McPherson CountyK-State Research & Extension

600 West Woodside, McPherson KS 67460620-241-1523 FAX 620-241-3407

www.mcpherson.ksu.edu

February 2015

Clover CornerClover CornerClover CornerClover CornerLindsey Friesen

County Extension Agent

4-H Youth Development

Happy February! More than 1/3 done with the 4-H year? Wow...hard to believe. Do you feel like you are well into yourway of exploring and learning about your projects? Hopefully project meetings have begun within your club! You willnotice a “Project News” page in this months Clover Corner. Take a look at that and see what county-wide opportunitiesthere are for your interests. Remember, projects can be dropped or added until May 1! There are a lot of important dates inthis newsletter, so read carefully!

February Dates

1 Development Fund Drive begins12 4-H Council 15-16 Citizenship In Action21 4-H Club Days

Junior Leader Event23 Regional Club Days entries due!

4-H Council

Council Representatives- Don’t forget about the meetingon February 12 at 7 PM! Our Kick-Off meeting inJanuary was fantastic. Please make sure you haverepresentation from your club! (2 youth, 2 adults) Find analternate if you cannot make it!

4-H Club Day

The deadline for event registration is Feb 5! Check youremail and the website for schedule information byFebruary 12. Even if you did not get signed-up... comeparticipate in Pickle Power and FCS Judging!

Enroll NOW!

We are missing enrollments from many 4-H'ers. 4-H'ers will NOT be able to participate in 4-H Club Dayunless they are fully enrolled!! Visit ks.4honline.com tocreate a family profile and enroll each youth.Participation (health) forms also have to be turned intothe Extension Office for an official enrollment. Doublecheck that you have both completed or call the officewith questions!!

Congratulations KAP Winners

McPherson County had 12 KAPs at the AreaScreening in Manhattan on January 8. The countywill also be represented at the state level as 6 ofthose books were chosen as top KAPs in theNortheast Area. A special congratulations to:

Taylor Goering BeefKaylee Littrell Family Studies, Foods,

ReadingChristine Vasper GeologyReed Wiens Wildlife

Congratulations to each participating 4-H’er!! Thecounty had some great record books!

Let's go SKATING!

The County-Wide Social Committee has planned a fun event for 4-H families and friends! We will planto go roller skating on Saturday March 7. This will be at SkateLand in Hutchinson (3101 N. Lorraine St).For this event we will need to have 50 SKATERS (if a parent is not skating they will not count in the 50).If we reach that goal we will have the entire place to ourselves! Families and

clubs can work on coordinating car pooling for this event and we will plan to head to hutch for abunch of fun! In order to book the rink for a private party we need some approximate skaternumbers ASAP. Please call or email and get on the list! Skating fees will be covered by theMcPherson County 4-H Development Fund. Remember to start getting your 2015 donations forthe drive! :-) Get March 7 on your calendar and Call 620-241-1523 or email FriesenL@ksu.eduwith approximate numbers for skaters!

4-H Camp

ATTENTION 3rd-7th GRADERS- Come join the fun atRock Springs 4-H Center. Camp is June 3-6 for regularcampers and June 3-4 for Rookie Camp. Rookies— Beprepared to get your registration in early as they are onlytaking a limited number again this year. Keep your eyesopen for registration details that will be in the MarchClover Corner! Cost of Camp will be $193 full time and$100 rookie camp. There will also be an optional bus feeagain this year. Don’t forget about the $40 scholarshipsfor any 4-H member if they write a paragraph about whythey want to attend camp!

ATTENTION 8th-12th GRADERS- Counselors must be8th grade and above (preference will be given to 9th gradeand older). Applications are due by April 20 for campcounselors. Camp counselor training will be June 2-3 atRock Springs. The counselor fee will be paid this year bythe McPherson County 4-H Development Fund.

Discovery Days

Discovery Days will be held May 26-29, 2015. Registration forms will be available in early March anddue in April. Discovery Days is open to anyone 13 andolder before January 1, 2014 and is held on the K-StateCampus in Manhattan. For information, please call theExtension Office or check the state website atwww.kansas4-h.org.

