Welcome 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. Share on social media and don’t forget to subscribe! – Mary Lou Peter mlpeter@ksu.edu
Better Living, Better Communities
BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL KEEP THE STATE’S ECONOMY HUMMING, but sometimes even the best of them can benefit from assistance. The Pollution Prevention Institute at K-State works with companies, institutions and communities across the state in their efforts to prevent pollution. PPI is also home to the Kansas Small Business Environmental Assistance Program which works with small companies (100 employees or less) on education and compliance with environmental regulations. Its work was recently honored with the 2019 Small Business Environmental Assistance Program Award for Excellence by the National Steering Committee of SBEAPs and Small Business Ombudsmen. By the way, PPI is celebrating 30 years of providing pollution prevention and compliance assistance at an open house on Thursday, Oct. 10, 4-6 p.m., 2323 Anderson Ave., Suite 300 in Manhattan. Come by, celebrate and learn more!
IT’S NOT A SEXY TOPIC, but insects are an important part of our world and, thankfully for us, are here to stay. We are constantly figuring out the best ways to live with them (OK, in some instances control them), just like they are always figuring out a way to live with us. A new way of teaching Integrated Pest Management in Kansas was unveiled this year with the introduction of decks of traditional playing cards with a twist. They’re IPM cards, and they’re used to teach everyone from school children to farmers to homeowners about responsible ways to manage those creepy crawlies. Think flash cards for bugs. There really are advantages to sharing our world with these critters, I promise. More on that in upcoming blog posts 😊.
Better Farming, Ranching and Gardening
THEY’VE BEEN BASKING OUTSIDE IN THE WARM SUMMER WEATHER FOR MONTHS, but with the arrival of fall, it’s time to bring those lovely houseplants indoors. Many of them, including begonia, coleus and bougainvillea, are tropical and once temperatures dip below 65 degrees, they start struggling. I can identify! I once moved from northern California to northern Illinois… . a shock to the system!!! The plants may show signs of stress during the transition, but once they acclimate to being back indoors, they’ll likely do fine. Take a look at Bring Tropical and House Plants in Before Fall for more information.
CHECK OUT THE LATEST ON SWINE NUTRITION RESEARCH, African Swine Fever prevention and more at the 2019 KSU Swine Day on Thursday, Nov. 21, at the K-State Alumni Center in Manhattan. The day features updates on swine nutrition research by K-State faculty, plus presentations by Dr. Josh Flohr, technical and production support manager at Seaboard Foods, speaking about implementing a nutritional program in an integrated system, and Dr. Egan Brockhoff, president of Prairie Swine Health Services and a practicing veterinarian, addressing what the Canadian swine industry is doing to prevent ASFV.
KANSAS PRODUCES NEARLY ONE-FIFTH OF ALL WHEAT GROWN IN THE U.S., but winter wheat planting this year is running somewhat behind, with 30% planted as of Sept. 29 compared with 38% a year ago and 31% for a five-year average, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. A recent Agronomy eUpdate takes a closer look at weather and soil conditions, plus challenges that farmers in some parts of the state may be facing.
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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/
