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Better Kansas – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Tag: First Friday e-Calls

Better Kansas – April 29, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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In this week’s Better Kansas, we take a look at how trails can lead to economic development, foods that fight inflammation, sweet potato bread, the surprising benefits of a healthy lawn, soybean planting considerations and a handy way to track precipitation across the state. 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

ONE THING THIS PANDEMIC SPARKED IS THAT MORE PEOPLE SEEM TO BE OUT WALKING, jogging, and bicycling than ever before. My neighborhood is pleasant but walking the same streets for so many years gets a little repetitious, so it’s nice to explore different trails in the area. Communities across the country are using peoples’ interest in exploring trails to help fuel economic activity as well as community pride and mental and physical health. An example of how that’s working in Ottawa, Kansas was featured in a recent First Friday e-Call on the role of trails in community development and in an article posted online. Exploring a new trail followed by a little shopping and pleasant dinner in a new community sounds good to me!

INFLAMMATION HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN OUR BODIES as it often signals that we’re fighting the effects of arthritis, an injury or infection. But when inflammation becomes chronic, it’s literally a pain and can take such a toll on our daily lives. What we eat can help mitigate inflammation, however. Take a look at Top 10 foods that fight inflammation. I KNEW there was a reason I like almonds and dark chocolate … especially together! That whole portion control thing is another topic.

SWEET POTATOES IN BREAD? MAYBE A WIN-WIN! Mostly in Better Kansas, I feature the work of K-State researchers and educators. Occasionally, however, the work of other universities catches my eye and that’s what happened when I read about work done at South Dakota State University, another land grant school doing great work, this time incorporating sweet potato puree into bread. It adds Vitamin A and changes the starch composition by increasing the fiber content. Read about how that might be beneficial for those dealing with diabetes. I’ve become a big fan of sweet potatoes in pretty much every form, so this just reinforces my interest.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

WHAT HELPS KEEP US COOLER IN SUMMER, FILTERS CONTAMINANTS AND REDUCES NOISE? The answer is surprisingly simple: a healthy lawn. Plus, it looks beautiful, feels great and smells good, especially right after mowing. Take a look at Benefits of Healthy Turfgrass to learn more surprising positives about something that many of us take for granted. I once lived in northern California, where water is often scarce. Some of my neighbors had resorted to a front yard full of rocks and a back yard of concrete or artificial turfgrass. It was understandable but for this native Midwesterner, it reinforced a feeling of being a stranger in a strange land. More information about planting and maintaining healthy lawns is also available on the Turfgrass and landscape blog.

 

LUCKILY FOR SOYBEAN GROWERS, THOSE BEANS CAN BE PLANTED OVER A WIDE RANGE OF DATES, but they’re a little finicky about soil temperatures. Kansas growers are tending to plant slightly earlier than they used to. A recent Agronomy eUpdate article covers K-State recommendations for soybean planting dates and maturity groups and offers visually descriptive maps. As of the week ending April 25, Kansas producers had planted 2% of the soybean crop which was equal to last year and near the 1% average, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Soil moisture, another critical component of a successful crop, was generally rated adequate to surplus. Topsoil was rated 5% surplus, 76% adequate, 13% short and 6% very short. Subsoil moisture was rated 5% surplus, 73% adequate, 14% short and 8% very short.

 

KANSAS MESONET NOW HAS A NEW TOOL THAT TRACKS THE NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS we’ve had across the state without precipitation. That’s helpful for farmers, gardeners, homeowners and other weather watchers. The Consecutive Days without Precip page takes the guesswork out of trying to remember if that quarter inch shower was two weeks ago Friday … or was it the previous Tuesday? A recent Kansas Farmer magazine article highlighted the new feature.

