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Better Kansas – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Tag: gardening

Better Kansas – April 1, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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Welcome to Better Kansas, where this week we pull out positive nuggets from this past year, plus grant writing workshops, the dollars and cents of gardening, swine research into a devastating disease and wheat growers, do you know where your cattle are? 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 MORE THAN A YEAR INTO THIS PANDEMIC and although we’ve seen hopeful signs, there is plenty of reason to stay vigilant. I’ve often thought that sometimes out of bad things, come good things. It doesn’t mean we welcomed the bad experiences or wanted them to happen. But we can acknowledge how we may have changed or learned as a result of those experiences. A K-State nutrition specialist covers a bit of that in Healthy Living: Specialist shares possible pandemic positives. Many of us in fact, are washing our hands more often and are more intentional when we go shopping. Of course, given this past year, I still feel like going to the grocery store is a big outing!

 

A PASTOR, A VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTER AND A NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVIST WALK INTO A BAR …. No wait, that’s a different story! Seriously though, they may have all walked into (or logged into) a grant writing workshop where they learned how to write proposals to fund everything from new playground equipment to safety equipment for firefighters. Because there’s money out there to fund all kinds of projects, K-State Research and Extension has hosted more than 60 grant writing workshops across the state since 2016 and thanks to the internet, the pandemic hasn’t stopped them. More are coming up April 14 & 21 hosted by the Central Kansas Extension District and April 27 & 29 hosted by the Chisholm Trail Extension District. They are for veteran grant writers, as well as rookies. More information about the effort in general is available in Changing the future of communities, one grant at a time.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

IF YOU’RE STILL DECIDING WHETHER TO START A FOOD GARDEN this year, Gardening 9-1-1: Costs and Benefits of Home Gardening may be beneficial. It sheds light on the average cost of a garden, including soil, amendments, seed, tools and such ($167 to $322), plus how to put a value on the produce after harvest. For me, the intangible benefit is how good you feel when you’ve grown something successfully. I’m still thinking of that wonderful cantaloupe I grew years ago … that variety I forgot to save the label for, so didn’t remember what to buy the next year. Don’t be like me … hang onto those labels at least until you know if the outcome is tasty! The fact sheet also touches on the topic of “locally grown” foods.

 

EIGHT YEARS OF K-STATE RESEARCH LED TO “A DISQUIETING SCENARIO” FOR SWINE PRODUCERS, that feed and feed ingredients could potentially serve as a means for the introduction and transmission of foreign animal diseases in swine. Of particular concern is the possibility of African Swine Fever, a highly contagious and deadly virus. At this point, ASF has not been identified in the U.S. and researchers are working to keep it that way. The disease is not a food safety issue and not a threat to human health but could devastate a country’s swine industry. Read more about the research, plus a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service resource page on the topic.

 

ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES TO GROWING WINTER WHEAT is that in addition to its value as a grain crop to be harvested in early summer, a grower can also graze cattle on it … up to a point. And in parts of Kansas some wheat varieties have reached that point. That point is known as first hollow stem or FHS of development. After the crop hits FHS, leaving cattle to graze it can impede optimal grain yield at harvest time. Check out this Agronomy eUpdate article for details on this topic in general, as well as a recent update.

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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. 18, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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In this week’s Better Kansas, I shine a light on free tax preparation help, practicing safety, gardening educational opportunities, how adult educators have changed (and audiences have benefitted from) their delivery methods because of COVID-19, and information about the Great Plains Cotton Conference. 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

ENOUGH ALREADY! EVEN AS WE’RE PREOCCUPIED WITH COVID, WINTER WEATHER AND ROLLING BLACKOUTS, not to mention our own day-to-day challenges, another consideration looms – TAXES. Many of us go it alone while others pay tax preparers to work through the numbers, but that can be expensive. Kansans earning $57,000 or less and some others can get free tax preparation help through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or VITA or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE). Some K-State Research and Extension agents in Kansas are trained and certified VITA volunteers and offer free help with tax preparation. Check with your local extension office to see if they can be of assistance to you or someone you know. Some locations even offer help in Spanish.

 

I HAD AN UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH MY ICY DRIVEWAY LAST WEEKEND, which served as a reminder to respect Mother Nature (and be more careful). A lesson in humility and fragility. Thankfully, nothing broken and I’m getting better by the day but thought I’d pass along a comprehensive resource on this topic Practice Being Safe. I think the guy in the photo on the front of the publication has a few years on me, but still. These are good reminders for people of any age. The Vehicle Safety reference to avoiding distractions like fidgeting with children certainly brought back memories!

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

BEGINNING AND VETERAN GARDENERS ALIKE HAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN via virtual workshops open to all Kansans this year. K-State Garden Hour webinars are offered on the first and third Wednesdays of each month stretching into late fall. Topics range from Best Plants for a Beginner’s Landscape (March 3) to Raised Bed and Container Gardening (April 7) to Xeriscaping: Beautiful Landscapes with Less Water (May 19), plus many more. There’s even one on supporting backyard birds and another on composting with worms. And don’t worry if you miss one of the live sessions. They’re all recorded and available on the website.

Sedgwick County Extension is also offering two half-day Design & Grow Gardening Workshops in March. Because of the virtual format, participants can register ($5 fee for each) and join in from anywhere.

To find out what educational opportunities might be planned in your own community, contact your local K-State Research and Extension office.

