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Better Kansas – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

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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 – Feb. 11, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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In Better Kansas this week, we touch on fruit consumption, supporting healthy choices in communities, the possibility of spring wheat in Kansas, monitoring meat demand and the Bluestem Pasture Survey. It’s 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

THE PROSPECT OF BEING IN THE DEEP FREEZE FOR WEEKS often has me craving fruit this time of year. Citrus, particularly, evokes thoughts of a lovely summer day. But many fruits are out of season right now, so those berries, kiwis and apples can be expensive. Check out the short publication Fruit: Spend Smart. Eat Smart for ideas on how to enjoy fruits this time of year and still stay within your grocery budget. Don’t oranges sound good right now?  

K-STATE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION has always worked to keep Kansans healthy and in recent years sharpened its focus on helping the state’s communities thrive – community vitality, we call it. Policy, systems and environmental change, or PSE, is a new way of thinking about how to improve health in a community. The idea is that the environments in which we live, learn, work and play must make healthy choices easy, accessible, safe and affordable. For example, if a community wants to encourage physical activity, it might host a community bike ride, work to ensure roads are safe for walking, bicycling and driving, enhance parks and make sure community buildings have accessible stairs as well as elevators. Take a look at Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change to learn more. It’s hard to take walks or teach a child to ride a bike without a safe place to do so.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

TYPICALLY, WHEN WE THINK OF KANSAS WHEAT, we’re thinking of hard red winter wheat, planted in the fall and harvested in early summer. But spring wheat, traditionally grown in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana, may also be an option for growers in northwest Kansas. Spring wheat is usually planted in early spring and harvested in late summer. It is valued for protein content and milling and baking purposes, so agronomy researchers in Colby have been taking a look. Check the article, Is spring wheat a viable option for Northwest Kansas?, in a recent Agronomy eUpdate newsletter. Other eUpdate topics include topdressing wheat with nitrogen, topdressing canola, kochia control, Palmer amaranth control, Cattle Comfort Tool, ag climate update, Great Plains Cotton Conference (more on this next week), soybean cyst nematode webinar and Crop Talk webinars for northwest and north central Kansas. A lot of good topics! Check it out.

 

IF YOU RAISE LIVESTOCK, PROCESS OR MARKET MEAT or even meat alternatives, the Meat Demand Monitor will speak your language. It’s a monthly look at average prices people are willing to pay on such items as ribeye steak, ground beef, pork chops, bacon, plant-based patties and even shrimp. The averages are calculated from more than 2,000 respondents and include retail and foodservice categories. Maybe it’s just me, but even as a curious consumer, I find this interesting.

 

CATTLE PRODUCERS AND LANDOWNERS, PLEASE CONSIDER TAKING THE BLUESTEM PASTURE SURVEY ahead of the March 31, 2021 deadline. It’s a way for K-State’s Land Use Survey Center to collect information on native tallgrass use and practices. The survey is voluntary and anonymous and asks about pasture availability, leasing rates, and fencing rates. It should take less than 15 minutes to complete. Why participate? The responses are important to providing reliable, accurate information to Kansas ranchers and the agricultural community as a whole.

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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. 4, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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This week in Better Kansas: The return of the Insect Art Contest, Check Your Credit program, wildfire season updated outlook, the answer people, farm resources and a corn marketing workshop. 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 TIME OF YEAR CAN SEEM DISMAL with its cold, wintry weather and way-too-short days. And then there’s the pandemic, and don’t get me started about basketball. To lighten things up, the Insect Art Contest is back! This year’s theme is “Exploring Pollinators” with categories from kindergartners to high schoolers. Entries can be submitted until April 16, 2021. Pictured are Dragonfly, last year’s overall contest winner and Praying Mantis, a category winner. This year’s winning insect masterpieces will help promote pollinator week in June. Take a look to access the entry form and contest rules. Maybe one day they’ll have a category for us adults. In the meantime, get your kiddos started.

 

REMINDER: Sign up for CHECK YOUR CREDIT, a free extension program that reminds you to check your credit report with one of the main credit reporting agencies every four months. It also sends an occasional educational message to help sharpen financial literacy. It’s all part of the Family Finances program that supports financial wellbeing through educational programs and resources. Wish I’d learned some of these things much earlier in life, but there’s no time like the present. It’s not just credit card companies, car dealers or mortgage lenders who are interested in our credit history. Even landlords check prospective renters’ credit history, so it’s important to make sure the information on our credit reports is accurate.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

JUST WHEN WE HAD SOME NICE PRECIPITATION, it looks like things could turn drier in coming months and that could mean a greater chance of wildfires across Kansas this year. According to people who track these things (the Kansas Weather Data Library and Kansas Mesonet among others), we have a slightly increased chance of wildfires than average during the typical Kansas fire season, February through April. Take a look at the Updated 2021spring wildfire outlook for Kansas in the latest Agronomy eUpdate.

