Board leadership series planned for March K-State Research and Extension is conducting a series of Board Leadership workshops across the state in March. Designed to provide basic training for members of community-based boards, the series will be hosted by local Extension professionals at locations across the state...

Fashion may not be foremost on the minds of most people when dressing for outdoor farm chores, but proper clothing is an important component of farm safety. As temperatures drop in the fall, we automatically reach for warmer clothing and more layers. When dressing for cold weather chores, it's important to think safety first...

Getting the most heating value per firewood dollar isn't as simple as buying the cheapest cord available. Buyers need to know what to look for and ask about, said Charles Barden, forester with Kansas State University Research and Extension. "A big point of confusion is that a cord is a measure of volume -- 128 cubic feet. ...

Aspire to be a fashionista? Have your kids just convinced you to get a pet? Do your kids want to garden but you have a brown thumb? Life's little questions aren't meant to be answered alone. Join 4-H, the club of families who share in teaching kids practical things like pet care, growing gardens or designing clothing and important values like responsibility. ...

Would you plan a bus or airplane trip without consulting a schedule of times and destinations? Probably not. A meeting agenda is your group's schedule of departure and arrival. It marks the way toward achievement of goals. What's going to happen at the next meeting? What business will be discussed? What issues will require a decision? Will someone give an informational report? Don't be taken by surprise at your meeting -- plan...

If producers thought last year's drought was bad, this year's has not proven better. Weather has not been favorable for agricultural production recently, but that might be changing. At least one climatologist is predicting a break for many Midwest producers suffering from the summer heat and dry weather. ...

A caring person is a bright spot in a sometimes grim world where crime, anger, fear, hunger and loneliness have pushed even well-meaning people into isolation. We've moved, as a society, from the front porch to the back yard. We've gone from social visits to video games and the VCR. It's as if we're so overwhelmed by the needs around us that we've built invisible walls, blocked our vision of other people's problems and focused on ourselves...

County fair season is here, the week that nearly every 4-H member has worked and waited for since the fair ended last year. It is a time of year when youth from across the county get together to showcase their projects, but more importantly, it is a time for 4-H families to be together...

Aretha Franklin's song "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" has been popular for many years. Ask your parents, grandparents or older neighbors to sing it for you. That song reminds us how we want people to treat us. We all want a chance to be ourselves, make decisions, be accepted and be treated in a polite, decent way and have a little privacy...

They tend to cause more sheer misery than any other "insect of summer." Despite being well-known, however, chiggers aren't that well-understood, according to Ludek Zurek, research entomologist with Kansas State University Research and Extension. And, people's mistaken notions can make chigger-related problems worse, as well as overly worrisome. To help counter some of the more popular myths, he offers this quiz:...

There are a variety of severe weather hazards that affect Kansas, including floods, thunderstorms and tornadoes. Every year lives are threatened or lost and property is destroyed by severe weather events in the state. Tornadoes pose the greatest severe weather risk to residents of Kansas. The year 2011 was the third consecutive one in which no violent tornadoes occurred in the state...

Looking for a good way to ensure the Earth's health for future generations as part of Earth Day 2012? Look no further than the soil all around you, said Gary Pierzynski, K-State Research and Extension interim dean of the College of Agriculture and professor of agronomy...

A return to spring rains and lush vegetation means Southeast Kansas residents again need to remember the "rules" for being in tick territory. With the unusually mild winter and now an early, warm spring, the ticks and other insects are already out and about...

K-State Research and Extension is conducting a series of Board Leadership workshops across the state in April. Designed to provide basic training for members of community-based boards, the series will be hosted by local extension professionals at locations across the state...

K-State Research and Extension in the Southwind District is proud to present our 2012 Speakers Bureau as a service to the community. We offer presentations on a wide variety to topics and hope there is at least one that may suit your needs. Our speakers are district extension agents who have agreed to give presentations to elementary and secondary schools, parent-teacher, civic and professional organizations and community groups. ...

December precipitation across Kansas averaged 1.69 inches, which was almost double the normal amount. That helped ease drought conditions in parts of the state, and early forecasts point to a further reduction in 2012, according to Kansas climatologist Mary Knapp...

A critical date is quickly approaching for landowners who wish to terminate their leases with their tenants. According to the Kansas Farm Lease Law, notice to terminate a farm lease must be given in writing at least 30 days prior to March 1 and must fix the termination date of the tenancy of March 1. This applies to both pasture and crop leases...

For those planning to supplement winter's furnace heat with a wood-burning stove or fireplace, forester Charles Barden has two words of advice: "Be careful." Gathering or buying good firewood requires some savvy, explained Barden, who's a forestry specialist with Kansas State University Research and Extension...

Some folks can literally spend hours watching the birds outside their windows. I used to think that watching the birds was a waste of time. But I, too, have come to enjoy watching birds pick for food. If you haven't fed birds before, give it a try. They are quite interesting and entertaining to watch...

Now that much of the corn, soybeans and grain sorghum have been harvested, it's a good time to evaluate and perform maintenance on terraces. The long period of dry, mild fall weather has helped create ideal conditions in many areas for terrace maintenance...

With the beautiful fall weather we have had lately, you may not be thinking about getting your home ready for the cold, winter air that will be here all too soon. However, right now is actually the perfect time to winterize your home and prevent air leaks or frozen water pipes...