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/
