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Better Kansas – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Tag: food safety

Better Kansas – May 6, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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This week in Better Kansas I touch on food safety guidance for food stands and bake sales, wheat gluten, Garden Hour webinars, crop scout training and drought as it relates to ranch management. 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 GETTING BACK TO NORMAL … SORT OF. At least we’re now able to hold (and attend) some events, and where there are events, there is food, right? The Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all recently reaffirmed there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission via food or food packaging. But for those of us who organize or work food stands and bake sales, K-State Research and Extension has developed recommendations for COVID safety to help mitigate the virus’s transmission from one person to another. If your church, school or community is planning an event, take a look at Safety guidance for food stands and bake sales in 2021. For other food topics, see the food safety web page. And please, stay safe out there.

 

WHEN STROLLING GROCERY STORE AISLES it doesn’t take long to find a food product labeled “gluten free.” But what is gluten, really? And why should we care? Is it really something to avoid? After all, it gives breads and other baked products their elastic, chewy properties. That makes me think of yummy bagels! Take a look at Gluten and Your Gut’s Good Health for more information about wheat gluten itself, plus facts about celiac disease and other conditions.

 Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

I’M WONDERING HOW MANY OF YOU MOSTLY IGNORED YOUR INDOOR CHORES THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKENDS, and instead took advantage of gorgeous weather to plant flowers and vegetables? I certainly did! For you like-minded spirits, the popular K-State Garden Hour webinars will continue through the summer and into fall. New topics are featured the first and third Wednesday each month from 12-1 p.m. Take a little break, have a bite to eat and learn about such topics as:

May 19 – Xeriscaping – Beautiful Landscapes with Less Water

June 2 – Effective Irrigation

June 16 – Native Plants to Support Native Bees

Aug. 4 – Organic Gardening

Aug. 18 – Gardening with Beneficial Insects

Sept.  1 – Basics of Growing Berries in Kansas

One-step registration allows your participation in any of the 2021 K-State Garden Hour series and provides access to previously recorded webinars, plus resources you may have missed. Check it out.

 

FARMERS KNOW THE VALUE OF KEEPING A CLOSE, WELL-TRAINED EYE ON THEIR FIELDS, watching for signs of pests, diseases and other problems that can eat into their crops and profits. To help keep those eyes well trained, a team of crop protection specialists at 11 Midwest universities including K-State, have now come together to produce the 2021 Virtual Crop Scout School free to the public. Read about it in a recent edition of the Agronomy eUpdate, which also touches on cotton stand establishment, stripe rust update in wheat, soybean seeding rates, effect of row spacing on soy yield, and facts about lightning (and staying safe).

 

I’M A NATIVE KANSAN BUT NEVER KNEW THAT OUR STATE IS LIKELY TO HAVE A DROUGHT THREE OUT OF 10 YEARS. Now that I think of it, that sounds right. When 2021 began, more than 81% of Kansas was experiencing some level of drought. Conditions have improved, however, with the April 29, 2021 U.S. Drought Monitor showing only western Kansas, or about 36% of the state in abnormally dry to severe drought conditions. Read about drought monitoring and ranch management in the May Beef Tips newsletter. Other topics this month cover cleaning winter feeding sites to reduce stable flies and nutrient runoff, the spring breeding season, and mineral supplements. In terms of drought, keep an eye on the western U.S. and the Corn Belt.

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

https://enewsletters.k-state.edu/beeftips/category/may-2021/

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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 – Feb. 25, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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Better Kansas – Feb. 25, 2021

In this week’s Better Kansas I highlight sunshine and Vitamin D, George Crum and other food topics, tractor safety education for teens, grain marketing and Cattlemen’s Day. This is a small glimpse of what K-State Research and Extension across the state has to offer. Share by email and on social media and subscribe! – Mary Lou Peter mlpeter@ksu.edu

Better Living, Better Communities

SUNSHINE IS STILL IN SHORT SUPPLY THIS MONTH but get out there and get some when you can. It’s good for your bones! Vitamin D is unique among vitamins because it’s made in the human body when skin is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light in the sun’s rays. Plus, very few foods contain Vitamin D, although some such as milk, yogurt and orange juice are fortified with it by food processors. Research has shown that more than three out of four Americans have inadequate Vitamin D levels. Check out Vitamin D: From Sunshine to Supplements to learn more. Can’t help it … the whole time I’ve been writing this I’ve been thinking of John Denver’s Sunshine on my Shoulders. What a song.

