We’re here for you, as always
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SC4H Change Starts Here Challenge- Beekeeping Project
The bees are in!
Want to help the world? Consider starting the 4-H Beekeeping project! This project will help you learn about bees and beekeeping. You will learn about the types of bees, the honey and wax they produce, the plants that attract bees, and the equipment a beekeeper needs. If you want to set up your own hive, you'll learn basic beehive care, and how to extract and bottle honey. Advanced topics include: increasing the number of your honey bee colonies, increasing honey production, producing special kinds of honey, and learning more about bee societies.
Learn more from Purdue Extension.
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Medicare Options Class Virtual Meeting
If you are approaching age 65 or considering going on to Medicare, you need to understand your choices. The decisions you make now could impact your health and finances later.
Attendees will learn the basics of Medicare, understand why you might need a Medicare supplement, a Medicare prescription drug plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan.
Register today!
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Stress management
by Jeff Seiler
Stress and a sense of being overwhelmed are common in agriculture. Self-care is often set aside, but it is just as critical as caring for your business.
Resources are available at
kansasagstress.org
to help assist Kansans with their well-being by providing tools for stress
management
, financial and legal challenges, and more.
If someone you know is struggling emotionally or having a hard time, you can be the difference in getting them the help they need. Remember, we are in this together.
Please share this information with anyone working closely with those in agriculture and their families.
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Make a plan to budget family's finances, says K-State expert
by Pat Malgeres
In addition to creating a heightened awareness to personal health and safety, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease has put a pinch – at the least – on many families’ home budget.
Elizabeth Kiss, a family resource management specialist and associate professor in Kansas State University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, said that developing a plan for the family’s income is key to making ends meet during tough financial times. “You can direct your financial affairs by taking a close look at your obligations and making informed decisions about what to do.
Read more
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Electronic meetings: Establishing meeting rules
Boards should adopt special rules before holding an electronic meeting to maintain an orderly meeting
by Jennifer Brantley
Electronic meetings have become more popular with the increasing cost and scheduling difficulty of gathering people in one place, at the same time. There have been great strides in technology to allow people to gather simultaneously around their computers.
Telephone conferencing is available to anyone with access to a phone. Most organizations (except for publicly elected or appointed boards) can meet using a remote meeting technology as long as everyone can at least hear each other speak. Some organizations allow their members to meet asynchronously – at different times and in different locations via email (or even fax or e-bulletin board) with clearly defined rules adopted by the organization.
Boards seeking to offer an “e-meeting” option to its members will need to make sure that their governing documents allow for them. Public boards are not allowed to hold electronic meetings. Non-profits are bound by state law which defines that members must be able to hear one another.
Non-corporate and other voluntary organizations can hold electronic meetings as long as they are allowed in their bylaws. These groups should amend their bylaws to include the kinds of meetings allowed to be held electronically as well as adopt special rules for how they will handle them. For more detailed information concerning this, see “Electronic Meetings: What Kinds of Boards can use them?”
Read more
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Apply now to receive updated SNAP benefits, says state coordinator
Changes may mean families can receive maximum food assistance through May
by Pat Melgares
The coordinator of two programs in Kansas that help to provide nutritious food and other assistance to low-income families is encouraging the state’s residents to apply as soon as possible to receive recently-updated benefits. Lisa Ross, who oversees the administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in Kansas, said that the federal government has approved sweeping changes to the benefits available through those two programs.
Read more
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Dining with Diabetes Online coming soon
Have you been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or type II diabetes? Are you a caregiver to someone living with diabetes? Do you need help with making healthy food choices, but don’t know where to start? If so, this is the program for you.
Dining with Diabetes Online is a self-paced course with healthy food demonstration videos, short readings, recipes, and handouts that will teach you how to manage your diabetes and improve your health. Not only will the course provide motivation and support, it will also teach you how to set goals and keep track of your progress. As soon as the course is completed, we will send out an email and post-registration information on our website and Facebook page. Stay tuned!
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Updated garden plans! 2020 Garden Demo Plans
by Rebecca McMahon
It has been quite the ride since I posted our first look at garden plans for this year, hasn’t it? So many things have changed, and likely many others will before it is all said and done. Because our face-to-face programming is suspended for the time being, we have been thinking about how to adjust our garden for the summer to accommodate the safety of our staff, volunteers, and the public. At the same time, we know that many new gardeners are seeking information on how to start and maintain a successful vegetable garden, and that access to fresh, healthy food is more important now than ever. (And it has always been important!).
Read more
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Growing Growers ICT
by Lyndsay Feather
How does produce get from your field to your customer’s table? How will you ensure that your produce stays safe on the way from farm to market?
Join us May 18 on Zoom for the next Growing Growers workshop: postharvest handling and food safety. Food safety has always been important for fruit and vegetable growers, but is especially paramount during these trying times! We will hear from Tricia Jenkins and Patrick Abeli from the K-state postharvest handling lab in Olathe during this online workshop. Monday, May 18 from 3-6:00 p.m.
Register here
.
Growing Growers ICT, an innovative farmer education program based at K-State Research and Extension - Sedgwick County.
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Did you just buy seeds or other gardening items for the first time, hoping to grow some of your food or have something to do as a family? You don't have to go it alone! We have publications and videos to help you get started through our
Horticulture Information Center.