Publish Your News

If you have news, dates or activities to share with other 4-H’ers, get them in the 4-H Clover Corner! Articles ordates you would like in the March publication need to beto Lindsey by February 16. Email them toFriesenL@ksu.edu

4-H Development Fund Drive

The annual 4-H Development Fund Drive forMcPherson County gets underway in February! Each 4-H club has a list of possible donors to contact. Therewere several contacts last year that were never evenmade! It is vital that all contacts are made to help usreach our goals!! The Development Fund is animportant part of the 4-H program. Contributions helpin the following ways:

-- Scholarships to 4-H Camp, Discovery Days,KYLF, National 4-H Congress, and High SchoolSeniors

-- Fair Premiums-- Educational materials and supplies-- Record Book Awards-- T-Shirts for all new members-- Donor Recognition-- Leader Trainings/Recognition-- Family Fun Events and other activities

Community Leaders-packets are ready for you to pickup. Please pick these up before your February meetingso that you can get started on this Fund Drive! If youhave any questions please contact the Extension Office.

Jr Leaders Event

The date is set!! Jr Leaders will be heading to Wichitaon Saturday, Feb 21. We will plan to meet at theExtension Office at 5 pm. We will be eating at BuffaloWild Wings and then heading to Get Air for some crazywall to wall trampoline jumping fun! We should returnto McPherson approximately 9:30. Cost for 4-H'ers willbe $13 which includes transportation, dinner at BWW(pop extra) and admission to Get Air! If you would liketo bring a friend their cost will be $18. Everybodyparticipating must have an online waiver signed by aparent/guardian. Find more information athttp://getairwichita.com. Please email or call the officeto sign-up so we can plan accordingly fortransportation. We will also need a few parents willingto help transport!

PROJECT NEWS

Kansas Jr Livestock Show ...Note the date and location change!!! Next year's event will be at the StateFairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas. Dates have been set as October 2-4, 2015. Contact rbkjls@gmail.com withquestions and visit www.kjls.org.

Beef

The McPherson County Spring Invitational Beef Show will be held on April 12, 2015. Lookfor registration information soon. Tagging and weigh-in will be held during check-in of theshow or during show set-up.

Kansas Jr Swine Producer Day will be February 28 at KSU’s Weber Arena. This highly interactive,hands-on educational event will be a fun filled day of activities in which youth, parents, project leaders andadults can increase their knowledge and experience of swine production and management practices. Allparticipants will receive a T-Shirt (if registered by Feb 1) K-State Show Pig Guide and lunch. The day will befrom 9:00-2:30 and the cost is $10 per person if registered by Feb 18 ($15 after). Visitwww.youthlivestock.ksu.edu for more information and registration link.

Kansas Jr Meat Goat Producer Day will be held on March 28, 2015. More information will be atwww.youthlivestock.ksu.edu as it becomes available.

Sheep and Goats

Tagging and weigh-in will take place on Friday, April 24 at the 4-H Fairgrounds from 3:30-6:30 pm. Pleasemake arrangements to have all your market animals there that day to be tagged!

Dog

Dog Obedience Meetings have begun! Upcoming dates include: February 3, 10, 17, 24 and March 3 at the 4-H Building.Beginners will practice at 6 pm with advanced levels meeting at 7 pm.

Photography

Upcoming Photography Meetings will be held on Feb 5 and March 5. The project meetingswill be at 6:30 at the Extension Office.

Exploring/Cloverbuds

The next meeting for all Cloverbuds and Exploring project members will be on Sunday, February 8 at theExtension Office. We will meet at 2 pm. Please RSVP to the Extension Office, 620-241-1523.

Living WellJana McKinney

County Extension Agent

Family & Consumer Science

Turning 65? Getting Medicare....Need Help?

If you are turning 65, ready to come into the Medicare system, help is available free of chargethrough a Senior Health Insurance Counselor of Kansas (SHICK). This free counseling serviceis confidential, non-biased with the goal to show the options available to beneficiaries.

There are several PARTS to Medicare. It is important that you understand the PARTS and also,the chance to get supplemental insurance through plans. There is an Initial Enrollment Period

which is the three months before your birth month, your birth month, and the three months after. This time frame is veryimportant for guaranteed issue.

If you are still working and plan to continue with your employer insurance which is “credible insurance” or as good asMedicare, then you would have a Special Enrollment Period.

Free help is avilable through the McPherson County Extension Office as Jana is a SHICK Counselor. You can call her at620-241-1523 to schedule a one-on-one appointment; or if you would like to have a group presentation, that is an optionas well.

Fill out an Authorization FormMedicare can't give personal health information about you to anyone unless you give permission in writing first. Ifyou want friends or family to be able to call 1-800-MEDICARE on your behalf, you should let Medicare know inwriting now in case you’re unable to do it later. You can give your permission in several ways.

Make a "Welcome to Medicare" Physical Exam AppointmentThis free, one-time comprehensive exam is offered during the first 12 months you have Medicare. The free "Welcometo Medicare" physical exam puts you in control of your health and your Medicare from the start. Offered during thefirst 12 months you have Medicare, this exam lets you and your doctor discuss steps to prevent disease, improve yourhealth, and help you stay well. The exam is completely covered by Medicare. There is no co-pay or deductible.

New Year Resolution to save money? America Saves is a nationwide campaign in which a broadcoalition of nonprofit, corporate, and government groups helps individuals and families save and build wealth. Throughinformation, advice, and encouragement, we assist those who wish to pay down debt, build an emergency fund, save for ahome, save for an education, or save for retirement.

Many believe that low- and moderate-income families cannot afford to save and buildwealth. Yet research shows that there are "savers" and "spenders" in all income classes.While those with modest incomes cannot save as much as the affluent, almost all have theability to build wealth over time. Through contributions to a workplace retirement program,home purchase, and other savings during their working years most can accumulate six-figureassets.

We find it useful to see individual Americans on a ten mile path to saving. Those that haven'twalked a mile don't understand the importance of saving, so don't save. Those at mile three are aware of this value, butdon't believe they are capable of saving, so don't do so. Those at mile six see the importance of saving and think theymight be able to do so, but haven't started yet. Those at mile seven have begun to save. Those at mile ten are saving aseffectively as they can, which also means that they are effectively managing their money and debts.

We encourage all Americans, especially the financially vulnerable, to travel down this saving path, keeping in mind it isdifficult to move more than a mile or two at a time. If many Americans start moving down the path, then the wholecountry will place greater importance on saving. Join today at www.kansassaves.org you will be glad you did!

Earned Income Tax Credit Can Put Money in Your Pocket

You could be eligible to get more money back from the IRS - as much as $5,666.

This is income based and depends on your situation – but, you may qualify for a refundable taxcredit called the Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. But you must file a federal income taxreturn claiming the credit to get it.EITC can be a big financial boost for working people hit by hard economic times. Manyindividuals who saw their incomes drop in 2014 may qualify for the first time.

The credit has been making the lives of workers a little easier for more than 35 years. Yet itremains little known, possibly because people move into and out of eligibility as their financial,marital and parental statuses change. IRS estimates four of five eligible people claim and get their EITC.

Unlike other tax credits, both EITC eligibility and the amount of the credit is based on several factors such as the sourceand amount of your income, or combined incomes if married, whether you have qualifying children and how many.Workers without children also may qualify.

The amount of the credit peaks then phases out at certain income limitations depending on filing status and other factors.You may qualify for EITC even if you had no federal tax withheld or are not otherwise required to file.

The credit is complex, but worth exploring. It's even more valuable if your state has a corresponding tax credit.The online EITC Assistant at www.irs.gov/eitc can help determine your eligibility and estimate the amount of your credit.

Remember: if you are eligible, you must file a federal income tax return, even if you are not otherwise required to file, andyou must specifically claim the credit to get it. Find more information about EITC at www.irs.gov or in your tax softwarepackage.

According to the IRS, rural and non-traditional families -- such as grandparents raising grandchildren -- childless workers,and non-English speaking taxpayers are among those who most frequently overlook the credit.

Walk Kansas –Wall Tall, Walk Strong – March 15 - May 9, 2015

Walk Tall to emphasis on posture when standing, walking and sitting. Walk Strong aswalking provides many health benefits, but doesn't strengthen muscles. Each week we willintroduce a new strengthening exercise. Walk Kansas, our basic program based on PhysicalActivity Guidelines for Americans, including the 3 challenge options.

How do I get involved? It's as easy as 1-2-3!

Start a Team! Gather 6 people (including yourself) who will motivate and encourage each other on this journey.

Choose a Team Name and Team Captain. It is helpful if the team captain has an e-mail address.

Register for Walk Kansas! Registration and participant materials are available from the McPherson County ExtensionOffice. Check our website for more information at www.mcpherson.ksu.edu after February 10. It would be great toreceive registration materials March 1.

Walk Kansas is a team-based program that will help you and others lead a healthier life by being more active, makingbetter nutrition choices, and learning positive ways to deal with stress. There are different challenges; more informationwill be coming soon.

The t-shirt colors this year are gray, purple and coral. We have ordered samples and they should be on display afterFebruary 10 at the McPherson County Extension Office, 600 W Woodside, McPherson. Small Steps = Big Rewards

Changing a few choices each day can help create a healthier lifestyle. Small steps can bring big rewards, and participationin Walk Kansas could be the motivation you need to get started.

Preparing for Power Outage

Now is also a great time to prepare for a winter power outage that sometimes comes with ice or heavy snow.> Stock a survival kit with a flashlight and extra batteries, candles and matches, battery-powered or hand-crank portable

radio, a couple of cans of sterno canned cooking fuel and some simple foods whichcan be eaten cold or with saucepan heating.

> Gather emergency heating supplies such as extra firewood for a fireplace or fuel forother types of portable heaters.

> If you own a generator, be sure it is in good working order with plenty of fuel. > Put a thermometer in each freezer and refrigerator to help you monitor the

temperature of food supplies. During an outage, do not open the refrigerator orfreezer door any more than is necessary. Food can stay cold in a full refrigerator forup to 24 hours, and in a well-packed freezer for 48 hours (24 hours if it is half-packed).

> Freeze large chunks of ice in clean plastic jugs or containers to place in freezers or refrigerators as needed. These canquickly be frozen outside overnight if you have the containers on hand.

> Draw some extra water if your water supply is dependent on electricity (like the pump on the farm where I grew up.)

Was the freezer off while you were away? Here’s a simple way to detect a problem with frozen food safety: store an icecube or two in a sealed plastic bag or small container in the freezer. If the ice cube has melted down from its originalshape, you’ll know the power was off for an extended period of time!

The Scoop on Sodium in Canned Foods

Sodium is a popular ingredient in canned foods. It is primarily used for flavor. How do you know howmuch is in a can of food? Read the label. Look on the front of the label for no salt added, low sodium orreduced sodium claims. If buying regular canned foods, many can be drained and rinsed to removesodium. Draining can reduce sodium by 36 percent. Draining and rinsing can reduce sodium by 41percent. Salt and sodium are not the same. Salt is sodium chloride in the proportions of 40 percentsodium and 60 percent chloride. Sodium regulates blood volume and pressure plus many otherfunctions. Learn more at http://bit.ly/1BIKj3g.

Food Label Makeover

You can spend a lot of time at the grocery store trying to make sense out of the Nutrition Facts label. It’s hard tofigure out what is a serving and because of that, it’s easy to eat several servings. Other ingredients like added sugarare also not spelled out so you may be eating more sugar than you realize. But there is good news–the NutritionFacts label, first introduced in 1993, is getting a makeover.

Why? Because Americans are eating differently–mostly larger portions.Because our eating habits are linked to chronic health conditions like obesity,diabetes, heart disease and stroke, the proposed new label is being redesignedto help consumers make more informed choices.

Here is a list of the proposed changes:

• Calories per serving will be in larger and bolder type.• Fat calories will be deleted but types of fat in the food will remain.• Added sugars will be listed. (Foods with natural sugars included fruit and

milk.)• The number of servings in each package will be more prominent.• Serving sizes will be updated to reflect how much people truly eat.• Daily values for various nutrients will be updated and more prominent.• Vitamin D and potassium will be added and Vitamins A and C will be

deleted. (We tend to be low in D and potassium, and consume enough of Aand C.)

The proposed changes are currently in a 90-day comment period. After thechanges are made, food companies will have two years to comply.

Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh to speak at the Farm Forum on February 10th

The 2015 Farm Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, February 10th at 6:30 a.m. at the Perkins Restaurant inMcPherson. Participants will enjoy a breakfast for $7.00 and then the program will follow. Dr. BarryFlinchbaugh, K-State Ag Economist & Professor, will be the featured presenter. He will speak on “What toExpect from Washington in 2015" and if you have ever had the opportunity to hear Barry speak, you will not bedisappointed as he shares his thoughts and passion about agriculture.

There will also be a presentation for Farm Family of the Year to Dwight and Cindy Baldwin, Special LifetimeAppreciation to Delbert Schrag and Friend of Agriculture to Jennifer Burch.

Please mark February 10th on your calendar, and call in your registration to the McPherson Chamber Office at620-241-3303.

Farmers’ Markets 2015 Regional Workshop - Pratt

The regional workshops are geared toward current and prospective farmers’ market vendors. The workshopsare a great way to find out more information about marketing tips for your business, an update on anyapplicable regulations and an opportunity to get your questions answered.

The Pratt workshop is scheduled for March 7, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00p.m.. It will take place at the Pratt Area 4-H Center, 61 Lake Rd, Pratt, KS

More information can be found at: FromtheLandofKansas.com/FMConferenceor by contacting the Central regional planning committee - Robin Eubanks,620-886-3971.

2014 Farm Bill Policy Page

Your guide to understanding the 2014 Farm Billwith papers, presentations, decision tolls and links. www.AgManager.info/policy/commodity/2012/default.asp

OSU-KSU Decision Tool

An Excel spreadsheet decision tool developed byOklahoma State University and K-State, to helpmake the decision between ARC and PLC from the2014 Farm Bill. It can be downloaded at:http://www.agmanager.info/fb.htm

AG NEWS & VIEWS

Jonie James

County Extension Agent

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Annual Cow-Calf School set for February 12th 6:00 p.m. at the Covenant Church in Lindsborg

This year the annual cow-calf school has been set for early February,hoping to take place prior to everyone calving out cows. The bakedsteak meal will take place at 6:00 p.m. with the program following at7:00 p.m. Registration for the school is $5.00/person and should becalled in to the office by February 6th. Several of the area banks aresponsoring their customers so be sure to check with your bank to see ifthey are participating.

The program for the evening will consist of a Beef Outlook presented by Tracy Brunner, NCBA President and cattle producer, and also a presentation on “Optimizing Nutrition &Reproduction in Heifer Development” presented by K-State Research & Extension Livestock Specialist Dr.Sandy Johnson. The Cow/Calf committee members have put together a great program and hope producers willtake advantage of this educational opportunity.

Special thanks to those committee members: Kent & Thayne Rawson, John Holmquist, Gary Patrick, FredNeufeld, DeeAnne Johnson, Levi Norberg, Ashley Bornholdt, Janell Harman, Lavonna Peterson, DwightDecker and Jeff Smith.

K-State Soybean Production Schools offered in February

A series of four K-State Soybean Production Schools will be offered in early February toprovide in depth training targeted for soybean producers and key stakeholders. The schoolswill be held at four locations around the state with the one closest to us being held in Salina.

The Salina soybean school will be held on February 3rd at the Ambassador Hotel, 1616 W.Crawford St. Contact Tom Maxwell, Central KS Extension District to register for the event.Tmaxwell@ksu.edu, 785-309-5850.

The one day schools will cover a number of issues facing soybean growers: productionpractices; soil fertility; weed control; insect and disease management; and risk management.

Ag In the Classroom Update

In January Francis Stucky began teaching Ag inthe Classroom to area schools. She targets 3rd &4th grade classrooms, and has 21 classrooms thisyear. A special thanks to the volunteers that havebeen helping her this year: Ashley Bornholdt,Mitz Fawl, Brenda Peters, and Jenny Goering.

This month they have been learning about corn,soybeans, sorghum, and sunflower production. They have also learned how to read food labelsand how to determine which commodity productwas the primary ingredient in the item.

Preparing for Calving Season

The checklist below is designed to help you plan and prepare toimprove the success of your calving season and weaned calfcrop.

• Balance cow rations for adequate protein and energy forincreased third trimester and subsequent lactationrequirements. Group and feed cows by body condition andage to the degree possible. Target body condition for firstcalf heifers at calving of 5.5 to 6 and 5 to 5.5 for maturecows.

• Develop sound vaccination program to prepare the cow to produce high quality colostrum.

• Control lice and internal parasites.

• Plan for recording calving data and consider ways to backup records.

• Make sure calving facilities are clean and in good repair

• Plan for ear tags, tattoos, scale or weight tape, banding or castration.

• Check flash lights and other quality portable light sources.

• Check-list for calving assistance:

.. OB chains or nylon strap, calf puller, OB gloves, OB lube (non-detergent soap & water isone option), non-irritant antiseptic (Betadine or Nolvasan), flank rope to lay cow down

.. A cooler can be used to keep warm water in calving barn if no other source available.

.. Old towels or similar

• Review basic treatment plans with local veterinarian for retained placenta, calf scours, colostrumsupplements and ensure necessary treatments and supplies are on hand or readily available. Includea working thermometer.

• Have on hand at least 2 clean and functional esophageal tube feeders, clearly marked, one forhealthy calves, one only used for sick calves.

• Plan and watch for opportunities to collect colostrum from within the herd. Date and freeze in quartsized plastic bags for future use.

• If replacement calves are obtained from outside the herd, plan for their isolation and testing beforeexposing to entire herd.

• Plan for severe weather; wind, freezing rain and blizzards are not uncommon. Plan for correctingcalf hypothermia. Calf shelters should be in good repair, bedding on hand. Old mineral tubs couldbe used for warm water bath treatment of cold calves.

• Shift feeding to dusk or later to promote day time calving one week before anticipated start ofcalving season.