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Spend Less and Save More at the Grocery Store

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Do you ever wonder how some people spend so little money at the grocery store each week? You can do it too! The following are a few easy ideas for saving time and money at the grocery store.

Plan Your Meals

  • Take time on the weekend to plan your snacks and meals for the week.
  • Make a grocery list of the foods you will need for your weekly snacks and meals.
  • Check your cupboards and refrigerator as you make your grocery list.
  • Plan your menu around store specials, coupons, and in-season fruits and vegetables.

Shop Wisely

  • Eat before you shop so you are not hungry.
  • Only buy the foods on your grocery list.
  • Compare prices of different brands and sizes.
  • Buy generic or store brands to save money.
  • Check for the expiration dates and use-by dates.
  • Remember that convenience items save time but not money.
  • Use the nutrition label to help make wise food choices.
  • Check out your local farmers market and compare prices.

Don’t Forget

  • Take your groceries home and put them away as quickly as possible.
  • Make sure you store groceries properly to prevent foods from spoiling.
  • Eat sensible portions.
  • Use leftovers for another meal.

AgrAbility strives to help farmers take charge of their health with webinar series

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Experiencing symptoms from chronic pain is a daily occurrence for many. Symptoms such as fatigue, sleeplessness, stress, and fear are often side effects of chronic pain and can be difficult to manage each day. For farmers and farm families, these symptoms can slow progress on and off the farm, making everyday tasks an extra chore or sometimes impossible.

Illinois AgrAbility emphasizes the importance of learning techniques and providing opportunities to help individuals in the agriculture industry. The Take Charge of Your Health: Chronic Pain Self-Management webinar series is a six-week series weighing heavily on cognitive behavioral techniques for managing pain. The series begins on March 18 and runs consecutive Mondays from 1 to 3:30 p.m. through April 22.

The chronic pain management webinar series is grant-funded and a partnership between University of Illinois Extension, Illinois AgrAbility, Age Options, and specialists from Illinois Extension family life and health teams.

Expanded versions of weekly topics can include:

  • Balancing activity with rest.
  • Learning tools for overcoming worst-case thinking.
  • Working effectively with health care professionals.
  • Creating action plans for problem-solving and decision-making.

“Many experience their chronic pain in silence, so this webinar series is an opportunity for those looking for some relief options to try within their current lifestyles,” says Haley Jones, AgrAbility program coordinator. “Sign up, find resources, and start on a journey to take charge of your health and get back to the responsibilities on the farm.”

The virtual series is free, but registration is required at go.illinois.edu/AgrPainSeries by March 11. Participants will receive a hard copy of “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Pain” as an additional resource. For series questions, contact Haley Jones, AgrAbility program coordinator, at [email protected], 217-244-2948.

 

The Four States attempts to end time change

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Daylight saving time will start at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 10, when Four State residents will “spring forward” — moving their clocks ahead one hour.

Not long after, on March 19, the season changes and Spring will have officially “sprung.”

As we leave winter behind, many state legislatures would also like to leave behind time change altogether. The question is, If we stop changing our clocks back and forth each year, which way do we leave them?

Federal law currently allows states to “opt out” of daylight saving time (DST) and return to standard time. This would make the “fall back” section of the year (from November to March), the permanent year-round time.

The only two states to observe standard time year-round are Arizona and Hawaii, where residents there never adjust their clocks.

However, what federal law doesn’t allow states to do is make daylight saving time permanent.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures report on Daylight Saving Time — here is where the Four States stands regarding efforts to keep daylight saving time all year long (though Congress would need to act before states can make any official change).

ARKANSAS

In December 2022, State Representative Johnny Rye introduced a bill in the Arkansas House that would adopt year-round daylight saving time. But, nearly a month later in January of 2023, he withdrew the bill and recommended “its effects be studied by a committee on governmental affairs.”

In March 2023, State Representative Stephen Meeks introduced a bill to the Arkansas House to adopt standard time year-round, eliminating DST. However, the effort failed in the House.