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Gardening and Landscaping
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April showers sometimes bring more than May flowers
by Matt McKernan
We’ve all heard that April showers bring May flowers, but often we receive many other surprises too!
Cedar Apple Rust Galls are one of those surprises for many people right now, as people notice orange globs on their Junipers. The orange, gelatinous tentacles of these rust galls are present in wet spring weather, as they release spores to infect plants in the apple tree family (like apples, pears, crabapples, quince, hawthorn) for the summer.
These Rust Galls cause no serious damage to junipers or Eastern Red Cedars, other than being unsightly. On large ornamental trees, damage is usually only aesthetic, not causing significant harm to the overall health of the tree. On fruit trees, like apple trees, premature leaf drop or decreased fruit yield may occur. To learn more about the various rust diseases, please
click here.
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Our garden hotline is still here to serve you when you have gardening questions! Just email us at
sgemghotline@gmail.com
and one of our Master Gardeners will help you with your question or gardening challenge. For guidance on how to submit plant samples and soil tests
click here
.
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Making a meal from what's on hand
by Barbara Ames, Wildcat District
Most folks are cooking a lot more at home during these days of social distancing.
If you are wondering how to make good use of those leftovers that you may have in your refrigerator, you may want to try University of Nebraska Extension's "Make-Your-Own Casserole" recipe as a guide to help turn leftovers into a whole new meal along with saving money by using food that might otherwise go to waste.
Casserole Guide
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We are working to make sure Sedgwick County residents receive up-to-date information. Many classes and workshops are now offered online. Additional events may be added for the month of May. We encourage you to look at all of our events online. If you have questions please email or leave a message on our voicemail.
Get ready to embark into the world of Medicare. Plan to attend several months before you become Medicare eligible. The class will be provided via Zoom.
Choosing the right spot for your garden and preparing the soil will get your garden off to a great start! Learn tips for starting from scratch with your garden and how to be sure your plants get the food they need to grow.
Despite your best gardening intentions, the Kansas weather can wreak havoc on your plants. Then the weeds take over! Get some tips for navigating these challenges.
Growing Growers workshop #4.
We love our vegetables, but lots of insects do too! Learn about the most common insect problems in Kansas gardens and how to manage them.
Every gardening season is different, but there are certain diseases that we see almost every year. Learn how to prevent diseases before they happen and how to manage them once they occur.
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Although our physical location is temporarily closed, we are still taking reservations for future meetings and events. Plan your event space and meeting rooms now to make your future event a success. The Sedgwick County Extension Education Center is the home for Extension educational programs for the citizens of Sedgwick County. When 4-H Hall and meeting rooms are not being used for Extension programs and activities, they are available for rent.
See rates here
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Extension Education Foundation
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The Extension Education Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization established in Sedgwick County in 1999. Our mission is to help local residents improve their quality of life by providing support to all areas of K-State Research & Extension-Sedgwick County.
Extension serves the community as a whole with free programming or low-cost programming developed to help meet the needs of the community and underserved audiences.
The Foundation is an advocate for Extension in our community. Your contribution benefits the community by helping us extend information into the hands of our residents.
We know during this time of uncertainty donating is probably the last thing on your mind. We understand. At this time, we are asking friends of Sedgwick County Extension to consider two choices that will help us continue the same excellent community service and programs we have provided in the past and help support future opportunities for enhancing "Knowledge for Life" that Sedgwick County residents need and deserve.
Please list our supportive nonprofit, Extension Education Foundation, Inc., as your choice of charity while shopping on
AmazonSmile, and while shopping at
Dillons.
Your generosity allows Extension programs to continue to improve the quality of life for your family, friends, and neighbors. Your gift, no matter the type or size, is greatly appreciated and helps strengthen the foundation of Extension education in Sedgwick County.
We need your support to continue providing the excellent service we are known for and continue to strive to give. Through your contribution, you can impact a child's education directly or improve the life of an under-served citizen. You can help support numerous programs during difficult economic times, and make a lasting difference in Sedgwick County.
Click here for more information.
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K-State begins offering COVID-19 testing for university students, employees
by Jennifer Tidball
Kansas State University is helping combat the coronavirus pandemic by developing important diagnostic tests and offering testing services for the university community.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Kansas State University is helping combat the virus by developing important diagnostic tests and offering testing services for the university community.
The university is now able to test K-State students, faculty and staff who need testing either because they are ill and have COVID-19 symptoms or because they have been exposed to someone with the virus. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has asked K-State to ramp up human testing and researchers are increasing their testing capacity.
The testing is a partnership than involves more than 20 faculty and staff from the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the Biosecurity Research Institute in Pat Roberts Hall, Lafene Health Center, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases. The collaborative team worked tirelessly through setbacks to make testing at K-State a possibility.
Read more
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A list of
COVID-19 Resources
can be found on our website with topics ranging from agriculture, family activities, health and wellness, Medicare, small business resources, utility assistance information and more.
We encourage people to get information from official sources
.
K-State Research and Extension is a statewide network of educators sharing unbiased, research-based information and expertise on issues important to Kansas. As in any disaster or emergency, it is important to get information from official sources.
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Follow us on social media
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This monthly e-newsletter is intended to inform citizens of events, activities and research-based information from the K-State Research and Extension Center - Sedgwick County, 7001 W. 21st St. N., Wichita, KS. 67205
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu
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