 

HAVE A QUESTION? CHECK WITH THE ANSWER PEOPLE. In saying that I mean your local K-State Research and Extension agent or specialist on a wide array of topics. They may not have an immediate answer, but if they don’t, they are good about tapping fellow extension professionals and colleagues in other states who are part of the land-grant system. Why is my lawn turning yellow? How can I talk to my children about COVID? Where can I learn about managing diabetes? What are the latest corn varieties for my area? In the past few weeks, I’ve seen agents tap fellow agents for information about everything from managing Longhorn cattle to fenceposts to dealing with difficult neighbors and webinars about Alzheimer’s. In every case, a flurry of colleagues responded with potential resources and solutions. Check with your local answer people for more information.

 

I CAME ACROSS A FARM TALK NEWSPAPER COLUMN RECENTLY, written by a former longtime K-State Research and Extension colleague of mine who’s now farming and raising cattle full time. It was written some time ago, but it really resonated with me. With his permission, I share “Surviving Together.” Keep in mind, this was written before the terms “pandemic” and “coronavirus” were even part of our everyday conversation. If you’re struggling, reach out to someone – a friend, a pastor, a family member. If you know someone who may be struggling, check in with him or her. For help with farm legal, financial and mediation services, make a confidential call to the Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services (KAMS) at 800-321-3276. K-State’s Farm Analyst Program is another resource available for agricultural producers facing challenging times.

 

HEADS UP TO CORN PRODUCERS IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS: Check out “Winning the Game” Corn Marketing Workshop Feb. 23 in Erie at the Neosho County Fairgrounds. Attendance and lunch are free to those who pre-register. The fee at the door is $5 per person. Topics include an array of potential marketing strategies, as well as a corn market outlook for 2020/21. If you can’t make it to this workshop, check your local extension office to see what meetings and workshops are planned on this or other topics for your area.

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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. 28, 2021

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

Better Kansas this week touches on food allergies, radon, a new soybean production resource, sunflower production challenges and upcoming mini-Risk & Profit Conferences. 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

AS MANY AS 32 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES, INCLUDING 5.6 MILLION CHILDREN. That’s one in every 13 children, or roughly two in every classroom, according to Food Allergy Research & Education. It lists the most common food allergies as cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, wheat, tree nuts, shellfish, finned fish and sesame. But researchers are making strides in learning how to prevent allergic reactions. Take a look at Researchers continue to make progress on reducing food allergy reactions for more information. I miss those honey roasted peanuts a particular airline used to serve, but I understand. Hey, they do sell them at airport kiosks!

 

WE’RE JUST WRAPPING UP JANUARY, BUT IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BRING ATTENTION to Kansas Radon Action Month or to check your home for radon. That can be done any time. The naturally occurring odorless and tasteless radioactive gas is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths in non-smokers. Check the Kansas Radon Program for all kinds of information, including Kansas-specific facts, maps, FAQs and important radon-related contact information.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

AS PROMISED LAST WEEK, I’M PROVIDING INFORMATION ON THE NEWLY AVAILABLE KANSAS SOYBEAN MANAGEMENT 2021 publication, which includes the latest research-based information on tillage and rotations, variety selection, planting practices and seed quality and protein in a clear, concise way. Other sections include weed management, fertilizer requirements, diseases, insects, irrigation and more in just eight pages. More information on growing soybeans in your area (we’re a big state, after all) is available from your local K-State Research and Extension office.

 

KANSAS RANKS NO. 4 IN SUNFLOWER PRODUCTION, but the crop does have its foes. Among them are diseases such as red rust, Rhizopus head rot (oh, that even sounds gross) and charcoal rot. Read Sunflower disease management in Kansas for management tips and great photos. It’s part of the Jan. 21 Agronomy eUpdate which also contains articles on 2021 wheat variety yield comparisons, emergency measures to control wind erosion, World of Weeds: Marestail and information on fast approaching Kansas Corn Schools.

 

DON’T MISS ONLINE MINI-RISK & PROFIT CONFERENCES coming up in February, presented by K-State Research and Extension agricultural economists. Grab a sandwich and make them a lunch and learn:

Feb. 3

12:00-12:45 – Ag Technology Across Generations of Farm Operators and Farmland Value Interactive Dashboard

12:45-1:30 – Farm Profitability

Feb. 17

12:00-12:45 – Agricultural Finance

12:45-1:30 – International Grain Markets and Outlook for 2021

A one-time $20 fee provides access to all mini conferences in the series, including recordings and materials from previous sessions. Register online. And check www.agmanager.info for updates in coming months on the full-fledged annual Risk & Profit Conference that typically occurs in August.

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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/