By Clara Misenhelter

Southwind Extension District

As we enter the peak of flu season, it is important to remember the importance of one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect yourself from getting sick: handwashing. I am currently traveling to schools throughout the four counties served by K-State Research and Extension in the Southwind Extension District (which includes Allen, Bourbon, Neosho, and Woodson Counties) to provide a handwashing school enrichment lesson to first-grade students. As part of this activity, youth put lotion on their hands and look at their hands under a blacklight. Like germs, the lotion is invisible to the naked eye. However, the lotion lights up brightly underneath the blacklight. Youth are then instructed to wash their hands and look at them again underneath the blacklight to reveal the spots they missed. I have yet to have a single student get their hands completely clean the first time. This hands-on activity is an excellent reminder for youth about the importance of handwashing, but taking the time to wash hands properly is important for all of us.

So, what are the proper handwashing steps? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists the following five steps:

1. Wet
2. Get Soap
3. Scrub
4. Rinse
5. Dry

While these steps seem simple, there are a few more items to keep in mind. First, after you wet your hands with water (which can be either warm or cold), you should turn off the tap before getting soap. Lather all surfaces of your hands with the soap. You should scrub your hands for as long as it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice. (Practicing this has been a favorite in the first-grade classrooms I’ve visited!) To learn more about the science behind these proper handwashing steps, visit bit.ly/handwashingscience.

For more information, please contact me at [email protected] or 620-365-2242. To receive the “Wellness For You and Community, Too!” e-newsletter published monthly by the Southwind District, visit bit.ly/southwindnews.

Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

It is that time of year again when the potential exists for icy streets and sidewalks.  Ice melting products can help keep us safe while walking and driving. However, these products vary in their ice melting abilities and their safety.

Some deicers corrode metal, causing damage to cars and aluminum siding. Deicers can accelerate the freeze-and-thaw cycles and damage concrete sidewalks and driveways, and some can even damage nearby plants and shrubs.

There are five main materials that are used as chemical deicers: calcium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, urea and calcium magnesium acetate.

Calcium chloride has long been the traditional ice-melting product of choice. It will melt ice to about -25°F. Plants roots can be damaged by calcium chloride if used in excessive amounts. The downfall to this product is that it forms a slippery, slimy surface on concrete and it can actually cause damage to concrete and metal surfaces.

Sodium chloride, also known as rock salt, is effective on ice to about 12°F and is the least expensive de-icing material available. But, it can damage soils, plants, metals and concrete.

Potassium chloride is another deicing product, but it can cause serious plant injury when washed or splashed on foliage. Its minimum working temperature is about 20°F.

Urea is a fertilizer that is also used to melt ice and is effective to about 21°F. Since it is a fertilizer, it will not damage plants. Remember when using urea to be considerate of the potential for surface water runoff.

Calcium magnesium acetate is made from dolomitic limestone and acetic acid (the main compound of vinegar). This product works differently than the other materials in that it does not form a brine like salt, but rather helps prevent snow particles from sticking to each other or the sidewalk or the road. Calcium magnesium acetate has little effect on plant growth or concrete surfaces.  It is a little slower to melt ice, but is effective to 20°F.

Limited use of any of the mentioned products should cause little plant injury. Problems happen when they are used excessively and there is not adequate rainfall to wash or leach the material from the area.

The symptoms of salt damage on plants include poor or stunted growth in the spring, dieback on evergreens and marginal leaf browning or leaf scorch on deciduous trees and shrubs.

Ice melting products are most effective when they are spread thinly and evenly over pavement prior to ice formation. It is much easier to prevent ice from forming than to try to melt away a thick layer of ice.

Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Horticulture agent assigned to Southwind District. She may be reached at [email protected] or 620-244-3826.

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

With the holiday season fast approaching and inflation rates remaining high, spending can get out of control quickly.

Large family meals, decorations, and gifts are common costs throughout the months of November and December. These things can be expensive and spending can snowball out of hand if you aren’t careful. There are some things you can do to reduce overspending while still enjoying those beloved holiday traditions.

Establishing and following a budget is essential to achieving personal financial goals. Before you begin buying gifts, make a list of all your essential holiday-related expenses. Be very specific and include extra expenses like stamps and wrapping paper. These small things might seem insignificant but can quickly add up. Decide how much money you are willing to spend on travel. Setting a budget in advance will help you figure out how much money you can devote to each type of expense.

Use credit cards only if you can manage the extra debt. It’s easy to overspend when physical cash is not leaving your wallet. Don’t get carried away and max out your available credit. Take note of all current debt before you go shopping. Set a hard limit on the amount of credit you will use throughout the season and stick to it. Spending more than you can realistically pay back is a dangerous financial decision that can leave you paying extra for months to follow.

Set aside small, affordable amounts now to prepare for extra holiday spending. Not only is this a good hack to pad your savings for this time of year, but it is also a great way to build a healthy, lifelong savings habit. Setting aside as few as $5 per day can accumulate to $1,820 a year. That amount could cover your holiday expenses next year or help pay off current debts! Travel is another item that can be costly. If you have to travel in the upcoming months, plan in advance. Airlines, train stations, hotels, and others in the travel industry tend to charge higher rates this time of year due to higher demand.

Look for alternative ways to share the seasonal cheer with others. Nothing says “I love you” quite like a homemade gift. If you aren’t necessarily crafty, try making your own gift cards or sharing your favorite baked goods. The spirit of giving is not dependent on the ability to spend lots on the newest gadget. Giving the gift of homemade items or your time can be much more meaningful than something purchased at a store.

Although it can be hard not to get sucked into the holiday spending cycle, a bit of preparation will help you be financially savvy. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get a handle on your finances, starting now will propel you into your new goal and set you up for future success. For more information, contact Cassidy Lutz at [email protected] or by calling 620-625-8620.