 

THANK YOU, GEORGE CRUM! Who is George Crum you might ask? We have Mr. Crum to thank for potato chips, one of my weaknesses. Read about how he and his sister, Kate Crum, invented potato chips in the March 2021 You Asked It newsletter. Plus, there is good information about food safety when it comes to home delivery, food preservation, runny jams or jellies, preparing for Walk Kansas and more. I typically write about more healthy foods in this space, but it’s hard to resist those kettle cooked chips…. or any chips for that matter. Wish I could have frequented Crum’s House restaurant back in the day.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

IT’S ALMOST SPRING and that means there’s a new crop of teens helping out on farms and ranches – a wonderful earning and learning opportunity for them and a huge help for producers. But teaching them safety is imperative. That’s where the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program (NSTMOP) comes in. Through the program, teens learn how to operate equipment safely and much more. And keep in mind, the USDA says that a “farm” can be anywhere from 10 acres to 10,000 acres, so whether you grow lettuce on a few acres or wheat on thousands, this program is for you. Take a look at this website for more information or check with your local K-State Research and Extension office to see if there’s a training in your area. The program was developed by Penn State University, one of our many land grant university partners that shares resources. I might have come up with a different name and catchier acronym, but hey, they didn’t ask me! Seriously, it’s a really good, important program.

 

THIS PANDEMIC WREAKED HAVOC FOR SO MANY, but we’ve become pretty good at compensating in some ways. Check out the virtual Managing Risk & Marketing Grain webinars on March 3 & 5. They’re free but participants still need to register. K-State specialists will cover crop insurance, cost of production estimates for 2021, a price protection net for Kansas crops, plus using options and futures to manage risk in grain marketing.

 

THE 2021 CATTLEMEN’S DAY IS DIFFERENT THIS YEAR AS IT’S ALL ONLINE MARCH 5, but there’s no shortage of good information for participants. Featured speakers include Jayson Lusk, distinguished professor and ag economics department head at Purdue University, addressing the pandemic’s effects on the U.S. beef industry. Jason Rumley and Robert Norris, both of Radian Group, will provide insights on beef processing, retail and foodservice in light of COVID-19. K-State specialists will give updates on research projects across the spectrum. We’ll miss seeing everyone in and around Weber and Call halls, not to mention that heavenly barbecue, but we’ll be back in person when it’s much safer.

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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. 19, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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In today’s Better Kansas, we touch on holiday food preparation, Kansas PRIDE happenings, produce contributions feeding the hungry, dry to drought conditions across the state, sorghum product advances (more about feeding the hungry) and a change in pest management schools. This is a small glimpse of what K-State Research and Extension across the state has to offer.

I am taking a break next week to try out some of these holiday tips I’ve been sharing and to give thanks – for my family, friends, colleagues, readers and while we’re at it, food, shelter, health, a nice fall day …. I could go on and on! HAPPY THANKSGIVING and as always, feel free to share on social media and subscribe! – Mary Lou Peter mlpeter@ksu.edu

Better Living, Better Communities

TURKEYS, STUFFING AND TURDUCKENS, OH MY! In looking for info for the other part of my job (writing and editing news articles), I happened upon a full page dedicated to preparing holiday foods. Us being a university and all, it’s mostly links to good information about research-based food safety, but there are also a few basic recipes. Many of the resources are available in both English and Spanish. And YES, under “Seasonal Food Safety” there really is a fact sheet about how to safely prepare turducken. I didn’t realize until now that we have Louisianans to thank for those layered turkey-duck-chicken creations. Also, don’t miss the USDA Hotline Answers. Isn’t accidentally cooking the bag of giblets in the turkey a rite of passage for novice cooks?!

