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Better Kansas – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Tag: COVID-19

Better Kansas – May 7, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

This week in Better Kansas I shed a little light 😊 on solar energy, preserving fresh produce, a farmer’s generosity, butterfly habitat, a wheat threat and farm-focused online gatherings – all to help 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

WE KNOW THAT THE SUN EMITS SOLAR ENERGY BUT UMMM… I NEVER KNEW how it’s collected and turned into energy we can use. A great two-page fact sheet covers the basics. The amount of solar radiation hitting Earth in just one hour is enough to produce more energy than the entire world population used in 2001. And there are a variety of technologies and processes used to collect and utilize solar energy. This is a great one to spark conversation with those kiddos you’ve been spending so much “quality time” with lately! 😊

 

SOME OF US ALREADY HAVE VEGETABLES PLANTED AND THEN THERE ARE THE REST OF US. Either way, if you want to preserve this year’s fruit and vegetable harvest, take a look at Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe for all kinds of good information. The latest newsletter gives tips on preserving broccoli and cauliflower and the page has links to helpful videos, including many in Spanish. The very night I planted a tomato plant this week I learned that we may have a freeze this weekend. I have a feeling I’m going to be tucking it in with a blanket for a couple of nights and crossing my fingers. 

 

HERE’S A P.S. TO AN ALREADY WONDERFUL STORY: You may have heard about the retired Troy, Kansas farmer who sent a N95 mask to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to provide to a front line worker and the governor’s grateful and heartfelt response? Amid now months of devastating pandemic and economic news, this was one of those bright spots that I just had to share … years after that farmer left school just short of a bachelor’s degree, he’s now a college graduate. Don’t miss the rest of the story.

 

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

PUTTING NEW PLANTS INTO YOUR LANDSCAPE THIS SPRING? CONSIDER BUTTERFLY FRIENDLY PLANTINGS. This has been on my mind since I saw a butterfly habitat in a Minnesota neighborhood a couple of years ago. Take a look at a video on the topic that can help get us started, plus a terrific fact sheet with great pictures that focuses on the incredible monarch butterfly, whose numbers are dwindling and need our help. They REALLY like various types of milkweed, but also verbena, echinacea, sunflower, beebalm and a lot more. Kansas is one of 10 states targeted as critical in a national plan to support the monarch migration to Mexico where they overwinter. Overwintering in Mexico sounds like a great plan to me!

WE’VE BEEN PRETTY FOCUSED ON A PARTICULAR THREAT THIS PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, but wheat growers have yet another one to watch for. It’s wheat stripe rust, a disease caused by the fungus Puccinia striiformis. Wheat stripe rust is a threat to wheat crops around the world because it cuts into yields and in turn, into a farmer’s bottom line. A recent Agronomy eUpdate article says now’s the time to scout your fields for the symptoms, including long stripes of yellow or orange blister-like lesions on the plant’s leaves. For great photos and even more in-depth information, check out Wheat Stripe Rust.

A FEW WEEKS AGO, I PASSED ALONG INFORMATION ABOUT ONLINE “GATHERINGS” for farmers, ranchers and those in related industries, focused on the economics of agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is still with us and continues to roil commodity markets. The online events, at 7 p.m. on Thursday evenings, have proven so popular that we’re doing more. Coming up are:

May 7 – More on Livestock Markets – Glynn Tonsor, livestock market specialist

May 14 – More on Grain Markets – Dan O’Brien, grain market specialist

May 21 – 2019 Kansas Farm Income Report – Kevin Herbel and Mark Dikeman, KFMA

Register for the online gatherings or see previous sessions on the webpage.

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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 – March 26, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

 

In this week’s Better Kansas we offer resources to help keep us healthy and nourished during this unprecedented time in our country and our world, including information about extension offices across the state, shopping efficiently when you DO venture out, free online gatherings for farmers and ranchers dealing with current markets, possible freeze injury to wheat and honoring some of the state’s best. 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

K-State Research and Extension has compiled numerous publications and other information to help people take care of themselves and others during times of crisis. See the complete list of resources online.

