HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US AT K-STATE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION and from yours truly, Better Kansas writer Mary Lou Peter. Today, we offer info on webinars to keep rural grocery stores thriving, using convection ovens, fraudulent unemployment claims (again), fencing know-how, a virtual land lease meeting and mini-Risk & Profit Conferences in January and February. 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 TEAMING UP AGAIN, THIS TIME TO KEEP RURAL GROCERY STORES THRIVING. A webinar series, Keeping Groceries Alive: Successful Ownership Transitions for Rural Grocery Stores, is set to begin Jan. 28. The eight-part series is sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and presented by the Rural Grocery Initiative. The sessions will help grocery owners understand their options during the process of transitioning to new ownership, including the possibilities of community partnerships. Several topics will be covered, including Assessing Markets & Community Needs, Planning Your Business, Funding the Transition and Recruiting Store Managers. The Rural Grocery Initiative is itself a partnership of K-State Research and Extension, NetWork Kansas, the Kansas Rural Center, the Food Co-Op Initiative, and the Kansas Center for Business Transition.
A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO I BOUGHT A TOASTER/CONVECTION OVEN – my adult children swear by them for their convenience and time-saving ways. However, once out of the box I was reminded that I really don’t know a thing about using a convection oven – even after reading the manual, which featured several languages, but that didn’t help me either. So, I was happy to see the article Convection Know-How in a recent extension newsletter. Sheesh, I’ve learned that it’s not just for warming up pizza … I can bake cookies and actually roast meats and vegetables in it. Good to know.
AT THE RISK OF REPEATING MYSELF, a few weeks back I wrote that thousands of Kansans are receiving notices that their personal information has been used to file false unemployment claims. Now, it’s personal. Last week I had a déjà vu moment, when I too received a form from the Kansas Department of Labor stating that they had received MY application for unemployment benefits. Say what? Not true. As far as I know, I’m still employed! If you or someone you know has received such a letter, take a look at Fraudulent unemployment claims are up; specialist outlines ways to protect yourself to start your journey to protect yourself. Believe me, I was revisiting the information myself.
Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening
THE POET ROBERT FROST WROTE “FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS.” That is, unless you have a neighbor who doesn’t like fences, as I once did in a suburban neighborhood. But fences keep pets and livestock in (or out), define property boundaries and can be incredibly useful. To learn more about fences, take a look at Fences Moving Property Lines: Squatter’s Rights. By the way, Robert Frost wrote the famous line as a part of his poem, Mending Wall. And I can’t write this entry without mentioning that Kansas has some of the most visually interesting limestone fenceposts. Okay, yes, that link is to that university down the road, but thought the page was informative. More on this another time.
I SAW AN ITEM RECENTLY THAT ABOUT 25% OF FARMLAND IN KANSAS IS LEASED, so for property owners as well as lessees, it’s important to keep up with current laws. To address the latest, an Ag Lease Basics virtual meeting is set for Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. The session will cover commonly misunderstood parts of leases, as well as general information. This meeting is typically held in Geary County in person, but in the interest of keeping Kansans safe from COVID-19, it’s offered via Zoom this year. The big upside to that is you can be anywhere and participate. For more information and a link to the meeting, contact Chuck Otte at cotte@ksu.edu.
EVEN AS COVID-19 CONTINUES TO STARE US IN THE FACE, FARMING STILL GOES ON. To provide information that helps shape farm business decisions, a series of virtual Risk & Profit Mini-Conferences are planned for Wednesdays, starting Jan. 13. Topics, presented by K-State Research and Extension agricultural economists, include livestock options; beef market outlook; domestic grain markets and outlook, macroeconomic and interest rate outlook; ag policy and farm bill; ag technology and farmland value interactive dashboard; farm profitability; agricultural finance; and international grain markets and outlook for 2021. A fee of $20 provides access to all sessions, recordings and materials. Check it out.
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