 

IT WASN’T JUST K-12 EDUCATORS who were forced to pivot from the way they teach when COVID-19 hit last spring. Those in adult education such as K-State Research and Extension agents and specialists who collectively do hundreds of in-person workshops, classes and meetings in a typical year also had to quickly figure out how to deliver programs to their audiences virtually. A recent Dig Deep podcast features extension beef cattle specialist Justin Waggoner, who speaks on his background, his education and career choices and how Zoom, Facebook Live and other tools have enabled him and his colleagues do their work in a virtual world. He talks of the challenges, but also the benefits of being able to reach a much larger audience and making “content on demand” available through recordings that allow audiences to watch on their schedule rather than attend an in-person workshop.

 

I OFTEN WRITE ABOUT AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES THAT KANSAS IS KNOWN FOR such as wheat, sorghum and beef. But we produce other crops and products, too, including cotton. Who knew?! I didn’t until I moved back here years ago. To learn more about cotton grown in this part of the country, register for the GREAT PLAINS COTTON CONFERENCE set for Feb. 23-24. Like so many educational events, this one will be held virtually to keep participants and presenters alike safe from COVID-19. That also means you don’t have to get out and travel in this crazy winter weather we’re having. Organizers say it will cover all things cotton, from stand establishment to post harvest management and economics and cotton industry updates. Take a look.

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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 5, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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In this week’s Better Kansas, we take a look at managing sugar cravings, smart grocery shopping, personal money management, basic gardening guidelines, spring wheat, and beef cattle production – in other words more 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

COMING OUT OF THE WINTER HOLIDAYS, it’s easy to stay in that mode where eating sweets is routine. It seems like sugar cravings beget sugar cravings. And no wonder! I’ve just learned that carbohydrates, especially sugar, stimulate the “feel good” chemical dopamine in the brain. That explains why it’s so hard to pass up that Kit Kat bar staring at me in the checkout line! Sugar-sweetened beverages are by far the greatest sources of added sugar in our diet, but plenty of other foods have added sugar, including breakfast cereals, yogurt and even my favorite pasta sauce. The article Taming Those Sugar Cravings has tips to help curb the Cookie Monster within us. One of them is to eat just a little of what you’re craving. An idea that works for me is to keep a bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels in the pantry. When the craving hits, eat just a few of them. The fat and calories can add up fast, but still beats eating that same number of morsels in cookies. Eating a few grapes sometimes works, too.

 

HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT THE HEALTHIER FOODS at your grocery store tend to be around the perimeter of the store, while more processed foods are in the center aisles? Think fresh produce, lean meat, fresh dairy … and then think about where the cookies, cake mixes and canned foods are. Some of the ways we can shop smarter, cut down on food waste, eat healthier and save money involve planning meals ahead of time, checking what we already have on hand, and making a list before we even set out for the store. Listen to this Sound Living segment on Navigating the Grocery Store. I love the part about looking down. Check it out. And where’s that milk that we always seem to run into the store for? Typically, at the very back of the store, right?!

 

I GREW UP IN A WONDERFUL FAMILY, but there was never really talk about money – good, bad or ugly. And financial education? No way! So, for those of us who missed out on some of those Adulting 101 lessons, or even if you could use a refresher or reminder, take a look at the Financially $peaking page, produced by extension agents and specialists from across the state who are focused on supporting individuals and families with their financial health and wellness. I’ll be mentioning some of the nuggets they come up with from time to time, like this April 2019 article with financial tips on navigating disasters. If you find yourself buying supplies to clean up after a flood, for example, one of the key things to remember, says a FEMA official, is to save receipts from those purchases!

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

WE HAVE A NEW BIG BOX LUMBER/HARDWARE STORE NOT FAR FROM WHERE I LIVE and not surprisingly on my first trip there, I was drawn to the garden section. It’s early March, but like many of you, I’m so eager to get outside and try growing new flowers and maybe some vegetables in my little postage stamp of a back yard. Over the next few months I’ll be sharing many resources aimed at helping you do everything from growing healthier lawns to pest management to pruning shrubs and more. I found this short article on Good Gardening Practices to get us started. Let the season begin!!!! (Surely, if we think it, it must be so.)

 

WE GROW A LOT OF EXCELLENT HARD RED WINTER WHEAT in Kansas – in fact it’s what we’re known for. But what about spring wheat? Our HRW wheat, which is typically planted in September or October, vernalizes (goes dormant) in the winter, and is harvested in early summer of the following year. HRW wheat often ends up as yeast breads and rolls, but is also suited for other things. About 95% of the wheat grown in Kansas is HRW. Alternatively, hard red spring wheat is planted in early spring, has a shorter growing season and does not vernalize over the winter. Its high protein and strong gluten make it a good ingredient for artisan breads, rolls, croissants, bagels and pizza crust. To help growers in northwest Kansas who may be considering giving HRS wheat a try, K-State has tested some potential varieties. Take a look at a summary of what they’ve learned and other things to consider if thinking of growing hard red spring wheat in northwest Kansas or if you just want to learn more about HRS wheat.

 

FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE BEEF CATTLE BUSINESS (there are just a few of you in Kansas, right?), this month’s Beef Tips has articles highlighting a Stock Growers Field Day on March 31 in Beloit, rules of thumb for grazing management, an estrus synchronization tool, supplementing cows during cold weather and much more. I always appreciate the Management Minute section. Much of what’s written in that segment can be applied to many workplaces besides cattle production operations.

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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/