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

“K-State Research and Extension is committed to making its services, activities and programs accessible to all participants. If you have special

requirements due to a physical, vision or hearing disability, or a dietary restriction please contact Jan Steen by phone at (620) 662-2371 or by

email at jmsteen@ksu.edu.”

Kansas State University Agricultural

Experiment Sta�on and Coopera�ve Extension

Service

K-State, County Extension Councils, Extension

Districts, and U.S. Department of Agriculture

Coopera�ng.

All educa�onal programs and materials availa-

ble without discrimina�on on the basis of

race, color, religion, na�onal origin, sex, age

or disability.

Reno County ExtensionReno County ExtensionReno County ExtensionReno County Extension

May 2016

K-State Research & Extension - Reno County 2 W 10th Ave South Hutchinson KS 67505

In This Issue: Page 2 Sugarcane Aphid Taking Toll on South Texas Grain

Sorghum

Page 3 Tractor Safety Class

Page 4 Swine Showmanship Clinic

Page 4 PQA—Pork Quality Assurance

Page 5 Plant a Salsa Garden!

Page 5 2016 Kansas State of Wellness Symposium

Page 5 The Science of Soap

Page 5 Food Fun for Young Children

Page 5 Are Avocado Pits Edible?

Page 6 Therapeu/c use of Apple Cider Vinegar

Page 6 Food Preserva/on

Page 7 New First Impressions Program Available

Page 7 Apple Ends Support of QuickTime for Windows

Page 8 Grant Wri/ng Workshop Announced

Page 8 Reno County Bicycle Safety Clinic

Pamela Paulsen ppaulsen@ksu.edu

County Extension Agent - Hor/culture

Darren Busick darrenbusick@ksu.edu

County Extension Agent - Agriculture

Jennifer Schroeder jenj@ksu.edu

County Extension Agent - Family & Consumer Sciences

Joan Krumme jkrumme@ksu.edu

County Extension Agent - 4-H

Jan Steen jmsteen@ksu.edu

County Extension Agent - Technology & Community Development

County Extension Director

AG

NEWS With

Ag Agent

Darren Busick

Spring plan�ng in South Texas off and running

It may be hard to spot, but the �ny sugarcane aphid is

racking up tens of millions of dollars in losses in just

the four South Texas coun�es evaluated so far, accord-

ing to a report by an economist with the Texas A&M

AgriLife Extension Service.

And the losses would have been much higher had

grain sorghum growers not followed the advice of

AgriLife Extension experts, according to Dr. Samuel

Zapata, who conducted the study

“The economic study we did here in the Lower Rio

Grande Valley of Texas on the sugarcane aphid is the

only such study available,” Zapata said. “It’s the only

study that has been able to quan�fy the economic

damage caused by this insect.”

Zapata es�mates the sugarcane aphid caused a total

loss of $31 million to the Valley’s sugarcane industry in

the 2014 and 2015 growing seasons. But at the same

�me, growers were able to avoid another $35 million

in poten�al losses by following control recommenda-

�ons released by AgriLife Extension.

More on sugarcane aphid

Sugarcane aphid popula�ons building in Rio Grande

Valley

SCA numbers rising steadily in Deep South Texas

Sugarcane aphids were first reported in the U.S. in

Florida in 1977 in sugarcane, according to AgriLife Ex-

tension entomologists. In 2013, they were found feed-

ing on Texas sorghum near

By October 2014, the new sorghum-feeding biotype

had spread to the Rio Grande Valley. From there they

moved north and south, devasta�ng thousands of

acres of grain and forage sorghum crops as they went,

according to Danielle Sekula-Or�z, an AgriLife Exten-

sion integrated pest management agent in Weslaco.

“By late 2014, the aphid had reached about a dozen

states in the South and several states in Mexico,”

Sekula-Or�z said. “It spread much farther and faster

than anyone had predicted and quickly became the

No. 1 pest in grain sorghum.”

In 2015 the sugarcane aphid con�nued to cause dam-

age throughout Texas, but losses were not nearly as

severe in the Rio Grande Valley due to favorable

weather — wet and cool — and grower control meth-

ods, she said.

“With the hot, dry weather we’ve been having this

year, sugarcane aphid popula�ons appear to be on the

increase again. We’re recommending growers scout

their fields every two to three days and spray as need-

ed.”

To establish the ini�al economic impact of the sugar-

cane aphid in the Valley, Zapata first surveyed grow-

ers.

“We asked local grain sorghum producers about their

farming prac�ces and the control efforts they conduct-

ed to mi�gate the damages caused by this insect,” he

said.

Based on their responses, Zapata said he was able to

establish, or assign, a dollar amount to damages.

