K-State Research and Extension

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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