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Harvey County

Flu Season

Posted on by Harvey County K-State Research and Extension

This is a great time of year. Many different types of seasons; Christmas Season, Thanksgiving Season, Giving Season and most importantly it is Flu Season! No one wants to get sick and this time of year it is the easiest way to get sick. We all get together with family and friends to celebrate the holidays with good food, but we also forget that we are passing germs and can make each other sick by simply hanging out with each other.

Handwashing is easy to do and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness in all settings.

When should you wash your hands?

– Before, during and after preparing food

– Before eating food

– Before and after caring for someone who is sick

– After using the bathroom

– After changing diapers or cleaning up a child

– After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing

– After touching an animal, animal feed or animal waste

– After touching the garbage

Do you wash your hands after doing any or all of the above? I know I forget sometimes, especially after taking out the trash! But if you start practicing this, it will become a habit and help prevent your family and friends from getting sick!

What if you don’t have soap and water available? Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Remember to keep your friends, family and yourself from getting sick this Flu Season… wash your hands!

Hands to Larger Service

Posted on by Harvey County K-State Research and Extension

At every 4-H meeting, members recite the 4-H pledge. They pledge their “hands to larger service”, for their clubs, communities, countries and world. The holiday season is a time that many of our 4-H members put this pledge into action. All over the county, our 4-H members are giving back to their communities. These acts of service are instilling a sense of responsibility, respect, compassion and empowering 4-H youth with the skills that they need to lead for a lifetime.

Over the next few weeks, Harvey County 4-H members will be serving as bell ringers for salvation army, participating in adopt-a-family initiatives, Christmas caroling and gathering for holiday celebrations. Participation in 4-H events like these develop citizenship skills and empower youth to become informed and engaged in their communities. The 4-H clubs that conduct these events are made up of youth, parents, grandparents, volunteers. These groups help youth to develop relationships with others in their communities. Continue reading “Hands to Larger Service” →

Controlling Mustard Weed in Wheat

Posted on by Harvey County K-State Research and Extension

Too often producers do not notice mustard weeds in their wheat fields until the mustards start to bloom in the spring. As a result, producers often don’t think about control until that time. Although it is still possible to get some control at that time with herbicides, mustards are much more difficult to control at that stage and often have already reduced wheat yields by then.

To keep yield losses to a minimum, mustards should be controlled by late winter or very early spring, before the plants begin to bolt, or stems elongate. If winter annual broadleaf weeds are present in the fall, they can be controlled with any number of ALS-inhibiting herbicides, including Ally, Amber, Finesse, Affinity, Rave, Olympus, or PowerFlex. Huskie, Quelex, 2,4-D, and MCPA can also provide good control of most mustards if the weeds are at the right stage of growth and actively growing, and if the wheat is at the correct growth stage. Dicamba and Starane are not very effective for mustard control. Continue reading “Controlling Mustard Weed in Wheat” →

Your Health This Holiday Season

Posted on by Harvey County K-State Research and Extension

Sharing is caring. This is a mantra you probably first heard at a young age, and it tends to come up often during the holiday season. Is sharing always caring, though? In the case of food gifts, I’m not so sure that it is.

While there are many things I love about the holiday season, one thing I dread is the omnipresence of sweet treats. Baked goods, candies and other homemade sweets seem to be everywhere, and avoiding them can take significant planning and effort! Continue reading “Your Health This Holiday Season” →

Garden Seed Can

Posted on by Harvey County K-State Research and Extension

I know many people save garden seed from year to year. Why would we do this? You may have your favorite variety of watermelon that you just can’t find anywhere so you keep the seed. Besides, garden seed can be expensive, and you may want to consider using seed from previous years to save some money.

sSeed stores best if kept in a cool, dark, dry location. Try a zip-locked plastic bag or a plastic jar such as a reused peanut butter jar to keep seed dry. Seed will be viable longer if kept between 40 and 50 degrees F. Temperatures a bit lower than 40 degrees are fine as long as they are not sub-freezing. Therefore a refrigerator is a better choice than a freezer which can prove detrimental to seed longevity if there is too much moisture in the seed. Seed that has 8% or less moisture can be frozen without harm and will actually store much longer than seed stored above freezing. Seeds dried to 8% or less moisture will break instead of bending when folded. Those that have a hard seed coat such as corn and beans will shatter rather than mashing when struck with a hammer.

Seed longevity will vary depending on the crop. Use the following as a guide for seed stored under cool, dry conditions. Continue reading “Garden Seed Can” →

4-H Achievement Night

Posted on by Harvey County K-State Research and Extension

The 84th annual 4-H Achievement Banquet was recently held at Salem United Methodist Church in Newton to honor Harvey County 4-H members, volunteers and supporters. More than 75 4-H members, their families, and special guests attended the annual awards banquet sponsored by the Harvey County 4-H Council.

Harvey County 4-H members receiving 4-H Achievement Pins, County Champion awards, Kansas Award Portfolios, Club Seals, scholarships and special awards were recognized. Results are below, organized by 4-H Club. Continue reading “4-H Achievement Night” →

Thankful

Posted on by Harvey County K-State Research and Extension

Often times during the rush of summer and the county fair people tell me, “It will slow down after this!”. I usually smile and nod, knowing that the 4-H program only seems to get even more busy as the fall season begins. State fair, enrollment, awards, scholarships, and banquet hit our office just as holidays are fast approaching. It is easy to get caught up in the rush of long days of work, late night meetings, and dwindling hours of daylight this time of year. This year I have challenged myself to take a step back from all of the busyness to remember to be thankful.

I am thankful to be able to be busy. Busy with a job that allows me to work with people who believe in the power of young people. Busy with late night meetings with people who volunteer their time to make a difference in their communities.

I’m thankful to work in a community where I run into familiar faces at the grocery store. A few weeks ago I ran into my third grade teacher while picking up groceries. Having not talked to him for years, I assumed he would not recognize me. Instead, he made a point to say hello and tell me he enjoys reading this column. I am thankful for the support our community provides.

I am thankful to have an office that is a mess of papers, sticky notes and boxes of supplies because all of the mess is a sign of positive difference this 4-H program is making. The walls of my messy little office are lined with notes, drawings, and photos that constantly remind me of how thankful I am to serve our community as a 4-H Agent.