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Rabbits in the Garden 

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Rabbits can cause trouble in the garden year-round due to their appetite for a great variety of crops. As young plants emerge and develop this time of year, rabbits are feasting. Potatoes, tomatoes, corn, squash, cucumbers and certain pepper types are not favored by rabbits but more susceptible plants can be protected.

Fencing the area with two-foot high, fine mesh (1-inch or smaller) can effectively keep out rabbits. Use stakes or electric fence posts to support the mesh.

Floating row covers are typically a solution for getting a jumpstart on the growing season by creating a warmer microclimate around the planter beds. It can also serve as a protection from insects and wildlife. Choose a lightweight, white fabric such as polyester for row covers to be used for pest exclusion. Monitor the temperature underneath the cover and remove it if the temperature climbs above 90 degrees F.

Repellants, trapping and shooting are other controls sometimes used by gardeners. Repellents typically require frequent reapplications for best control and may be poisonous making them unsafe to use on plants for human consumption. Live traps can be used to capture rabbits and relocate them to another location several miles away. Getting rabbits to enter the trap can be tricky considering the buffet of food available in the garden, but using a tightly rolled cabbage leaf held closed with a toothpick can work. If safe and legal, shooting can also be effective.

Motion-activated sprinklers can scare off predators. Attached to the garden hose, the sprinkler releases short bursts of water when motion is detected. Contech, Orbit and Havahart are suppliers that advertise protecting up to 1,000 square feet.

Cynthia Domenghini, Extension Agent

Cabbage Worms

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Guest Columnist
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 The imported cabbage worm is making its appearance this time of year. White eggs are laid by white butterflies and hatch into fuzzy green worms. If not controlled early, managing this pest is much more involved and plant injury can be extensive.

Organic treatments for cabbage worms include: BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) (Dipel, Thuricide and others) and Spinosad (Monterey Garden Insect Spray, Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew). If using BT, apply it late in the day or on a cloudy day; the pesticide’s efficacy is affected by sun exposure.

Cynthia Domenghini, Extension Agent

Make Tomato Cages 

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Guest Columnist
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Concrete reinforcing mesh (wire) can be used to make stronger tomato cages that can endure large, productive tomato plants and Kansas growing conditions. The mesh is typically sold in 50-foot-long rolls that are 5-feet high. The mesh has 6-inch squares that accommodate access to the tomato plants for harvest, inspection or other care. Each cage should be about 2-feet in diameter for proper containment. Cutting the mesh into 6 ½ – foot lengths will provide an adequate diameter after assemble.

Roll the mesh onto the ground and count 13 squares. Using small bolt or standard wire cutters, cut the wire at the end of the thirteenth square leaving intact12 squares. Allow the mesh to form a cylinder and wrap the cut pieces of the final squares around the first squares to hold the shape. Adjust the height of the cage by cutting entire squares, if desired, depending on the type of tomatoes you are growing.

Cut the wire at the base of the cylinder to create prongs that can extend into the ground when placed around the tomato plant. This will provide some security for the cage. For additional support, drive a T-post into the ground next to the cage and tie the cage to it.

These sturdy cages will last multiple years but are bulky and require extra storage space. Cages that fold flat or can be disassembled are available from Texas Tomato Cages, Titan Tomato Cages and other sources. These can be costly and will still require staking if you grow in a windy area.

Cynthia Domenghini, Extension Agent

 

EPA’s action to grant E15 waiver applauded

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Guest Columnist
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As reported in High Plains Journal farm leaders expressed their thanks for an Environmental Protection Agency issuing an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline, which is blended with 15% ethanol, to be sold during the summer driving season.

This action will provide Americans with relief at the pump from ongoing market supply issues created by Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine by increasing fuel supply and offering consumers more choices at the pump, EPP Administrator Michael Regan announced in a news release. The waiver will help protect Americans from fuel supply crises by reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, building United States energy independence, and supporting American agriculture and manufacturing. Current estimates indicate that on average, E15 is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper than E10.

The EPA has authority to prevent drivers from losing access to lower-cost and lower-emission E15, a higher ethanol blend often marketed as Unleaded 88, said the president of the National Corn Growers Association.

The National Corn Growers Association and state corn grower organizations, which have advocated for the move, praised the decision.

“We appreciate Administrator Regan’s timely action to prevent a disruption in E15 availability,” said National Corn Growers Association President Tom Haag. “EPA’s action will help address fuel supply constraints and ensure drivers continue to have access to a lower-cost fuel choice that cuts emissions.”

