Briefly . . .


Tips for Parents: Get to Know Child’s Friends


K-State’s Shroyer Says Start Early, Stay Vigilant in Controlling Volunteer Wheat


K-State to Host Aug. 4 Webinar On New Farm Program, ACRE


Winter Pastime is Cool Summer Fun 

Tips for Parents: Get to Know Child’s Friends         

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Parents who insist on choosing – or trying to manage – a child’s friends can be doing their child a disservice, said Charles A. “Chuck” Smith, Kansas State University Research and Extension child development specialist.

Learning to choose a friend and nurture a relationship builds life skills, Smith said.

Early on, a mother or father who takes a child to the park will get acquainted with other parents and children who use the same park, Smith said. A playgroup or series of play dates may evolve, and a child will can begin to enjoy friendship outside the family circle.

He or she will likely meet and make new friends at day care, pre-school, or community activities (such as a reading program at the library), kindergarten and during early school years. 

As a child gets older, his or her circle of friends will be drawn from a greater variety of interests, life experiences and geographic areas. A child attending a consolidated high school will, for example, meet contemporaries from a greater geographic area.

Though not always actively involved in creating opportunities for a child to meet others, parents are encouraged to make their home welcoming to a child’s friends, and to include friends at family meals, outings, game or pizza night, Smith said.          

Getting acquainted with a child’s friends and his or her parents can model nurturing of friendships, but parents are reminded to let the child take the lead, Smith said.

More information about building successful parent-child relationships is available at K-State Research and Extension county and district offices and on Smith’s Web sites: www.k-state.edu/wwparent/ and www.raisingcourageouskids.com.

K-State’s Shroyer Says Start Early, Stay Vigilant in Controlling Volunteer Wheat

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Weather plays a big role in when and if volunteer wheat appears, but no matter what the weather, growers should vigilantly watch for it, said Kansas State University agronomist Jim Shroyer.

“In some years, it may seem like there will be little or no problem with volunteer wheat at first. But keep watching for it all summer,” said Shroyer, who is the agronomy state leader for K-State Research and Extension. “That’s because volunteer sometimes emerges more slowly than in normal years.”

Dry soil can be a factor in delayed emergence, but that’s not the case this year in most of the state. High moisture content of wheat seed at maturity can be another factor, which may be a problem in northwest Kansas.

Research on Kentucky bluegrass has shown that the higher the moisture content of seed when it is harvested, the longer the period of postharvest dormancy. That probably applies to wheat, too, Shroyer said. Postharvest dormancy is the period after physiological maturity during which seed won’t germinate because of germination inhibitors within the seed. Germination inhibitor activity dissipates with time, and germination promoters become more active. This period of postharvest dormancy in wheat may last one to two months, depending on variety and environmental factors.

If the grain had high moisture content at maturity and for quite awhile after, volunteer wheat seed can take longer than normal to germinate, he said. The postharvest dormancy period is longer than usual under these conditions.

“In most cases, however, volunteer may start emerging soon, if it hasn’t already,” Shroyer said. “Producers sometimes question whether early flushes of volunteer need to be controlled. Volunteer wheat that emerges soon after harvest (as occurs when heads are shattered by hail) is actually a more serious threat than later-emerging volunteer because it permits pests to move directly from maturing wheat to the new volunteer. Moisture loss is also greatest with early volunteer. Therefore, early destruction of volunteer is often beneficial.

In any case, he said, it is critical that all volunteer wheat within a half-mile be completely dead at least two weeks prior to planting. Destroying volunteer after the new wheat emerges is too late.

“Give yourself enough time to have a second chance if control is incomplete,” Shroyer added.

More information is available in the K-State Extension publication MF-1004 “Be a Good Neighbor: Control Your Volunteer Wheat” at: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/crpsl2/Mf1004.pdf.

K-State to Host Aug. 4 Webinar On New Farm Program, ACRE

MANHATTAN, Kan.—If there’s one constant about government programs, it’s that they change.

To help with questions producers, lenders, insurance agents and others may have about the ACRE (Average Crop Revenue Election) program, Kansas State University’s Department of Agricultural Economics will host a one-hour webinar with one more hour for questions on Tues., Aug. 4. The webinar will begin at 7 a.m. CDT and the program will be repeated at 12:00 p.m. CDT.

The online seminar, hosted by K-State Research and Extension agricultural economists Art Barnaby and Troy Dumler, will provide the latest information on the ACRE program.

“Farmers who have not made an ACRE decision or simply would like to have the latest information will likely want to participate in one of these webinars,” Barnaby said. “The falling grain prices have greatly increased the odds of an ACRE payment on corn, grain sorghum and soybeans.”

The fee to participate is $25 for individuals or $200 for a group license, if paid by July 28. After that date, the fee is $50 for individuals and $250 for a group license.

Two groups are already scheduled for those who don’t wish to log on to the webinar themselves. The Sedgwick County Extension office will host groups at both the 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. times at the office, 7001 W. 21^st Street in Wichita. Contact Gary Cramer or Jackie Fees at 316-660-0100 to participate. The other group will meet at the Pawnee County Extension office in the Courthouse, at 715 Broadway, in Larned at 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Contact Rodney Wallace at 620-285-6901 to join this group on August 4^th.

More information, including registration is available on the K-State Research and Extension Agricultural Economics Web site: http://www.agmanager.info or by contacting Rich Llewelyn (785-532-1504 or rvl@ksu.edu) or Barnaby (785-532-1515 or barnaby@ksu.edu).

Winter Pastime is Cool Summer Fun

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Pulling out a board game on a snowy day might seem a winter staple, yet doing so during sizzling summer heat can offer cool entertainment, said Charles A. “Chuck” Smith, a Kansas State University Research and Extension child development specialist. ­

“Make game night fun night,” said Smith, who noted that playing games together can provide memorable experiences and help family and friends learn about each other in unexpected ways. A child can, for example, learn from observing strategizing.

Playing as a family does call for some considerations. Young children will prefer simple games that require luck (rolling dice or drawing a card), rather than strategy, said Smith, who suggested matching a game to a child’s age, interests and attention span.

Playing together can model sportsmanship and courtesy, help a child build math and goal setting skills, and a better understanding of being a gracious winner and loser, Smith said.

Should parents let a child win?

“No, allowing a child to win sets up unrealistic expectations,” said Smith, who noted that life is usually a combination of wins and losses.

Game construction will influence price, said Smith, who encourages buying games that test a variety of skills.

To survey games available in larger markets, he recommends www.boardgamegeek.com for descriptions and reviews of domestic and European games.

When introducing a new game, Smith suggested reading the rules and beginning with a 15- or 20-minute practice session to introduce the game and the rules to first-time players.

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