly online informational sessions called First Friday e-Calls occurring on the first Fridays of the month. The calls feature presentations and speakers with the goal of making small business owners and community leaders aware of experts, education and economic resources available to them. Each call is archived. The Friday, April 3 call features the Kansas Secretary of Labor, Kansas Secretary of Commerce and Kansas Director of Unemployment Services, all speaking to the COVID-19 pandemic with information pertinent to small businesses and their employees. Previous calls addressed such topics as cybersecurity, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), filling empty buildings and many more.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

COVID-19 MAY BE SLOWING OUR DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES, BUT THE CROPS MUST GO ON or should I say in? To keep fresh produce growers up on food safety requirements, particularly those who sell their fruits and vegetables, a number of online workshops are planned in April and May, including free Produce Safety and COVID-19 Updates via Zoom. Workshops on USDA’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Introduction to Fresh Produce Safety Training are also available. Take a look at the On-Farm Produce Safety page for all the scoops, as my lovely sister-in-law used to say.

 

AND SPEAKING OF CROPS GOING IN, the state’s corn growers are eager to get out there and start planting. Check out Optimal corn seeding rate recommendations in a recent Agronomy eUpdate for details about different hybrids, plus how planting date, row spacing and crop rotations factor in. While you’re at it, this might be a good time to review the Corn Production Handbook, which includes hybrid selection, optimal planting practices, insect, weed and nutrient management and more.

 

 

K-STATE’S CATTLEMEN’S DAY 2020 HAPPENED IN EARLY MARCH, but even if you missed the camaraderie, great food, presentations and keynote speakers, you can still access reports on 12 research projects in Cattlemen’s Day 2020 Beef Cattle Research. Topics include research results on management practices, beef cattle nutrition and meat science. Now, if only we could arrange a delivery of that lunchtime smoked brisket for you!

 

 

 

 

 

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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 – Nov. 14, 2019

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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. 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

IN CASE YOU CAN’T TELL BY ALL THE ADVERTISING, THANKSGIVING IS IN JUST TWO WEEKS! Whether you’re hosting a crowd or having a party of one, take a look at Food Safety for Holiday Meals for all manner of tips and information to keep the good times on track. It’s really relevant information for any time of year. Maybe it’s just me, but I especially enjoyed: “Hotline Answers ‘Panic Button’ Food Safety Questions.” I wonder what percentage of first-time turkey cooks have accidentally left the bag of giblets in the turkey while cooking it? MANY of us, I think! It’s amazing how many things are hidden in the nooks and crannies of those birds!

 

WHILE WE’RE ON THE TOPIC OF FOOD, we should recognize that even in a state like Kansas where we grow so much food, there are plenty of people who don’t have enough to eat. About 11% of U.S. households are food insecure, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. It might be those children walking by on their way to the school bus. Or the elderly man in front of you at the store. Listen in to a Sound Living podcast on improving food security.

 

THE YOUNGEST BABY BOOMERS ARE ABOUT 55 YEARS OLD; THE OLDEST IN THEIR 70s. That means a whole lot of people are retiring every day in this country. I know a few of those folks. Some say that after a few months, they didn’t know what to do with themselves, so they went back to work. Others say their blood pressure dropped and health improved. If you’re considering taking this big step, it sounds like a good idea to have a plan. A good conversation starter (even if that conversation is with yourself) is the factsheet So Now What? Tips for Managing Life after Retirement. It goes through typical stages, starting with the “honeymoon” stage. You know … that’s where you catch up on sleep!

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

IF LIKE ME, YOU HAD GORGEOUS ROSES THAT PUT ON A SHOW ALL SEASON LONG, consider protecting them from the winter cold by mounding soil or compost around them. Check out more information, plus a link to a video on winterizing roses. Other topics include the lowdown on an annual turfgrass conference, getting amaryllis to bloom for the holiday season, watering your landscape NOW (may have to get that hose out one more time), the nitty gritty on what you can do to improve garden soil now and more.

 

ALMOST ALL LIVING THINGS NEED IT – WATER, THAT IS. A recent Dig Deep podcast delves into basic facts about water in Kansas – where it comes from, where it goes, and conservation. The segment features Dan Devlin, a K-State professor who’s also the director of the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment (KCARE). He sheds light on a new effort called the Irrigation Innovation Consortium that brings researchers from several universities together with private industry to come up with better ways to use this precious resource more efficiently. Listen in.

THE USDA REVISED ITS LATEST ESTIMATE ON HOW MUCH CORN U.S. GROWERS WILL PRODUCE THIS YEAR downward to 13.661 billion bushels – 118 million bushels less than what it predicted a month ago, largely owing to harvest delays. And that’s just a small portion of what’s in the U.S. Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates released Nov. 8. For a closer look at the numbers and what they mean, take a look at an analysis of the data. Ending stocks, stocks-to-use, supply-and-demand balances … it’s all in there. And it’s not just about corn. The nitty gritty on soybeans, wheat and grain sorghum is also put into perspective.

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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/