 

AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE KANSAS PRIDE PROGRAM as it celebrates its 50th anniversary of helping make communities across the state better. In the November PRIDE newsletter we can read about (or listen to) a Kansas Profile column on the restoration of the high school in Lecompton, Kansas (pictured), which now serves as the community center, library, physical activity and meeting venue. Plus, learn about ways volunteers in Potwin, Riverton, Galena, Wichita, Ellis and Conway Springs are working to make their communities better. Don’t miss “If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me.” And for those of you on social media, Kansas PRIDE is also on Facebook.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

K-STATE’S OLATHE HORTICULTURE CENTER is at it again – teaming up with non-profit After the Harvest to help feed hungry families in the Kansas City metro area. And this time, we’re on television! After the Harvest has volunteer “gleaners” who travel to the university’s horticulture center and other farms in the area to harvest fresh produce that was missed or – in the university’s case – not needed for research. That fresh, nutritious food – thousands of pounds of it – is then distributed to families in need through Harvester’s, a regional food bank serving 26 counties in northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri. Read about this effort plus current research in fruits and vegetables, turfgrass, work with Growing Growers and more in the Olathe Horticulture Center Fall 2020 Newsletter. And watch upcoming issues of this blog for updates on Kansas Extension Master Gardeners’ (aka EMGs) generous efforts across the state.

 

SPEAKING OF HUNGRY PEOPLE, researchers here in Kansas are working to better utilize Kansas crops – corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum – to feed hungry populations around the world AND give Kansas agriculture an economic boost. Take a look at Sorghum grain provides answers for food shortages to learn how fortified food products can alleviate hunger and add high caloric value to support early development in young children. Given that Kansas grows by far more sorghum than any other state, this effort and work like this is beneficial for the world’s growing population and for the agricultural economy right here at home.

KANSAS, LIKE MANY STATES, IS DRY, with 12% in severe or worse drought as of Nov. 10. The rest of the state, save some southern counties, was in the abnormally dry to moderate drought category, according to a K-State e-Update article and the U.S. Drought Monitor. For an update on how dry conditions and fall temperatures have affected our important winter wheat crop, take a look at Factors to Consider in Winter Survival of Wheat. For the record, USDA/NASS reported that the state’s newly planted winter wheat was rated 32% good to excellent, 45% fair, and 23% poor to very poor as of Nov. 15. A total of 88% of the new crop had emerged. Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 23% very short, 41% short, 35% adequate and 1% surplus, while subsoil moisture – you know, down where those plant roots are looking for it – was rated 22% very short, 43% short, 34% adequate and 1% surplus.

CHANGE IN PLANS! LAST WEEK I BROUGHT YOU INFORMATION ABOUT PEST MANAGEMENT SCHOOLS PLANNED FOR DECEMBER. They will still be held but because of the surge in coronavirus cases in Kansas and elsewhere, they will be in a virtual format rather than in-person as previously planned. Take a look to sign up for this valuable training.

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. 12, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

In today’s Better Kansas, we shed a little light on a new U.S. Mint Tallgrass Prairie coin and agritourism, protecting finances, safe food handling, that last fall drink for your lawn, an important survey for southwest Kansas and other farmers and December crop pest management schools. They’re 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

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THE FLINT HILLS REGION IS ONE OF KANSAS’ BEST KEPT SECRETS but shouldn’t be. Every time I see people flocking to Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks (and spending their out-of-state money), I can’t help but feel like more people should be aware of our own state’s awesome beauty, including our lovely Flint Hills. That visibility may get a little boost now that the U.S. Mint has released a new quarter honoring Kansas’ Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve as part of its “America the Beautiful Quarters Program.” Many thanks to a friend for tipping me off about this. And those of you interested in growing what some call “agritourism” around such sites as the Tallgrass Prairie, the overall Flint Hills and other interesting parts of Kansas, might want to listen in to a K-State First Friday e-Call on Growing Agritourism presented by Sue Stringer, manager of agritourism with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Many other First Friday e-Call presentations in support of community vitality statewide are also available online.