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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 – July 9, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

In today’s Better Kansas, we address timely financial topics, support for small businesses, food safety resources, feeding a growing global population, rates for custom farm work and a classic radio broadcast. 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

 

MAYBE YOU CAN IDENTIFY WITH THIS, TOO?!? Apparently some of us are spending more money while socially distancing despite the fact that we’re going out less, according to a “Financially Speaking” blog post.  WalletHub calls it “comfort buying” or shopping as a way to relieve stress or boredom. There’s some odd comfort in knowing that it’s not just me. Anyway, take a look at the post and other Financially Speaking entries, such as managing the financial implications of furloughs, Coronavirus and student loans and other timely topics written by extension agents and specialists across the state. Good stuff. Now I just need to figure out where I’ll wear that dress from Banana Republic. Kind of tough when your car hasn’t left the garage in days. Too dressy for neighborhood walks?

 

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS DON’T OFTEN HAVE THE LUXURY of traveling to multi-day meetings in expensive hotels for in-depth seminars on how to attract and retain customers. That’s all nice but who will run the store? Who will help with that special order? Enter First Friday e-Calls, which can be accessed online right from your home or business and are designed to bring relevant topics to businesses for free. The program is part of K-State Research and Extension’s commitment to supporting community vitality. Upcoming First Friday e-Call topics and speakers include:

Friday, Aug. 7 – 9:30 a.m.: Deb Brown, Co-Founder, SaveYour.Town, “Growing Your Own Entrepreneurs.”

Friday, Sept. 4 – 9:30 a.m.: Becky McCray, Co-Founder, SaveYour.Town, “Idea Friendly Communities.”

Previous calls have included Creating an Online Sales Presence for your Business; Emergency Programs to Help Small Businesses and Displaced Employees During COVID19; Filling Empty Buildings and more. To register for upcoming e-Calls or to listen to previous sessions, take a look at First Friday e-Calls. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting. Check it out!

 

AREN’T WE ALL JUST A LITTLE WEARY OF COVID-19? Unfortunately, COVID-19 is not done with us. Our understanding of the pandemic and its implications for food safety are evolving, as are the resources on the Food Safety and COVID-19 page. It covers everything from guidance for restaurant re-openings, county fairs, social distancing and much more. Whether you’re a restaurant owner concerned about the health of your employees or a casual shopper (or vendor) at your local farmer’s market, there’s information for you.

 

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

IT’S EASY TO GET BOGGED DOWN IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY SITUATION, but a recent video presentation provides a glimpse of the long view. In “The Global Agricultural Landscape: Feeding more than 9 Billion People,” the head of K-State’s Department of Agricultural Economics shares a two-part presentation available to us online. Globally, we have a population of about 7.8 billion people, but that number is growing and to some extent, in places least able to grow their own food. Listening in to these sessions is like listening in to college classes for free on a topic important to us all, whether you help grow the food or are a consumer like me. No, that tomato plant in the back yard doesn’t count :). Check out The Global Agricultural Landscape: Feeding More Than 9 Billion People: Part 1 and Part 2.

 

THIS JUST IN FOR FARMERS: HAVE YOU WONDERED WHAT YOUR NEIGHBORS (or for that matter, growers on the other side of the state) pay for custom work done on their farms? The results of the 2020 Custom Rates Survey have just been posted. The report shows the average rate paid in different regions of Kansas for such work as grain harvesting, seed cleaning, grain hauling and haying. For comparison purposes, the page also shows the 2018 rates for the same categories. The survey was conducted by K-State’s Land Use Survey program in the Department of Agricultural Economics in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

 

SINCE WE WORK TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURE ACROSS THE STATE, not to mention nationally and globally, I thought I’d throw this into this week’s Better Kansas. Just something I thought worth highlighting. Remember Paul Harvey and his “The Rest of the Story” segments? A friend reminded me recently about the iconic radio broadcaster’s tribute to farmers in “God Made a Farmer” that he wrote more than 40 years ago. Agriculture has changed a lot since then, but much remains the same. Paul Harvey died in 2009 at the age of 90, but his words and that voice live on.

