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Better Kansas – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Tag: Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services

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 – Sept. 17, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

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In today’s Better Kansas, find information on food safety, navigating legal and financial issues for stepfamilies, community coalitions, fall perennials for the garden, the 2020 Beef Stocker (Virtual) Field Day and farm family assistance through the Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services. 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 HEADLINE CAUGHT MY EYE: TAKE TIME TO VENT! No, it doesn’t refer to an animated political discussion at the dinner table. It’s a recent article about pressure canning in the September “YOU ASKED IT” food safety e-newsletter. Check out several months’ worth of tips on food safety, food preservation, food labels and more. Did you know that an estimated 32 million Americans have a food allergy? All the more reason why accurate food labels are important.

IT’S NOT A COMFORTABLE TOPIC BUT I’VE COME ACROSS A RESOURCE that would have been helpful to me and others I know, had it existed at the time. It addresses Understanding Financial and Legal Matters for Stepfamilies. In addition to various scenarios that may play out once a blended family is formed, this fact sheet is a reminder about the important questions couples should ask themselves (and each other) when considering marrying and blending a family. They could also be good conversation points for already married couples who could use an occasional tune-up. Again, it’s not a comfortable topic but many important conversations in life are not easy. A little upfront discussion, however, may keep things running smoothly down the road.

 

ONE OF THE THINGS EXTENSION SERVICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY DO INCREDIBLY WELL, including K-State Research and Extension, is to bring people together for the mutual benefit of all. One of my colleagues brought the Kitchen Restore program to my attention recently as just one example of how communities benefit when we help link people with available resources. In this instance, a county extension office has joined forces with numerous local and regional agencies to serve citizens in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. County and district extension agents and specialists across the state work like this with partners in many beneficial ways. Check out your local office to see what yours is up to.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO ADD NEW COLOR TO YOUR LANDSCAPE that comes back year after year, take a look at Captivating Summer Perennials for suggestions. I can just see that Helenium as a backdrop to a couple of pots of fall chrysanthemums (aka mums). I agree though, that its other name – Sneezeweed – would be pretty hard to live down. Oh, and they attract pollinators and are deer- and rabbit-resistant. What’s not to like?!

 

AS WITH MANY EVENTS THIS YEAR AND TO KEEP EVERYONE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE, THE K-STATE BEEF STOCKER FIELD DAY will be held in a virtual format on Thursday, Oct. 1. Register now to hear about strategies to make alternative ration ingredient changes work; hear the latest beef cattle market outlook; and learn about the economic, nutrition and management aspects of limit feeding. Wes Ishmael of Beef Magazine and Cattle Current will serve as moderator and Mike Day, head of K-State’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry and Dale Blasi, professor and K-State Research and Extension beef specialist will provide a welcome and overview. We’ll miss the prairie oysters and Call Hall ice cream but will look forward to partaking next year!

 

FARMERS WERE ALREADY UNDER STRESS FROM LOW COMMODITY PRICES, WEATHER CHALLENGES AND TRADE DISPUTES last spring. Then COVID-19 and implications for agricultural production and markets came calling. And that doesn’t even take into account that some parents are now filling in as teacher’s aides or, in some cases, teachers if the children are learning from home. Among the organizations available for farmers and their families who could use some confidential help with managing farm finances, working with lenders and government agencies and legal representation is Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services or KAMS. Contact KAMS at 1-800-321-FARM (3276) or kams@ksu.edu.

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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. 6, 2020

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas BlogWelcome to Better Kansas, where every Thursday we shed light on 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

WHEN A BAND OF ENTERPRISING PEOPLE GET TOGETHER TO LOOK OUT FOR OTHERS, good things happen and that’s how the Check Your Credit program was launched this month. Signup is free for the educational program designed to remind us how, when and why checking our credit reports for accuracy is so important. Really, who has time to contact the three credit reporting agencies to ask them for a copy of what they have on us? It’s easy to let this slide, but when we least expect it, we’ll be reminded why we should. Errors on a report can result in a lender charging a higher interest rate or denying credit altogether. Read more about the new program. Oh, and that band of people? They’re members of the Family Resource Management Program Focus Team (or PFT in extension lingo), a group of extension agents and specialists across the state who provide financial education to individuals and families through presentations, written articles, fact sheets, webinars and more. Wish I’d known about such people and their good work a long time ago!

 

KIDS, BUGS AND ART: A GREAT COMBINATION! PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER and you get a cool Youth Art Insect Contest! Winning entries will be featured in a deck of cards (think “Old Maid”-type card game) and distributed to Kansas schools. I love this idea! What a great way to teach kids about our natural world. It reminds me of a visit to a friend in Massachusetts long ago, when my friend’s young son gave me a carefully crafted bug picture as a going-away gift. That sweet little guy had taken dead bugs from his collection and taped them to a piece of paper. I guarded that “picture” all the way back to the Midwest. Hey, dead bugs are fragile! Crispy bugs may not work well for this contest but we have some very creative kids in Kansas who will come up with some great insect artwork. Enter now! The deadline is April 3, 2020.

