K-State Research and Extension

search

Category: 2021

Housing Insurance

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

If you rent an apartment or house, your furniture, clothing and personal property is not covered by the owner’s insurance. The owner’s insurance covers only the owner’s property such as the building, not your property.

You can purchase renter’s insurance to help replace items lost in a fire, tornado or other losses covered by the policy. Add up the value of your belongings and consider how you would replace them if your apartment or house burned down and you did not have renter’s insurance.

Homeowners insurance covers losses listed in the policy not only for the house but also personal property in the house. It also provides liability coverage if someone is injured on your property. Do you know what your deductible is on your homeowner’s insurance?

By: Brenda Langdon

Money Management – Automobile Insurance

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

Insurance is a way to protect yourself against risks and uncertainty that can result in a large expense.

There are three types of automobile insurance coverage you can purchase.  Kansas law requires all persons who own an automobile to have proof of liability insurance before they can buy a tag for the auto or renew the tag.

  • Liability: protects you and pays if your auto causes damage to someone else or someone else’s property.
  • Comprehensive: Pays for losses to your auto, such as wind or hail damage and losses from theft.
  • Collision: Pays for repairs to your car after an accident, or pays you the “book value” of the car if it is declared a total wreck after an accident.

Be sure to periodically review your automobile insurance plan and be sure that you are not over or under insured.  Also, be sure that you are receiving any discounts that you qualify for.

Do you know what your deductible is on your auto insurance? Do you know what type of coverage you have on your auto? You can save money by carrying liability only insurance if your car does not have much value. However, you will not be covered for losses to your car, such as damages from an accident, storm or burglary.

By: Brenda Langdon

Saving Tips

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

There are many tactics for making saving faster and easier. One of the most effective strategies is to put away tax refunds and other windfalls to make major strides towards achieving your goal.  Make saving automatic. If you can, set up direct deposit of your paycheck so that a portion goes into your emergency fund and the rest goes into your checking account.  Or you can schedule automatic transfers from your checking to your savings – for example $50 the day after each payday.

By: Brenda Langdon

Why Blanching is Important Before Freezing Corn

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

 

Planning to freeze corn? Be sure to blanch it first! Blanching corn helps improve the texture and color during freezing.

Blanching is a process in which vegetables are lowered into boiling water for a specific time. The vegetables are subsequently dropped into ice water to quickly cool, then dried and placed in freezer containers. Freezing slows down enzyme processes, but it doesn’t stop them.

Blanching is recommended to assure your corn will taste as fresh as possible after they have been frozen.  That’s because blanching stops enzyme activity. Enzymes in produce help it ripen, and continue to do their work even after the produce has been picked. By stopping the enzyme action, blanching prevents the produce from becoming overripe. Blanching also helps retain color, flavor, texture and nutrients. Blanching also helps remove dirt and small organisms from the produce.

It is important to look up the specific amount of time corn needs to be blanched and follow those guidelines. If corn is under-blanched, it can actually speed up the enzyme processes. If corn is over-blanched, the nutritional value, flavor, color and texture can be negatively affected.

Learn more in Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe: Preserving Sweet Corn.

By: Ashley Svaty

Fertilizing Strawberries

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

Strawberry beds might be done producing for the summer, but that doesn’t mean we can forget them. An August application of nitrogen on spring-bearing strawberries is important in order to increase the number of strawberries produced next spring. Plenty of daylight and warm temperatures during June, July and August promotes the growth of new runners, or daughter plants. As daylight hours dwindle and temperatures grow cooler in September and October, fruit buds for the next year’s fruit crop develop. To get a good berry crop next spring, it is important for strawberry plants to be vigorous during this period of fruit bud development.

Nitrogen, applied mid-August, will help promote fruit bud development. A general application rate is ½ to 3/4 pound of actual nitrogen per 100 feet of row. The nitrogen may be in the form of a fertilizer mixture such as ammonium phosphate or 12-12-12, or in a fertilizer containing only nitrogen such as urea or ammonium nitrate. Some specific examples would include:

Iron + (11-0-0) at 6 pounds per 100 feet of row.

12-12-12 at 5.5 pounds per 100 feet of row.

Nitrate of Soda (16-0-0) at 4 pounds per 100 feet of row

Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) at 3 pounds per 100 feet of row

Urea (46-0-0) at 1.5 pounds per 100 feet of row

By: Cassie Homan

Free KDA Food Safety Webinars

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Lodging Program will continue monthly online webinars on food safety issues throughout 2021. The free webinar series will cover a variety of food safety issues that are of interest to food business operators, managers, and workers.

Each 30-minute webinar will consist of a presentation by food safety and lodging inspectors from across the state, followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions of the presenters and other KDA Food Safety and Lodging Staff. These webinars are an outreach of the Food Protection Task Force, which serves to expand the knowledge base of the food and feed industry in Kansas.

The next six months of the webinar series have been scheduled.  Each presentation will take place online at 3:00 pm Central time.

August 30 – Pet Treat Requirements

September 27 – Grocery Store Food Safety

October 25 – Holiday Cooking:  food safety when preparing for large groups

November 29 – Specialized Processes: sous vide, ROP, sushi, etc.

December 27 – Food Safety Q&A

Register on the KDA Food Protection Task Force page at www.agriculture.ks.gov/FPTF. There is no cost to participate, but you must register to receive the login access information.

By: Ashley Svaty