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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 9, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

Welcome to Better Kansas! Today we touch on new resources for teens, tweens and anyone taking care of younger children, cooking with in-season fruits and vegetables, another look at First Friday e-Calls for small businesses, Growing Growers, antimicrobials in cattle and the developing wheat crop. 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

THIS PANDEMIC AND THE CLOSURE OF SCHOOLS AND PRESCHOOLS HAS MANY PARENTS SCRAMBLING TO FIND CHILD CARE. If you know a family with older siblings looking after younger siblings or maybe taking care of a friend’s or neighbor’s kiddos, let them know about a new resource, Suddenly in Charge. Resources added to the new web page will support teens or tweens … really anyone who’s taking care of young children, coronavirus or not. The first item under the “Safety” tab, Baby Sitter Information, features a downloadable, printable list that can be helpful for anyone taking care of children. It includes space for parents’ names, contact information, physical address where you’re caring for the child, child’s doctor’s contact information, a section for rules, screen time, naptime and more. Helpful tools I wish I’d had when I had child care for my own children and later when my children helped care for others’ kids. And don’t forget to check back. New resources will be added in the coming weeks.

 

I’VE BEEN FOCUSING A LOT ON FOOD LATELY, maybe because like many of you, I’m working from home and am about 10 paces from my kitchen :-0 ! I’ve come across a resource, Simple Seasonal Meals that comes with suggestions for cooking what’s in season, complete with a few recipes to get you started. Soon that will be asparagus, strawberries and spinach! And don’t miss page 8 that features a great harvest calendar. It shows what and when fruits and vegetables are typically harvested in Kansas. You know what that means, right? You’ll likely find them on sale during that time at your favorite market!

 

LAST WEEK I TOLD YOU ABOUT FIRST FRIDAY E-CALLS AVAILABLE FOR SMALL KANSAS BUSINESSES. We had 190 people on last week’s call that featured several speakers from key state agencies addressing COVID-19 and resources available to Kansas’ small businesses and their employees. Unfortunately, we were one of the many recent victims of Zoom bombing, so the public side of the call was ended quickly. The good news is that the speakers stayed on and recorded their good information. If you’re a small business owner or employee affected by the pandemic, take a look at the First Friday e-call information. It’s hard to know what motivates Zoom bombers, but we’ve taken steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

GROWING GROWERS IS GEARING UP! Wichita and Kansas City area produce growers, not only those who sell or have thought about selling to the public, but also those who are simply interested in growing fresh fruits and vegetables, have resources available to them through Growing Growers Kansas City and Growing Growers ICT (Wichita/southeast Kansas area). Both programs have workshops available to help hone your skills and for more hands on training, apprentice farmer education programs so you can learn from veteran farmers.

MENTION CATTLE, BEEF AND ANTIMICROBIAL MEDICATION IN THE SAME CONVERSATION, and you’ll likely get all kinds of opinions on antibiotic resistance in humans and animals. But just like humans, cattle do get sick and sometimes need to be treated with antibiotics to fight the infection and return them to health. There are strict requirements for how much time must pass between when an animal is treated with an antimicrobial and when they can go to the packing plant – that first step in the process that ends with beef on your table. To learn a lot more about this topic, take a look at FDA-Approved Injectable Beef Cattle Antimicrobials

 

JUST LIKE GROWING CHILDREN, THE WHEAT CROP HAS CERTAIN NUTRIENT NEEDS AS WELL. Yellow spots in the field may be linked to the developing crop’s need for nitrogen, which could be for a myriad of reasons, including insufficient fertilizer, application problems, leaching from heavy rains and more. For a lot more on this topic, check out an article on What are the Causes of Yellow Wheat from the Agronomy eUpdate. BTW, as of Sunday, April 5, the Kansas wheat crop was rated 3% very poor, 10% poor, 38% fair, 41% good and 8% excellent, according to the USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service. It still has a ways to go until the harvest this summer. Let’s hope for great weather.

https://webapp.agron.ksu.edu/agr_social/article/what-are-the-causes-of-yellow-wheat-381-1

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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/