ALL THIS TALK ABOUT WHERE WE CAN SAFELY SPEND THANKSGIVING is making me hungry for turkey, dressing, potatoes, cranberries …. the list goes on! Because of COVID-19, many of us will stay home rather than make the trip to Mom and Dad’s or cousin Bill’s (or in my case, my niece Jill’s) like we normally would. And you know what that means? We are going to be cooking the whole meal rather than taking a dish or two to contribute to the cause! Before we get deeper into the holiday shopping, cooking and baking rush, now’s a good time to review At-Home Safe Food Handling: It’s in Your Hands. And if the kids are going to “help” this time, it would be good to go over these basics with them, too. I’ve learned a lot as I’ve written about fact sheets like these over the years – things like write dates on packages of leftovers – that way when you find it hidden behind the sour cream and milk in the back of the fridge, you’ll know just how long it’s been back there. And it looks like we should eat or freeze that leftover turkey within three to four days. No problem there!

IT’S DESPICABLE, BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE FRAUDULENTLY TRYING TO FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, using our identities. In our state alone, the Kansas Department of Labor stopped a whopping 45,000 identity-theft related claims from being paid out as of Oct. 6 this year. That seems like a staggering number to me. Check this news article for more information including tips for monitoring your own financial health and what you can do if you suspect there’s a problem. That starts with opening all your mail and watching your bank and credit accounts like a hawk.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

BEFORE YOU PUT THOSE HOSES AWAY FOR THE WINTER, it’s a good idea to give your lawn and landscaping a good drink. That good drink translates to moist soil at least 12 inches deep, according to the Nov. 10 Horticulture Newsletter. I admit, if I hadn’t read this, I probably would have been impatient and thought a couple of inches would suffice. But moisture down to at least a 12-inch depth where the roots can really take it up will put plants in good stead for quite a while. Other topics in that edition include natural needle drop on some trees, Kansas Turfgrass Conference, winterizing roses, amaryllis culture, plus soil challenges and what to do about them. There’s also a section on the effect of temperature on trees and link to a video on protecting roses for the winter. Take a look.

 

SHHHH … DON’T TELL BILL SELF OR BRUCE WEBER, BUT JAYHAWKS, WILDCATS AND OTHERS ARE COLLABORATING on a cleverly named survey with an important intent. The FEWtures (Food-Energy-Water) survey, launched by the FEW Research Project, is seeking input from farmers and ranchers in southwest Kansas, southeast Colorado, northeast New Mexico, northwest Oklahoma and north Texas. The project is focused on evaluating ways to help producers maintain their farms and communities in the face of resource uncertainty with a goal to develop water and energy solutions. Those solutions include the potential for expanding the use of wind and solar energy and evaluating technologies to use renewable energy for local scale treatment of poor-quality water and to produce ammonia to be used for fertilizer or to store energy for future use. Take a look for more information on this effort by Kansas State University, the University of Kansas and other collaborators.

 

FARMERS KNOW ALL TOO WELL HOW MUCH PESTS EAT INTO THEIR CROPS AND PROFITS. To help shed light on the topic, Crop Pest Management Schools are planned in Russell, Phillipsburg and Oakley during December. These are full-day schools with lunch and plenty of good information provided about the latest pest challenges, including insects, diseases and weeds, and ways to combat them. A segment about current Kansas regulations by a representative of the Kansas Department of Agriculture is included in the lineup. Check here for more information about the presentations and speakers at each location. Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday that we first heard about sugar cane aphids taking a little too much liking to our Kansas sorghum fields?

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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/