KANSAS

The last time Kansas lawmakers put forward a daylight saving time bill was in 2019. That bill would have kept the state off DST, but the bill died in 2020.

In 2021, Kansas lawmakers went a different route by introducing House Bill 2060 , which would make DST permanent in the “Sunflower State.” HB 2060 died in May 2022.

Kansas lawmakers have also proposed moving to DST year-round, but those proposals have all failed.

MISSOURI

In 2021, lawmakers in Missouri proposed House Bill 848 that would have the Show-Me State permanently use daylight saving time, if three of eight bordering states follow suit. The Missouri House approved the plan, but the state Senate failed to vote on the measure before the session ended.

In 2023, there were two House bills under consideration that would make DST permanent: House Bill 157 and House Bill 265 — both of which failed.

Despite different versions of this bill making progress in past sessions, current members are not confident that DST will ended in Missouri this year.

According to a recent article in Columbia Missourian , Representative Darin Chappell, a Republican from Rogersville, and Representative Michael Burton, a Democrat from Lakeshire, both said there is little hope that the Missouri Senate will prioritize a bill like this during the current session.

OKLAHOMA

An Oklahoma bill to “lock the clock” and permanently establish daylight saving time in the state was more recently introduced by Senator Blake Stephens, a Republican from Tahlequah.

Senator Stephens authored Senate Bill 1200 , which would allow the state to stop changing clocks if a federal law allowing the time change is made. The bill advanced out of the state’s Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee in late February.

Like many states with similar bills going through the motions, this is not the first time the Oklahoma Legislature has considered a bill aiming to have a permanent DST. During last year’s legislative session, Senator Stephens co-authored a similar bill ( Senate Bill 7 ) that passed the state Senate but was never heard in the House.

Uniform Time Act

In 1966 Congress passed the Uniform Time Act — requiring state governments that choose to observe daylight saving time to begin and end the practice on federally determined dates.

“Under the Uniform Time Act, States may choose to exempt themselves from observing Daylight Saving Time by State law,” the U.S. Department of Transportation website reads . “States do not have the authority to choose to be on permanent Daylight Saving Time.”

This year’s DST will end at 2 a.m. Sunday, November 3.

Options for beef producers have evolved over the years

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credit -NDSU Ag

For as long as cattlemen have been raising beef cattle, there’s always been questions surrounding selling said livestock and getting the most bang for the producer’s buck.

In the 75 years High Plains Journal has been around, options for marketing cattle have likely changed nearly as much as how agriculture in general has.

The very first issue of the Journal had an ad for the McKinley-Winter Livestock Commission Company, Dodge City, Kansas. The ad touted, “Always sell through the largest auction market in the Great Southwest Cattle Country. It’s the safest and most reliable method. We also pride ourself in knowing that each head of your livestock will receive a fair and profitable market price. There’s no longer a need for you to take unnecessary chances on your livestock marketing—instead sell or buy through our competent and competitive auction sales. We assure you of equal privileges and a good market price.”

Visionary

In the 70th anniversary issue of the Journal, Brian Winter of Winter Livestock, said the family’s auction barn has always tried to be ahead of the curve—whether it be the first ring scale or air conditioning in the 1950s.

“The ultimate end goal is to provide better service for our customers,” Winter said in the 2019 story.

Customers have continued to be loyal and they’ve had long time customers selling livestock at the sale barn since its beginning.

“In a lot of ways it’s stayed the same in that it’s more about the relationship and partnership with the customer and us as their service provider and purchaser provider to them,” Winter said. “We are allowed to provide more buying power to the sellers.”

As time went on cattlemen found they had more options outside of their local sale barn or auction market. Private treaty and on farm sales began to get more leverage and as technology advanced the livestock were able to be seen far and wide. Another avenue that became an important factor for marketing cattle was special value-added programs. One of those was Certified Angus Beef.

New influences

Paul Dykstra, director, supply management and analysis with CAB, believes the group has helped influence marketing in a couple of ways.

