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Opinion
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Written by Mike Epler
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 08:00 |
It seems the promise of warmer temperatures has finally come to fruition. Now that we can work outside, it will be amazing how much we can find to do around the yard. February and March are prime times to prune trees in Kansas, so K-State will be offering a tree pruning school right here in Miami County. 
The class will start at 1:30 p.m. March 24, and will be taught by Dr. Bill Reid, who is the pecan and nut production specialist for Kansas State University’s Horticulture Department. Dr. Reid will use live pecan trees as his “subjects” for the class, and will gear the class primarily toward pruning and training nut producing trees. The fundamentals of pruning nut trees can be applied to about any deciduous trees though, so all are encouraged to attend. This pruning school is free to attend, and will be at Brad and Lila Carter’s farm at 11469 W. 335th St., Paola, KS 66071. The farm is about 1.5 miles west of U.S. Highway 69 on 335th St. Call the Miami County Extension office if you have any questions about the class.
While we’re on the subject of finding things to do outside now that the weather is beginning to improve, I want to discuss fertilizing pastures and hay fields with nitrogen. Now is the time to put nitrogen on pasture or hay ground. Anytime in February would have worked too, but that really wasn’t an option due to the weather. The good news is that you still have all of March (and early April) to apply nitrogen.
I always encourage everyone to take a soil test every two or three years to know exactly what their field needs, but if you haven’t sampled, there is still one sure bet: Your grass pastures and hay fields need nitrogen on an annual basis for optimum grass growth.
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Opinion
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Written by Jan Sykes
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 08:00 |
A positive attitude. We all pay lip service to it, but few of us pull it off in these tough economic times. When we run out of personal crises to anguish over, we can find fodder in the long, cold winter. 
The media’s constant attention on the lifestyles of celebrities gives us the impression we have been gypped. The celebrities celebrate winter holidays on sandy beaches. They have nannies to help them raise their children. They have personal trainers come to their homes three times a week to exercise their already-toned bodies. Their money seemingly buys their way out of life’s difficulties.
So how do the rest of us maintain positive attitudes during our budget-pressed adversities? My father, one of the few remaining members of the “greatest generation,” can show us how.
When told that chemotherapy and radiation were the only treatments for his newly diagnosed lymphoma, he didn’t blink. Despite his age (91), he chose to start the rigorous treatments immediately. Smiling, he stated evenly, “I win either way. If the treatments work, I live. If they don’t, I go see [my wife] who is waiting for me on the other side.”
Yes, my dad finds the silver linings in the clouds, but his version of a positive attitude doesn’t deny the brutality of the storm cloud itself. He simply faces storms with grace, humor and good spirits.
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Opinion
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Written by Mike Epler
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Wednesday, 03 March 2010 08:00 |
It looks like we might be slowly turning the corner and escaping the icy grasp of winter, but the warm temperatures the future holds won’t come without consequence. While the warm weather will come eventually, it unfortunately will not come alone, because increased temperatures signal the return of our favorite little visitors: ANTS!
It all starts with a few “scout” ants that come looking for food. Once they find something they like, they go back to the colony, but as they travel, they lay down a trail of chemicals for the other ants to follow back to your kitchen. Before you know it, the whole colony has a freeway set up from your kitchen back to their nest.
If you find their nest (which rarely happens), you can spray the colony with a labeled insecticide and kill it. Finding where the ants get in and sealing cracks with caulking can work, but typically isn’t feasible because you need to be an ant to find most of the entry points. Disrupting the ant trail can be a temporary solution, but usually doesn’t work in the long term.
It turns out the best use of insecticides against ants may be to lay down a “barrier” of insecticide around your house foundation. Insecticides that contain Carbaryl (shelf name is Sevin) usually work the best for this. Keep in mind that if this works, the results will still be temporary.
In the end, we are usually relegated to sanitation of food scraps and spills and using ant baits that contain insecticide. If you clean up all other food sources and put out ant baits, the ants will normally go to the bait and start carrying the poison back to their colony. It can be a slow process, so don’t expect results overnight. You may feel like you’ve lost control of the situation when you put ant bait out, because the numbers of ants continue to grow, but this is a sign that it is working. Hopefully, over time, the ant colony is destroyed by using these poisoned baits.
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Opinion
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Written by Mike Epler
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Wednesday, 24 February 2010 08:00 |
If you’re starting to get spring fever and getting the “itch” to do yard work, then consider coming to the upcoming Extension class titled “Selection and Care of Trees in Eastern Kansas.”
Kim Bomberger of the Kansas Forest Service will be at the Miami County Extension office meeting room at 6:30 p.m. March 4 to discuss and present an educational class on tree selection and care in eastern Kansas.
Kim is the North Central and Northeast District Community Forester for the Kansas Forest Service. Her talk will apply to all types of trees and will cover such topics as what kind of tree to plant, how to plant it, how to water and fertilize it, how to prune correctly and when to prune it.
Refreshments will be served courtesy of Farmers Union Co-op of Spring Hill and Paola. This class is free to the public and will last about two hours. Give the Extension office a call at (913) 294-4306 by March 4 if you plan to attend.
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Opinion
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Written by Roberts Banks
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Tuesday, 16 February 2010 23:36 |
We have been discussing the origin of violence, especially in our immediate past, that has been the result of misunderstandings of scientific and religious ideas.
An interesting variation on this theme occurred in relation to our Civil War, or if you live in the southern states it becomes The War Between the States. In the tumultuous years prior to the war from about 1830 until 1860 there was a development of a conflict of ideas that intensified until the Civil War began by the secession of the southern states below the Mason-Dixon Line.
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