Passion for 4-H

4-H has been mentioned much of late, due to a CNN article posted on June 23. Essentially, the writer of that article, believes that 4-H desensitizes members to animal slaughter. The article has generated much activity, both for and against, the writer's viewpoint.

As a youth development professional, I have the opportunity to see snapshots of growth in the youth involved in the 4-H program. I have watched members gain confidence after successfully completing a presentation, find a career path based upon positive project experiences, be responsible for his/her own money while attending a week's worth of camp, and grow into strong community advocates and adult leaders.

Teachers have often mentioned that they can tell which students are members of the 4-H program. The students often possess a higher degree of self-confidence, responsibility and comfort with public speaking. The results of a child's participation in 4-H are often evident after three years of involvement.

4-H builds community capacity and networks human capital. This is the answer to connecting families and making your community a positive place to raise children.

I would love to hear how 4-H has made a difference in your life. Read the CNN article at http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/06/23/does-4-h-desensitize-kids-to-killing/?hpt=hp_c2 Then email your response to afeld@ksu.edu I would love to post some of your comments right here on our blog. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Bagworm Control

Check your plants this 4th of July Holiday for bagworms. I couldn't find any on my plants. I took this picture on some Junipers downtown. Any number of insecticides will control them. Read and follow the label directions. The main challenge is getting the spray into the plant to get thorough coverage.

For more details, go to
ttp://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/entml2/mf728.pdf

Deer Damage

It is a good thing we weren't on the garden tour. Deer have been eating the flower buds off our roses. The family dog is suppose to be watching out for them. A repellent like Liquid Fence or bird netting may need to be used if the dog doesn't step it up.

Thanks to all that participated in the "Garden Tour." It was a fantastic day!

Garden Tour

Master Gardeners and the tour hosts view the gardens on the tour that is on Saturday, June 18 from 9 am to 3 pm. A good place to start is at the KSU Gardens at 1500 Denison Ave. Tickets are $8 available at any site which will include a map to all the locations.

Blueberry Harvest

My blueberries are nearing maturity. This variety is Duke. It has done best of the varieties I have. The sweetest berries are a solid blue. Be sure to pick when ripe which can be several days after they are blue.

These blueberries have been easy to grow. The mix of sulfur and peatmoss with the soil has worked fine. Even soil moisture is important.

Chia

I spent the past week hanging out with 751 teens at a state-wide leadership conference. The focus of the conference is to learn about future careers and potential college major options. I co-taught a class with another youth development co-worker at our Manhattan, HyVee. We experimented with Chia!

Chia is a grain, but not any ordinary grain. It is a super grain! Doesn't that sound like some sort of super hero music should start playing now? Anyway, this grain has excellent fiber and omega 3 content -- plus many other health benefits. The grain absorbs three times its weight in water, and makes an excellent fat substitute in baked products.

The teens tried the grain, dry, in yougurt smoothies. They loved the crunch! The grain resembles a poppyseed, but has more color variation and is a bit bigger than the poppyseed.

Did you know that women need about 25 grams of fiber per day, and men need about 35 grams per day? Karen Hanson, Manhattan HyVee Dietician, said that most folks get about 11-15 grams per day. She suggested Chia as a terrific option for increasing fiber.

This picture features Karen telling some of our adult assistants about the benefits of Chia. Karen suggested mixing a little in with your fruit spread, adding it to your ice cream as a topping or even sprinkling a little on your salad. Chia does not have any taste, but it packs a powerful crunch!

Big Bertha Peppers

Big Bertha is the pepper to win the largest pepper contest for the 4-Hers this year at the fair. I have some extra plants to give away. Hopefully, you will be attending the "Irrigation Audit Demonstration" at the front of the Riley County Courthouse at 9 am on Saturday morning, May 21. I will give away peppers to those in attending.

Cut stump outcome

Earlier, I had blogged about treating a stump of a hackberry tree I didn't want to grow back. The stump was treated with glyphosate. The hackberry tree apparently shared the same root system to the hackberry next to it. The hackberry not removed has sparse leaves. I had plans to remove this hackberry in the future. The time line may have gotten shorter. The elm tree in the same row shows no injury.