“The initial impact was two-fold,” he said. “First, since Certified Angus Beef was the original branded beef company this introduced a paradigm shift whereby consumers could identify a brand name and associated carcass quality specifications that they learned to trust for a great eating experience.”

The second part of this impact was recognized by the brand’s founders, and they were able to capitalize on the marbling characteristics of Angus cattle and began to capture added value in the Premium Choice product segment where none had previously existed.

“High quality, larger product availability and a lower price point than USDA Prime really drove the brand’s growth,” he said.

Dykstra said through the years, CAB has been able to push the envelope, and for him one of the biggest accomplishments has been the fact that the brand’s growth in consumer demand played a major role in setting the beef industry on a course toward higher quality carcass production.

“This can’t be stated without also recognizing that the brand has delivered on our mission statement to increase demand for registered Angus cattle,” he said.

Carcass value

The marketing of beef cattle has changed through the years and has gotten to a point where packers are able to price a large share of the cattle based on carcass value.

“Commercial and seedstock cattle procurement decisions upstream are consequently impacted in many cases with some consideration as to carcass quality outcomes,” Dykstra said. “Opinions certainly differ about how today’s fed cattle market is structured, but the evolution that has occurred has had the expected effect in incentivizing us cattlemen to improve our product.”

That is one very positive aspect in driving beef demand, according to Dykstra. It also helps ensure the future of the CAB brand, while continuing to refine a model that has been very good so far.

“Identifying growth opportunities for the brand is always a priority, focusing on listening to consumers to best meet their needs,” he said. “As well, capturing a premium marketing outlet for every possible pound of each CAB carcass will maximize value back to through the supply chain.”

As reported in the High Plains Journal

Governor Kelly Updates Declaration of Drought Emergency, Warnings, and Watches for Kansas Counties

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Guest Columnist
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Governor Laura Kelly has approved updated drought declarations for Kansas counties with Executive Order #24-01.

“While drought conditions have improved greatly in recent months, many counties continue to be negatively impacted by the decline in water supply or strains on water resources,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “I strongly encourage all Kansans to continue to conserve water as we head into the summer months.”

The drought declaration removed all 55 counties previously in emergency status and placed 15 counties into warning status and 62 into watch status. This action was recommended by Connie Owen, Director of the Kansas Water Office and Chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team. While a majority of Kansas has seen significant relief from drought since August, central and southeast Kansas continue to be in Severe Drought.

“Counties in a watch status have conditions which indicate the probability of a water shortage is rising. It is important to monitor these conditions and be mindful of water usage in these counties,” said Owen. “The Governor’s Drought Response Team will continue to monitor the drought conditions across Kansas and make recommendations to Governor Kelly as conditions change.”

This Executive Order shall remain in effect for those counties identified until rescinded by an Executive Order ending the declaration or revising the drought stage status of the affected counties.

Effective immediately, Executive Order #24-01:

  • Declares a Drought Emergency, Warning, or Watch for the counties as identified below;
  • Authorizes and directs all agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor to implement the appropriate watch, warning, or emergency-level drought response actions assigned in the Operations Plan of the Governor’s Drought Response Team.

The Governor’s Drought Response Team will continue to watch the situation closely and work to minimize the negative drought-induced effects on Kansans.

For more detailed information about current conditions, visit the Climate and Drought webpage on the Kansas Water Office website at kwo.ks.gov.

County Drought Stage Declarations:

Drought Emergency:

 Drought Warning: Chautauqua, Clay, Dickinson, Elk, Graham, Harvey, Jewell, McPherson, Mitchell, Montgomery, Osborne, Ottawa, Reno, Rice, Rooks, Wilson.

Drought Watch: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Decatur, Doniphan, Douglas, Ellis, Ellsworth, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Greenwood, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kingman, Labette, Lane, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Miami, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Osage, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Rawlins, Republic, Riley, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Thomas, Trego, Wabaunsee, Washington, Woodson, Wyandotte.

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