Local K-State Research and Extension agents are still on the job during this time of closures and confinement. They, too, are practicing social distancing. Email is the best way to reach them, but call forwarding and voicemail allow for closed local offices to be reached by phone as well (some responses could be delayed). To find out how to reach your local agents, visit the K-State Research and Extension county and district directory.

THE PANDEMIC THAT’S SWEEPING THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD, COVID-19 aka coronavirus, has many of us thinking, feeling, reading about and DOING many things we’ve not considered before. Just yesterday a friend sent a message saying how hard it is to be so isolated. I, myself was pretty confident that I had enough food and supplies to get me through a couple of weeks or longer, but now I’m questioning that and if I don’t, will there be any on store shelves when I need them? K-State Research and Extension has assembled a range of resources in one place with tips from how to talk to your children during disasters to emotional eating to understanding stress and depression and much more. We’ll be adding resources to the COVID-19 Extension Resource page as we can, so check back. And remember, we Kansans are hardy and resilient people.

 

Last week, something went awry when I tried to highlight this resource, so I’m repeating it because it’s worth repeating:

SOME OF US MAY BE COOKING AT HOME MORE THAN USUAL OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. The Cooking with Confidence web page provides a wealth of information to everyone from novices to experienced cooks, with links to resources from K-State and other land grant universities around the country. Topics such as Eating Well Made Easy, Cooking Veggies, Healthy Cooking and Recipes and many more are included. Take a look!

 

ARE YOU A LIST MAKER OR A RANDOM SHOPPER? In these strange and unusual days, we’re encouraged to limit our trips to the super market, so it’s especially wise to be intentional about what you want before you walk through those doors. Check out this article and radio interview for tips on making those trips as efficient as possible. Making a list and checking it twice isn’t only for Christmas!

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

LIKE ALL ASPECTS OF THE U.S. AND GLOBAL ECONOMY, COVID-19 IS AFFECTING AGRICULTURE. Check out this series of online gatherings on Thursday evenings at no cost, hosted by K-State Research and Extension ag economics specialists. Join your fellow ag producers and agribusiness owners via Zoom to discuss the challenges this unprecedented event is presenting to us. Dates and topics include:

  • Thursday, March 26 – 7 p.m. – Further Updates on the Macroeconomy
  • Thursday, April 2 – 7 p.m. – Grain Markets and Planting Intentions
  • Thursday, April 9 – 7 p.m. – Ongoing Effects on Livestock Markets
  • Thursday, April 16 – 7 p.m. – Effects on Land Values

In addition to the primary topics, specialists will be available to help answer questions and to discuss other topics. Each online gathering will include a short presentation and the opportunity for participants to discuss and ask questions. Feel free to register for one or all gatherings. Registration is required and limited to the first 300 people.

 

WE’RE AT A TIME OF YEAR WHEN IT’S BALMY SPRING ONE DAY AND TEMPS PLUMMET BELOW FREEZING THE NEXT. Take a look at an article about spring freeze injury to wheat in the Agronomy eUpdate, complete with weather maps showing air and soil temperatures and what to look for in your crop if you’re concerned about freeze damage. Whether it’s vulnerable depends on factors such as the stage of development, tillage practice (linked to soil temperature), when the wheat was planted and when it emerged.

 

KANSAS IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS AGRICULTURE, and no one exemplifies or represents the state’s farmers better than Kansas Master Farmers and Master Farm Homemakers. Six couples were recently honored for their leadership in agriculture, environmental stewardship and service to their communities. Read more and listen about:

  • Grant and Gayla Corley – Anderson County
  • Mark and Eva Gardiner – Clark County
  • Doug and Saundra McGraw – Finney County
  • David and Janet Olson – Brown County
  • Richard and Denise Swenson – Cloud County
  • Richard and Karen Works – Allen County

The Kansas Master Farmer and Master Farm Homemaker Program is co-sponsored by K-State Research and Extension and Kansas Farmer magazine.

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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/