“Grower input was crucial to this study,” he said.

“Growers provided very detailed informa�on about

what they did to control the sugarcane aphid. And

what our es�mates tell us is that the aphids caused a

loss of about $62 per acre.”

Valley growers normally plant about 350,000 acres of

grain sorghum annually.

Sugarcane aphid taking toll on South Texas grain sorghum May 5, 2016 Rod Santa Ana, Texas AgriLife

The �ny yellow specs on this sorghum leaf are sugarcane aphids, newcomers to the state’s forage and grain

sorghum crops causing mul�-million dollar losses. (AgriLife Communica�ons photo by Rod Santa Ana)

Related Media

But those losses would have been much greater had growers

not followed the recommenda�ons of Texas A&M AgriLife, Za-

pata said.

“We found that by following those recommenda�ons growers

were able to save, or protect, about $48 per acre,” he said. “We

also found that for every dollar spent on controlling the sugar-

cane aphid, growers were able to protect about $4.50 in crops,

so it’s obviously been a good idea to follow the recommenda-

�ons provided by AgriLife and producers’ associa�ons.”

Recommenda�ons for control efforts included the �mely use of

insec�cides, the use of more tolerant sorghum varie�es and to

plant early.

Sugarcane aphids are �ny, yellow insects about the size of a

pinhead. They feed on plant leaves and eventually make their

way to the grain head where they can keep the grain from ma-

turing, reducing both quan�ty and quality, Sekula-Or�z said.

They also leave behind a s�cky waste called honeydew that can

clog up harves�ng equipment.

Zapata said he was recently awarded a grant to replicate his

economic loss study statewide.

A summary of his current study can be found online.

May 21st 9:00am—11:00am

Jason Wolf’s House

4906 E Main Medora KS 67502

• All ages and skill levels welcome!

• DON’T BRING YOUR PIGS! Pigs will be provided.

• Recommended for first year swine.

Save The Date: June 7, 2016

Reno County Extension Office 2 West 10th South Hutchinson, Kansas

• PQA will now be REQUIRED for All Swine projects

• 4:00pm for 18 and under

• 6:00pm for 18+ or adults of first year projects

GET THE GET THE GET THE GET THE FACTSFACTSFACTSFACTS FROM JENNIFER SCHROEDER,FROM JENNIFER SCHROEDER,FROM JENNIFER SCHROEDER,FROM JENNIFER SCHROEDER, Family & Consumer Science AgentFamily & Consumer Science AgentFamily & Consumer Science AgentFamily & Consumer Science Agent

Plant a Salsa Garden!

Planning to plant a garden? How about planting vegetables specifically for making salsa! In its basic form, salsa could include tomatoes, peppers, onions, parsley, basil, and cilantro. But the options are many! What varieties of vegetables work best for salsa? For tomatoes, paste tomato varieties are best because of their meaty texture. The ‘Roma’ variety is the most common paste tomato. Oth-ers include ’ La Roma,’ Mamma Mia,’ ‘San Marzano’ and ‘Rio Grande.’ Slicing tomato varieties produce more juice. A variety of peppers can be used which can turn a mild salsa into one with a hot kick! Use a variety of colors to add visual appeal. A mix of peppers can be used such a bell peppers, jalapenos, and ‘Habanero’ just to name a few. Any variety of onions can be used from white, yellow, to purple. Some varieties have a stronger flavor than others. Any salsa recipe can be consumed fresh or frozen for later use. Always use safe, tested recipes for canning salsa. Learn more at: www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/ fn584.pdf www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/ MF3171.pdf

2016 Kansas State of Wellness Symposium

The second annual Kansas State of Wellness Symposium brings together several state partners to promote wellness in Kansas

The program is a joint effort between WorkWell KS, Kansas Alliance for Wellness, and many communities and organizations that em-

phasize healthier environments to live, work and play in Kansas

This symposium is free!

Learn more and register at: http://conta.cc/1N962tG

The Science of Soap

Hands on activities help people of all ages learn about science. The American Cleaning Institute wants to help you teach about “The Sci-

ence Behind Soap.”

This new video and classroom activity is a part of the STEM program to get youth interested in science, technology, engineering and

math.

The activity includes various stations to learn about different soap ingredients. With the use of colored sand, they can make their own

“soap” and see how it works.

There is a lesson guide with detailed instructions, handouts for students, soap station printouts, a video about soap, and the Soap and

Detergents book.

Learn more and get the free materials at: www.cleaninginstitute.org /science/ soapclassroom.aspx

Food Fun for Young Children

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a resource to help parents and caregivers prepare healthy meals and snacks for kids ages 2 to 5.