“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to protecting Americans from fuel supply challenges resulting from the ongoing war in Ukraine by ensuring consumers have more choices at the pump,” Regan said. “Allowing E15 sales during the summer driving season will not only help increase fuel supply, but support American farmers, strengthen U.S. energy security, and provide relief to drivers across the country.”

The Clean Air Act allows the EPA administrator, in consultation with DOE, to temporarily waive certain fuel requirements to address shortages. As a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Administrator Regan determined that extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances exist and has granted a temporary waiver to help ensure that an adequate supply of gasoline is available. As required by law, EPA and DOE evaluated t the situation and determined that granting the waiver was in the public interest.

It’s a win for the environment and while we’re disappointed it’s not permanent it is a win for agriculture,” said U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-KS, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the EPA’s decision was appropriate. “By allowing the summer sale of E15 at gas pumps nationwide, President (Joe) Biden is supporting the creation of good-paying jobs and economic growth, particularly in rural and farm communities. At the same time, thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, USDA is continuing to make critical investments in infrastructure to expand biofuels’ availability for drivers at thousands more retailers through competitive grants we expect to announce soon. The Inflation Reduction Act also sets the course for U.S. agriculture to lead the way in helping to build a new industry that will produce low carbon aviation and marine fuel, create more manufacturing jobs, and keep America’s aviation industry at the forefront of innovation.”

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said it will help with the upcoming summer driving season.

“As the nation’s leader in ethanol production and the first state to adopt an E15 standard, Iowans have long recognized the importance of biofuels for reducing costs at the pump, building demand for our corn, creating good jobs in rural Iowa, being a cleaner choice for the environment and making America energy independent,” Naig said. “At a time when fuel prices are still too high and the fantasy of foreign-sourced EVs continues to attract far too much focus, E15 remains the lowest-cost and lowest carbon fuel option for over 96 percent of the vehicles on the road today. While I am pleased that the Administration is moving forward with this long overdue waiver, we need permanent year-round access to E15 that removes this year-to-year uncertainty.”

The Kansas Corn Grower Association praised the decision.

“This emergency waiver is important to not only the more than 100 stations in Kansas that have made the investment to offer E15 but also Kansas consumers who will keep access to a lower-cost, higher- quality fuel during peak driving months,” says Josh Roe, Kansas Corn vice president of market development and policy. “We appreciate Administer Regan’s timely action to prevent disruption in E15 availability and hope that Congress can pass the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to secure uninterrupted year-round E15 access for future years. All six Kansas senators and representatives have signed on in support of the act.”

Currently, in roughly two-thirds of the country, E15 cannot be sold from terminals starting on May 1 and at retail stations starting on June 1. EPA is providing relief by extending the 1-psi Reid Vapor Pressure waiver that currently applies to E10 gasoline to E15, which will enable E15 sales throughout the summer driving season in these areas, if necessary. This action only extends the 1-psi waiver to E15 in parts of the country where it already exists for E10. E15 can already be sold year-round in parts of the country that have a Reformulated Gasoline program.

Weekly summer farm tour series continues May 30

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Guest Columnist
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Kansas Farmers Union invites the public to attend the second installment of the Summer Food Safety & Security Farm Tour Series on Tuesday, May 30.

The tour will begin at 11:00 AM at Elderslie Farm (3501 E 101st N. Valley Center, KS 67147)

Elderslie Farm began in 2010 when George Elder returned home and planted blackberries near his childhood home, just north of Wichita. Today, with his wife Katharine, the farm has grown to include an upscale, Instagram-worthy, farm-to-table restaurant, favorite of summertime-adventure for blackberry lovers, and home to the cutest goats imaginable with excellent locally-made cheeses.

At 2:00 PM the group will make its way to Myers Mushrooms (7005 S. Meridian St. Haysville, KS 67060).

Myers Mushrooms is led by Eric Myers, a 14-year Air Force Mechanic Veteran who loves mushroom cultivation. In 2015, he started growing mushrooms in El Paso, Texas. Since then, he had been hoping to expand his knowledge in this industry and share it with the whole community. Together with his family, he moved to a place near Wichita, Kansas. This has also allowed him to have access to Haysville, the location where he constructed his 2,800 sq. ft mushroom cultivation facility.

This set of tours is a collaboration of Kansas Farmers Union, National Farmers Union’s Local Food Safety Collaborative, and Common Ground Producers and Growers, LLC. Additional tours are being held Tuesday, May 23 and Tuesday, June 6.

All tours are free and open to the public. Registration is requested to plan for lunch and handouts.

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