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, START YOUR PRUNING! If you’re lucky enough to have apple or pear trees on your property, the best time to prune them is almost upon us. That would be late winter (especially in southern Kansas) or early spring. That gives you a little time to make sure you have your pruning shears and saws, loppers and pole pruners clean, sharpened and ready to go. It will be nice to get outdoors and do something! Check out a Pruning Apple and Pear Trees factsheet for more specifics plus pictures.

 

HAVE YOU EVER PUZZLED OVER A BROWN SPOT IN YOUR LAWN? LEAVES DROPPING FROM TREES? TROUBLING SYMPTOMS IN YOUR CROP? Help is just a phone call or visit to your local extension office away. Extension agents can help you through the process of taking samples and sending them off to K-State’s Extension Plant Pathology Lab, which processes more than 1,000 samples a year as they work to determine the source of the problem – the first step in getting your lawn or farm back to health.

 

KANSAS AGRICULTURAL MEDIATION SERVICES HAS A NEW LEADER! The organization dedicated to helping ag producers work through financial challenges they may have with lenders has named Erin Strathe as its new staff attorney. Strathe succeeds Forrest Buhler, who led KAMS for 32 years. Buhler retired Jan. 31. KAMS was born of the 1980s farm crisis and since then has worked along with the Farm Analyst Program and others to help thousands of farmers, ranchers and creditors confidentially work through challenging circumstances. More information about KAMS and the transition is available in a news article and on the KAMS website. Or call 1-800-321-3276.

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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 – June 13, 2019 – Ideas for Living, Growing and Succeeding

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Header image for the Better Kansas Blog

Welcome to Edition 2 of the Better Kansas blog from K-State Research and Extension, written by yours truly mlpeter@ksu.edu. Every week we’re shedding a little light on events, resources and other information designed to make your life, your businesses, your communities and state better.

For many more resources and activities, check with the extension office in your area. Watch for Better Kansas on Thursdays. In the meantime, check  for archived entries. Share it with friends, family and colleagues!

Better Living, Better Communities

CALLING ALL FOODIES (and others who cook either for the love of it or out of necessity :). Check out the latest edition of You Asked It. This month it covers Food Science vs. Food Myths, Ace the (Food) Waste, Pressure Canner Testing, What is the Cloud Point of Cooking Oil,  Mixing Matters and more.

WHERE’D THEY GET THE MONEY FOR THAT? Ever wonder where the money came from for that new set of benches at your neighborhood park or how local firefighters got certain equipment? It’s possible the funding came through a grant. K-State Research and Extension is holding workshops in communities large and small to help Kansans develop their grant writing skills. Nonprofit organizations, church boards and others can learn the ins and outs of writing effective grant proposals. More information is available online or by contacting Nancy Daniels at 785-410-6352 or nkdaniels@ksu.edu.

SHOP LOCAL, BE SOCIAL: It’s June and activity at farmers markets across the state is buzzing. It’s hard to imagine a better way to find locally-grown foods, meet the farmers who produced them and see your friends and neighbors. Some even have music! What’s not to like? For great tips on shopping at your local market, take a look at Shopping Safely at Farmers Markets. Check out a list of farmers markets and if you’re selling fresh produce or other products, read Food Safety for Kansas Farmers Market Vendors: Regulations and Best Practices cover to cover!

Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening

COPING IN CHALLENGING TIMES: Though average net farm income rose in Kansas last year, many farmers are experiencing a string of tough financial years, the likes of which haven’t been seen in a long time. And recent flooding and delayed planting only compound the problem. No matter the difficulties, confidential help is available through the Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services and the K-State Research and Extension Farm Analyst program … let me say that again … confidential. The Farm Analyst program offers one-on-one consultations with people trained in business analysis specifically for farmers and ranchers and KAMS  can assist with legal, financial and mediation services. To reach either, call 1-800-321-FARM.

THE RIGHT WHEAT: Combines will soon roll through Kansas harvesting this year’s winter wheat crop. But how do you know which wheat varieties work best in your part of the state? Take a look at the K-State Department of Agronomy 2018 Kansas Wheat Performance Tests.

THIS YEAR’S PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN GOOD FOR A LOT OF PLANTS, INCLUDING WEEDS! All of you corn, soybean, grain sorghum and sunflower growers will want to check out the Weed Management Field Day set for July 2 in Hays. Can’t make it to this one? We know it’s a big state! Check with your local county or district extension office to see if there’s one closer to you and what other resources are available.