Food Fun for Young Children includes recipes, newsletters, and other resources including topics for table talk and information on chok-

ing hazards. Sign up for their newsletter and follow their Pinterest board.

Learn more at: http://food.unl.edu/foodfun-young-children

Are Avocado Pits Edible?

A current topic of interest is consuming avocado pits. While there are purported health benefits, there is not enough research to back up

those proposed benefits.

Penn State University did some research and state “although the currently available data is promising, for most indications, it remains very

It’s that time of year again!

Be sure to bring your canning gauge by the Reno

County Extension Office to be tested.

preliminary and further studies are needed” and “In addition, the safety of the various extracts of the avocado seeds must be assessed in

order to more fully estimate the usefulness of this resource."

Therefore, it is not recommended to consume avocado pits.

Source: www.californiaavocado.com/blog/march-2016/is-it-safe-to-eat-the -avocado-seed

Therapeutic use of Apple Cider Vinegar

While vinegar has many culinary and household uses, drinking it as a “magic cure” for many illnesses or chronic illnesses may not be ben-

eficial.

A few studies have been conducted, but none are conclusive of the health benefits. One study showed promise in weight loss. Another

showed improvement in insulin action with diabetes. Another had improved blood sugar control, insulin levels, and high triglyceride lev-

els in Type 2 diabetics. Other studies are not as positive. Consuming large amounts of vinegar can interact with medications, cause tooth

decay, and gastrointestinal issues.

Learn more at: http://bit.ly/1MymuUr www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov /pmc/articles/ PMC1785201/

COMMUNITY BITS AND BYTES WITH JAN STEENBITS AND BYTES WITH JAN STEENBITS AND BYTES WITH JAN STEENBITS AND BYTES WITH JAN STEEN

New First Impressions Program Available

K-State Research & Extension is excited to offer a new community vitality program to residents of Kansas – and it’s available to com-

munities right here in Reno County: First Impressions

What is the first impression your community leaves on its visitors? The First Impressions program can improve your community’s im-

age and quality of life for your citizens.

How it Works

First Impressions allows you to see your community through the eyes of a first time visitor. A volunteer visitation team from a similar

community agrees to make the visit. The visitation team will explore your community’s residential, retail, and industrial areas, as well as

local government entities, schools, and other points of interest. Teams are trained and follow clear guidelines as they evaluate appear-

ances, access to services, friendliness, and other community attributes.

How it Helps

First Impressions increases awareness of a community’s strengths and highlights areas of concern. The program helps your community:

Evaluate the success of current development initiatives

Set goals and priorities for new development

Identify ways to strengthen community services

Identify initiatives for community support agencies, civic groups, city/county leaders, or community economic development

How Results are Shared

The results from the visitation team are presented at a community meeting. Community betterment opportunities are identified and

utilized in community planning and improvement.

Your Commitment

Identify a contact person from your community

Gather a team of volunteers to visit another community

Organize a community-wide meeting to share the final report

How to Participate

Participation is by request. Upon acceptance into the program, a K-State Research & Extension Community Vitality Specialist will visit

your community to further explain the process and identify a similar community to evaluate.

There are no fees to participate in First Impressions. Associated costs are time, mileage, and meal expenses during community visits.

Contact Us

For more information, or to participate, please contact, Nancy Daniels at nkdaniels@ksu.edu (785) 410-6352 or Jan Steen at

jmsteen@ksu.edu (620) 662-2371.

Apple Ends Support of QuickTime for Windows

Reports from cybersecurity experts and the Department of Homeland Security, state that Apple will no longer update or support its

QuickTime software for Windows. While the software will continue to work without security updates and support, it’s recommended

that Microsoft Windows users uninstall QuickTime to avoid vulnerabilities. Software that is no longer updated for security risks often

opens up users to potential attacks focused on these vulnerabilities.

You can find more information from the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team’s Alert # TA-16-105A online:

http://1.usa.gov/1XyfwPP (address is case sensitive)

This alert does not apply to QuickTime on Mac OSX computers.

Grant Writing Workshop Announced

Looking to secure funding for a project, program, or initiative? Attend our free Grant Writing Workshop to develop confidence in your

grant writing abilities.

When: Wednesday, July 13, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Where: Reno County Extension Office, 2 W 10th Ave, South Hutchinson, KS

What you will learn:

• Keys to a successful proposal

• Developing an idea

• Preparing a proposal

• Preparing an application

The program will be presented by Trudy Rice, Community Vitality State Program Leader for K-State

Research & Extension.

Space is limited, so you must register to attend. Contact: Jan Steen 620-662-2371 or via email at

jmsteen@ksu.edu

Lunch will be provided courtesy of the South Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce.