The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
(Vol. 19 No. 25)
IN THIS ISSUE...
2013 AGROFORESTRY FIELD DAY
On Wednesday, May 8, Kansas Forest Service
is sponsoring an Agroforestry Field Day at Dave and Mary Hendrick's Farm
in WaKeeney. The
purpose of the field day is to provide landowners, farmers, ranchers
and natural resource professionals the opportunity to learn
science-based information regarding design, function, management, and
benefits of trees and shrubs within contemporary agricultural systems
for a variety of purposes. This year's field day focuses upon practices
that improve wildlife habitat. Topics
include: an Overview of Hendrick's Farm and Wildlife Conservation; Tree
Health Threats; Creating Mule Deer Habitat; Lesser Prairie Chicken
Habitat; Water Quality Concerns in Western Kansas; Managing for Upland
Birds from the Landowner's Perspective; Windbreak renovation, Assessment
& Funding Projects; Creating a Burn Plan for Prairie.
Registration
is $10, lunch provided. Registration is due May 3, and can be mailed to
Leslye Haller, Kansas Forest Service, 2610 Claflin Rd., Manhattan, KS 66502.
Call 785-532-3300, or email lahaller@ksu.edu if you have questions or need more information. Or you can visit our website to see a copy of the brochure at https://www.kansasforests.org/news/calendar.shtml.
Hope to see you all there! --Leslye Haller lahaller@ksu.edu
PART 2 - CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION
Last Wednesday, April 24, the Kansas State University Classified Senate celebrated the recognition of many of our Classified Employees. Last week, I mentioned the four winners of our department/unit awards.
This week, I want to highlight others. Lois Schreiner won the K-State Classified Award of Excellence in the Office and Clerical category. This is a University-level award and only three are given each year. Lois is an Administrative Specialist, working with Extension activities, in the Department of Animal Sciences. Lois wins $1000 from the University for her excellent work.
We had several employees recognized as Classified Employee Opportunity Fund Meritorious Service Award Recipients. They were:
John Wolf, Animal Sciences and Industry
Brenda Heptig, Grain Science and Industry
Judy Weaver, Animal Sciences and Industry
Cyreathia 'Sam' Reyer, Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources
Valerie Stillwell, Animal Sciences and Industry
Alka Kapil, Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources
Lois Schreiner, Animal Sciences and Industry
Quite a few of our Classified Employees received Years of Service Awards for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 years of service.
Let's congratulate all our Classified Employees for their awards. Also, please remember to nominate Classified Employees for awards next year. --Steven Graham sgraham@ksu.edu
KARL CLASS XI TRIP TO PERU #6
Day #5, it’s Saturday morning, and we will be testing wine
this morning. No, wait, we are looking
at grape farms and wine producers! We
are still on the coast of Peru, and our last stop before heading north to the
jungle region.
First we visited a chi chi maker. Chi Chi Morado is a delicious drink made
from, morado cantena, the dark purple and ancient corn grown in Peru. Its seeds are said to be heirloom, and the
corn grows on the coast as well as in the highlands. Each kernel of corn is large,
plumb and juicy. One can get a glass of this wondrous drink in any regions of
Peru. It’s a beautiful drink, and it’s
made by boiling the corn and adding sugar. Once the mixture is cooled, it’s strained into a pitcher or tall
glass. It’s served cooled and without
ice. Morado cantena is said to be loaded
with anti-oxidants. Chi chi morado
reminds me of a drink we consume on the reservations, from which my
grandparents hail, called, chakewe.
Chakewe is a gruel made from our purple corn. Some would call it corn meal mush. However, we add milk and sugar to make a thin
and creamy gruel. The Old Ones called it
a healthy drink.
Of grapes and wine, a retired professor, named Manuel Jesus
Almeyda Sotelo, found another way to make money when he was no longer teaching.
He now grows grapes and makes wine. In
the first part of the visit, we looked at his vineyard. Interestingly, he had built his vines in such
a way that one walks under them. They
were more like arbors from which the grapes grew in a pendulous bunch requiring
the harvester to reach upward. The grape
arbors also protected the harvester from the sun during picking season. The grapes favored by Veñedos El Profe (the viticulture professor) is an uva bergoña, or burgundy
grape. El Profe’s grape growing and wine
production would mostly be considered boutique or artisan here in the United
States. Professor Almeyda Sotelo told us
that he depends on INIA, which you may recall is Peru’s answer to Research and Extension,
to help with fungal control and vineyard irrigation. With tasting his product, we began with a
sweet, on to a semi-sweet, and we finished with a dry wine. All the grapes were grown on site for these
young wines, and each, of course, had its own bouquet, character and finish –
quite appealing.
Later
that morning, in the village of Sunampe, we were treated to a lovely meal (one
of my favorites in Peru), more tasty wine, and dancing by a local professor’s
cultural dance group. The meal was
exquisite. It began with a handsome
chicken salad sandwiched between two, sort of, loaves of very stiff mashed
potatoes formed into squares that looked like slices of yellowish bread. The first taste was a surprise to find that
the squares in this charming salad were indeed mashed potatoes! What was to follow was most agreeable. It was called Carapulca Tallarines
Verdes. In other words, baked chicken,
with diced potatoes in an aji panca chili sauce (savory – not hot), and
spaghetti noodles tossed with a green sauce made with spinach, basil, and fresh
cheese. I was lucky enough to find the
spices in a market before I left. Peru
is known for its paprika and its aji chilies. The aji chilies are yellow or red. This week I baked some chicken with the red
aji and I oven-fried potatoes with the yellow aji for guests. It was a triumph in a taste experiences.
Up next,
this time for real, I will tell you about the jungle. Thank you for reading. --Debra Bolton dbolton@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This week my picks are outcomes from Fran Richmond, Frontier
District; and Ann Ludlum, Southwind District:
Youths who participated in the Family Nutrition Program
attended a series of lessons that taught messages from the USDA Choose MyPlate,
food safety, food preparation, and the importance of balancing calories
consumed with calories expended. Following the lessons, students reported
eating more fruits and vegetables, being more physically active and reading
labels. Students reluctant to try new foods, were often encouraged by their
peers, and then remarked that they were surprised that they actually liked the
foods and would try them again.
Food safety programs were presented in all three
counties with a total of 50 in attendance. Of the 46 evaluations returned, 93%
indicated that as a result of the program, they would make changes in the way
they handle food. Participants reported they would take the following actions: 37%
would use a food thermometer more often; 17% wash produce before cutting or
eating; 15% observe 2- hour rule and be aware of the temperature danger zone;
10% wash hands more frequently; and 10% handle leftovers safely. Other changes
participants indicated they would make included separating foods, sanitizing
surfaces, and preparing convenience foods according to directions.
Food safety education will continue to be a priority
in programming. Improving understanding and implementation of safe food
handling practices will lead to reduced incidence of foodborne illness and an
improved quality of life. This will benefit communities by having a safe food
supply at home and away from home, as well as reducing public costs of health
care and health insurance and increasing the number of productive contributing
citizens. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
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