This time of year, we will spend more time shopping and using our bank account or credit cards.  It’s a great time for a reminder on tips to prevent scams.

Fraud is a big business. A 2022 U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report showed fraud increased by more than 30% when Americans reported losing nearly $8.8 billion to fraud. The most common schemes were impostor scams, followed by online shopping scams and those that involved prizes.

No one is immune to scams.  If it does happen, be sure to report it, give yourself grace, and look for guidance.  Here are some tips to remember:

• Be Skeptical – Question everything from phone calls, email offers and links on your social media. Ensure your apps, devices, password managers and antivirus software come from reputable sources and are up to date.

• Guard your personal information – Don’t give out your bank account numbers, passwords, pins, and especially your social security number and birthdate. Review the privacy settings for your social media accounts.

• Take your time – Don’t rush into making a purchase and never feel bad double checking to make sure you aren’t being targeted for a scam. Resist the pressure to act quickly.

• Use your credit card whenever possible – a credit card gives you better fraud protection than a debit card.  According to the FTC, if someone makes a fraudulent charge on your credit card, the most you’ll be liable for is $50.

• Never send money – via gift card or wire transfer to someone you’ve never met face to face.

·      Regularly check your bank accounts for fraud – Look through your accounts transactions every two weeks to make sure everything there is valid and legitimate.

• Set up your phone to decline calls from people you don’t know – To reduce your chances of answering phone calls from scammers, go into your phone settings and select the option to send unknown callers to voicemail. Anyone that is not in your contacts that calls will go directly to voicemail

For more information, contact Tara Solomon-Smith, [email protected], or call 620-244-3826.

# # #

Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director of K-State Research and Extension, Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts.

In 2023, on-farm trials were conducted in three counties Southeast Kansas counties under partnership between local producers and their respective Extension districts. The goal of these trials was to observe sunn hemp’s potential as a summer annual forage to supplement tall fescue pastures during the “summer slump”. If producers are able to provide high quality forage during the summer slump, less feed supplementation could be used and other tall fescue paddocks could be allowed longer rest periods.

Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) is an annual, warm season legume native to India. It has traditionally been used as a fiber crop, but it has gained popularity in the United States as a cover crop. Recent studies from Missouri University have shown sunn hemp to be a productive annual forage option that is high in protein and carries negligible bloat risk.

Sunn hemp was drilled into long time tall fescue pastures at rates of 30 lbs/acre. After planting, roughly 90% emergence was observed. By July, the stand had decreased to roughly 50% due to drought.

Plots were harvested the first week of August. Crude protein was found to be 2-5% higher in samples containing sunn hemp. This increase in crude protein was enough to meet a cow’s needs without supplementation. Total digestible nutrients (TDN) also showed a 2-3% increase in samples containing sunn hemp.

Water was a limiting factor throughout these trials, but sunn hemp shows potential to be a high-quality alternative forage to interseed into tall fescue pastures. Sunn hemp was broadcast into others areas, but the sunn hemp did not emerge, therefore, drilling sunn hemp is recommended. A full study report will be coming out soon.

Nothing is more important to success in the garden good soil. Time spent fertilizing, watering and tending to plants is necessary, but this time is almost a waste if the soil you’re working with is not in good condition. Fall is an excellent time to step back and analyze how well your garden performed during the summer, and to make improvements to the soil.

Soil is formed when rock is broken down by climate and vegetation over a period of time. Soil is nothing more than weathered rock fragments and decaying remains of plants and animals.

Most soils have three distinct layers – surface, subsoil and bottom. The surface layer is a coarse layer containing more organic matter than the other soil layers and the layer that people pay the greatest attention to. This layer is the most fertile and has the greatest concentration of plant roots. Plants obtain much of their nutrients and water from the surface soil.

The subsoil layer is finer and firmer than the surface soil and serves as support for the surface layer. The subsoil layer is a storage space for water and nutrients for plants, a temperature regulator of the soil and supplies air for the roots of plants. The bottom layer is decomposed rock. It is not hard like rock, but may show the form or structure of the original rocks.

Soil texture refers to the proportional amount of sand, silt and clay in a soil. Texture and soil structure affect the moisture holding capacity of soil, permeability, capacity to hold and furnish nutrients, tillage operations and erosion.

Our soils in the southeastern part of Kansas have a high clay content to it. The clay in the soil is what makes the soil stick to your shoes when the soil is wet. Many refer to our soil as “gumbo.”

One way to address a heavy clay soil and to improve the soil texture is to add organic matter. Organic matter includes such items as manure, leaves, and grass clippings that have been composted. Earthworms, insects, bacteria and fungi use the organic matter as food, breaking it down into humus. Through this process, materials are made available for use by growing plants. In a heavy clay soil, the organic matter allows water to move more freely and loosens the tight clay, which makes the soil easier to work.

Organic material can be direct applied to gardens and flowerbeds this time of year and allowed to compost directly in the soil. Add two to four inches of organic material and till into the soil. If the soil is dry, apply water to begin the decomposition process. After about two weeks you can repeat the process with another application of organic material. The organic material will decompose over the winter and soil will be ready for spring planting.

Sand is sometimes suggested as an amendment material for clay soils. However, there is a good reason to be cautious about using sand. For sand to be effective at breaking up a clay soil, sand grains must touch one another so there is pore space between grains that can hold air and water. If the grains don’t touch, the clay fills in the void between sand particles leaving no room for pores. This is the same principle used to make concrete and the result is somewhat the same. In other words – do not use sand!

Before doing any amendments to the soil, I recommend doing a soil test through the Extension office. For more information on how to take a soil sample, please give me a call.

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.